Blog To Front or Back Squat

The squat is a staple multiple joint free weight resistance exercise that develops
not only the quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis), but
also the hamstrings (biceps femoris and semitendinosus), and it also loads the
erector spinae. Theres a contentious area in the field of strength and
conditioning as to which form is more effective the front or back squat.
Advantages and disadvantages of front squat
The front squat is less commonly used but is argued that it can be more
beneficial. The bar placement in the front squat forces you to keep your torso
more upright as you lower into the bottom position. This means you use more
quads than you do hams and glutes (Yavuz et al., 2015). The use of this squat
greatly depends on what muscle groups the athlete want to engage the most as
this is more quadriceps dominant. This squat is more relatable to other strength
areas such as Olympic lifting as its used in two of the lifts and is described to
generate power and speed.
Advantages and disadvantages of back squat
Its suggested that the back squat has a more secure racking point which in turn
shows to have greater engagement in the posterior chain and allows for more
weight to be loaded upon an athlete. Squatting with the barbell on your upper
back forces a forward bend in your torso in the bottom position to keep the bar
balanced. This causes you to use your hamstrings and glutes more as you come
up to extend your hips to return to the start position with your torso and legs
straight (Birtwell and Parker, 2014). Although the back squat does have
advantages it also suggested that this type of squat can also cause more
pressure on the lower back due to the lean at the hip and normally the load is
higher than that of front squats. This squat variation suggests that its used
mainly for strength purposes due to the heavier load being utilised (Shepard,
2009).
Advantages and disadvantages of back squat
Which could prove to be more effective
Use the back squat as your major lower-body mass builder. However, if you need
to prioritize quads, use the front squat as well. To be safe bet its best to start
with back squats and then include a few sets of front squats. If knee problems
prevent you from doing back squats, give front squats a try (Stoppani and Merrit,
2011).
Sources
Stoppani, J. and Merrit, G. (2011) BACK SQUAT VS. FRONT SQUAT . Journal of
Strength and Conditioning. Vol. 29, No. 1: 96-100.
Yavuz, U., Erda, D. and Amca, M. (2015) Kinematic and EMG activities during
front and back squat variations in maximum loads.. Journal of Sports
Sciences. Vol. 33, No. 10: 1058-1067.
Shepard, G. (2009) Bigger Faster Stronger-2nd Edition. (1st ed.) USA: Human
Kinetics.
Birtwell, C. and Parker, L. (2014) SquatStrong. (2nd ed.) London: BookBaby.