Halterofilia (the Spanish text from which many British weightlifting coaches develop their programs) suggests that an individual’s front squat should be ~90% of their back squat. I have one lifter whose differential was ~25%. After months trying different approaches without success, I took the unusual step of prescibing knee extensions. Yep, a weightlifter queuing with the elderly women to do use a nautilus machine! My reasoning was that the vasti being postural muscles have a much shallower rep:intensity pyramid than the hip extensors and would therefore respond to higher reps (not possibe with front squats) Three weeks after implementing knee extensions (4x8r, 2x/week) his front squat improved by 12kg (and back squat by 2.5kg)…
David,
Don’t tell that to the “functional training” crowd, they’ll have a fit.
You’ve actually proven what I often try to explain to “functional trainers”. A functional training program is simply one that improves function and does not require the performance of single-leg wobble board squats while blindfolded.
Bill
I have added extensions, ham curls, calf raises, adductor and abductor to my main lifts as well as tons of core work and have shot up in all lifts over 10%.
3 sets each after main lifts.
Made a big difference.
Chris
Nice point David W.
But you didn’t just pick an exercise because it was there, you had a reason and it seems to have worked.
could have used sissy squats or bulgarian splitquats with the knees going well forward… 
Actually I hear more like 80%, depends on how far the squatter sits back and back angle I guess
My weight program used to be incredibly basic and now it’s just a little bit basic. I’m still focusing on mostly compound movements, but after adding glute ham raises, hypers and lots of ab work my squat improved 12 % in the last 8 weaks without much squatting.
David W, great…next your going to tell us that another athlete raised his cleans and bench by performing explosive reverse curls and tricep kickbacks.LOL
Way to think outside the box.
James Smith