Can anyone explain mechanically why we can only lift about 70% in the front squat compared to the back squat?
After looking at a video of my own joint angles I see that the knee is very similar in both squat types but the hip must be more accute in the back squat to allow for the forward lean in counter balancing the weight.
I am thinking that this leads to more elastic recoil in the back squat but is there more to it?
Leverage must have something to do with it. Having the weight in front and needing to balance it there. You need to be more erect during the front squat and that increases the torque requirements at the knee and diminishes it at the hip. The knee is less effective as the hip.
Moment arms from the bar to all the joints. The bar placement in the Front Squat doesn’t allow you to utilize the Glutes as much as the Back Squat does.
ive heard that front squats are more quad dominant, would this make any sense?
No matter how useless to speed front squats are, they just keep coming back like some sort of rash. Why pick an exercise that you have to then counter with another exercise to stay on balance for speed? (Back dominant event)
Top level Olympic lifters have less difference between max front squat and back squat, this is exercise can have benefits especially if your lower back gets tight from doing back squats. The problem with front squats ( clean grip) is that they put a lot of stress on your wrist.
From memory I recalling reading research on EMGs (Electromyography) data & joint kinetics measures on front squats & back squats which showed greater activation of lumbar muscles ( back squat) & greater comprehensive forces on the lower back and knee.
Back squats load up your knee and lower back more, however you can lift heavier due to greater mechanical efficiency.
Does MVP use front squats?
Cleans v Front Squats. It was mentioned that Front squats are not too important, does this relate to a clean in the same manner? SHould a full clean be eliminated and a high pull (Clean pull) fwd MB throws or deadlift be the extent of anterior lifting exercises?
My primary exercises are back hyper and cleans. I only put front squats in to stop my quads wasting away. The reason I don’t use back squats at the moment is to reduce the possiblilty of nerve impingement that I am susceptible to in the back.
I have heard that Stephen Francis has his sprinters use front squat for similar reasons.
In that paper the authors admitted that the higher compressive forces at the knee might be due to the fact that they used heavier loads on the back squat.