Get a rock-hard body from head to toe, and ripped abs with this exercise!by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
author of best-selling program - The Truth about Six Pack Abs
A Look at the "Front Squat" (a surprising exercise not only for legs, but also rock hard abs!)
As
you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap
(along with other greats like deadlifts and clean and presses) as one of
the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition
changes (muscle gain and fat loss).
This
is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups
under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known
to man. Squats and deadlifts use hundreds of muscles throughout your
entire body to move the load and also to stabilize your body while doing
the drill.
Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (increasing fat-burning & muscle building growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.
Another weird fact:
University research studies have even proven that inclusion of weighted
squats into a training program increases upper body development, in
addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific
joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is
gaining lean muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and
functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and
deadlift (and their variations) are a couple of the ultimate exercises
to accomplish this.
If
you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean
and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight
people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment and
getting zero results!
Squats can be done with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights – NEVER with a Smith machine! (This article shows why smith machine squats are a horrendous exercise for your body)
Side note: My program, The Truth About Six Pack Abs contains the full story on why machines are so inferior and even potentially DANGEROUS compared to free weights.
The
type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back
squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper
back. Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats
(where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead
squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead
throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than
back squats with less risk of lower back injury.
I
feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same
phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular
development, body fat loss, and athletic performance. Front squats are
moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are
considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats.
I'll cover overhead squats in a future newsletter issue.
If
you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a
few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out
light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the
groove and be able to increase the poundage.
To perform front squats:
The
front squat recruits the abdominals to a MUCH higher degree for
stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats.
It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally
incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement.
If you're doing front squats right, you'll feel a hard contraction in your abs during these.
It
can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on
your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the
shoulders.
In
the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into
an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by
the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that
your arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by
pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support. This
technique is a bit tricky and you want to make sure to have the weight
resting on muscle and not bone!
Alternatively,
you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting
on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows
must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms
should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which
bar support method is more comfortable for you.
Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet.
Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel
to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your
weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to
protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury resistant knee
joints.
Keep
in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats
done incorrectly can damage the knees. Practice first with an
un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement.
Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you
learn the correct form.
You
also need to use a good bit lighter weight on front squats compared to
back squats. For example, personally, I use about 250 lbs for 8 reps on
the back squat, but on the front squat, I need to be around 175 lbs for
8 reps, so a good bit lighter.
START/FINISH
MIDPOINT
So there you
have it... one the best exercises for both rock hard abs, and a rock
hard body from head to toe! I could list a LOT more, but wanted to
focus on front squats today as they are one of the most under-utilized.
Help spread health and fitness to your friends and feel free to share this article:
Sunday 15 June 2014
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