If you are looking for the most effective exercises to achieve your fitness goals, be they muscle gain, fat loss, to improve athletic performance, or simply to stay in shape, the squat and deadlift are two of the most effective overall exercises. The reason for this is because exercises like squats and deadlifts engage more muscle groups under heavier loads than almost any other weight bearing exercise, and because of this, they generate the best results.
We will take a look at the squat exercise in this article, and why it can be beneficial to add a couple of additional squats to the ordinary barbell back squat routine.
University studies have proven that squats can increase development of the upper body as well as the lower body, even though there are no specific upper body joint movements performed during the squat. There are a number of ways to perform squats, for example, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, or just body weight. These are all forms of free weighted squats and are far more beneficial than the Smith Machines you often find in your local gym. Smith Machines or any other squat machines do not allow your body to follow its natural movements. They are designed to stabilize the weight for you, which by its very nature, means you perform less work, and in turn get weaker results.
There are a number of ways you can do free weighted squats but the squat that most people are familiar with is the barbell back squat, where the barbell rests on the back of the shoulders. There are two other types of squats that many strength and training coaches believe are more useful to developing athletic performance, and offer less risk of lower back injuries when compared with the back squat. They are the front squat and the overhead squat. The names are quite self explanatory, as in the front squat, the barbell rests on the shoulders in front of the head, and with an overhead squat, the barbell is in a snatch grip above your head. Not the most exciting names in the world, but I suppose they do the job.
Front squats are slightly harder than back squats, and overhead squats are much more difficult than both front and back squats. If you have never tried the front or overhead squats before, it could take a couple of sessions before you feel comfortable with them, so its wise to start out light. Once you are comfortable with them, you can start adding weights and building intensity.
The Front Squat
The really good thing about front squats is that in order to perform them correctly, you have to really engage your abs. Obviously the squat is more of a lower body exercise, but you engage a number of other areas at the same time, especially when you are performing free weighted squats, which is why I tend to shy away from Smith Machines.
The trickiest part of performing the front squat is learning how to rest the bar on the front of your shoulders. There are two ways you can do this. The first is to cross your forearms like an X while placing the barbell on the dimples in your shoulders, which are created when you cross your forearms and lift your elbows up. Make sure you keep your elbows up high enough so that your upper arms are parallel with the ground, and just hold the bar in place with the thumb side of your fists against the bar.
The other way is to hold the bar by placing your palms face up while resting the bar on your fingers against your shoulders. Again, ensure that your elbows are up high enough that your upper arms are parallel with the ground.
Find out which technique works for you by practicing with the bar only, and perform a couple of reps to see which one feels more comfortable. Once you're happy with the grip, begin the squat from your hips by sitting back and down, and place the weight on your heels rather than the front of you feet. You should squat down to a position where your thighs are roughly parallel to the ground, then move back up to the starting position. By keeping the weight on your heels, you protect your knees and there is less chance of injury.
Does that make sense? If not, do not fear, you can check out photos of the squat through the link at the bottom of the page.
The Overhead Squat
This is by far the hardest of the three basic squats, and it can take some time before you become comfortable with it, so starting out with an un-weighted bar is best.
To do the squat, you first need to get the bar above your head and your hands in a wide snatch grip. When you are starting out with lighter weights, you can snatch it, and once you get better at performing them and move up to heavier weights, you can clean and press it over your head. Once its there, you can adjust your hands to a wider snatch grip. It is a good idea to start out light and progressively move your way up to heavier weights. It is also a good idea to have someone spot you until you can perform it properly.
When your barbell is up and stable, you need to ensure that your arms are locked really tight and that the weight is positioned a little towards the back of your head. You must keep your whole body extremely tense or the weight could fall forward or back. Keep your head up, keep the weight on your heels, and sit into the squat until your thighs are approximately parallel with the ground, then move back up to the starting position. It is important to remember to keep your entire body tense throughout the movement to keep the weight stable. This is why I think free weighted squats are much better then squat machines, because you have to do all the work, and this strengthens and tones your body up incredibility quickly.
As I say, this squat is reasonably hard and it does take a few sessions to really feel comfortable with it, so it is really important that you get your grip and movements nailed down first using an un-weighted bar, before you begin to increase weight and intensity.
You will be really surprised at how hard these two new squats will workout your abdominals when you nail down the correct form. This is because you need more of an upright posture to than you do with back squats. Again I stress, as with any new exercise, try them out first without weights, until you feel comfortable with the exercise and are performing it correctly, then you can start adding weights and increasing intensity.
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