The front squat/press: renewing an old school standard.

Most coaches have become big fans of the "big lifts"--the traditional barbell squat, leg press/back squat variations, dead lifts, and various Olympic style lifts and analogues.

The pros and cons are abundant, but most practitioners will include at least a few of these multi-joint movements in their programs.

The front squat has long been an adjunct of the back squat. It continues to be a viable alternative for trainees who have difficulty mastering the back squat and for coaches who have reservations about teaching it. If you work with a diverse athletic population, including both males and females, you will eventually encounter a maze of biomechanical, structural, and post-injury considerations that contraindicate the back squat with certain athletes.

Anyone experiencing such problems or concerns may want to take a closer look at the front squat and its relative, the front squat/press.

Most athletes who hold the bar in a frontal position and support it on the anterior shoulder region will be able to maintain the correct squatting posture and execute the lift with the appropriate techniques:

1. Place the feet at or slightly wider than shoulder width.

2. Keep the head facing forward at eye level.

3. Pull the shoulders back and do not allow them to roll or round forward.

4. Keep the chest elevated, not hunched over. Maintain a "big chest."

5. Contract the torso musculature (especially the core area of the abdominals and lower back) and remain firm throughout the entire movement.

6. Maintain a slightly arched lower back--the normal lordotic (spine curvature) position.

7. Maintain the knees in a position directly over the feet without allowing them to bow in or out.

8. Move the hips backward and downward during the descent, as if sitting down.

9. Descend until the mid-thigh reaches parallel--or slightly below parallel--to the flavor.

10. Demonstrate control at this juncture with a slight pause. Avoid jerking and bouncing.

11. Drive upward, raising the hips and torso in unison. Avoid raising the hips before the torso, as this may compromise the position of the lower back by rounding it and adding undue stress to the region.

12. Rise upward until the hips are beneath your torso.

13. Demonstrate control at this point, and then proceed with the next rep.

14. Maintain a normal breathing pattern during the entire set. Under no circumstances should you "hold" your breath at any point during the set.

GETTING A BETTER GRIP

In the past we used the conventional straight bar for this movement. We have since come up with a special bar design that places less stress on the wrists (Photo 1). The handles run perpendicular to the bar shaft, which internally rotates the hands and makes for a much more comfortable grip.

This improved grip is crucial if you choose to include the military press phase to the exercise. The exercise now becomes the front squat/press, an excellent multi-joint movement that activates a large portion of both the lower and upper body musculature. Though not a competitive lift itself, it has long been an adjunct training movement for competitive lifters for this reason.

The starling position (Photo 2) and the mid-range position (Photo 3) are in compliance with the aforementioned mechanics and techniques of the front squat. Notice the appropriate back posture and knee bend at the midrange position.

PRESSING ON

The press phase of the lift is executed just before the legs are fully extended in the finishing position (Photo 4). Key coaching points on the press phase include:

* Press the bar straight up and slightly in front of the head.

* Avoid taking the bar behind the head, as this may compromise the correct back posture and/or place excessive stress on the shoulder region.

* Keep the back as straight as possible without excessive forward lean or hyperextension of the low back.

* Return the bar with control to the starting position.

Coaches who are adamant about implementing lifts that require "triple extension" (extension at the hip, knee, and ankle) can satisfy this need by extending up on the balls of the feet in synchronization with the completion of the press. (Check the lifter's feet in Photo 4.) However, this may prove to be a difficult technique for some athletes and it is not a requirement.

FINAL REP

The front squat/press offers a workable substitute for any one of a host of competitive style lifts, while still affording the coach and athlete with the same strength and power enhancements.

While relatively uncomplicated in technique when compared to some of the other lifts in a similar category, the front squat/press stimulates much of the same musculature with, in some instances, a better range of motion.

With closer examination, you may also conclude that it is a safer lift than several of its counterparts.

For further information on the front squat bar, call Mike Adolphson, Reflex Fitness, at 1-800-852-0241.