An Unexpected Love Language

Now before we dive into this, you need to know that this journal comes with an insane amount of bias within my own training and background. In no way shape or form do I think that back squats are a poor choice for exercise, nor a poor selection for squats, and it's truly about finding the best fit for you.

We all have a love language in how we communicate with our partners and friends. For some acts of service or words of affirmation, others its quality time. For me, my love language happens to be front squats. THEY MAKE ME FEEL SOOOOO GOOD. This is my bias in life and I can live with this.

My love for front squats centers around the mobility benefits I receive from them. As a traditionally stiff mover, the weight distribution of the movement assists stretching and mobilizing my areas of deficit. Front squats traditionally better improve hip mobility along with shoulders, wrists, and upper back benefits comparatively to the back squat counterpart.

The other major advantage to a front loaded squat that my body craves is the postural and strength gains. Because the weight distribution is in front, our bodies require more upper trunk engagement and quadriceps activity in contrast to the back squat. For someone who prefers a slouched position all day, front squats hit the spot for me when it comes to posture. The further quadriceps gains for skiing and snowboarding hit just as hard and go unmatched in my eyes.

Now while in my opinion the front squat is the perfect exercise, there are drawbacks. Although it improves mobility of the hips, shoulders, wrists, and trunk, sometimes this is the limitation to getting into the movement. Over time, our bodies can accommodate into these positions and increase in tolerance, sometimes our bodies were just made to back squat and that's perfectly okay as an outcome.

If I’m working with someone who fits this alternative category, we don’t shy away from front loaded positions, we modify accordingly to meet their body where they are at. These modifications include but are not limited to movements such as goblet squats, zercher squats, or simply holding the weight in front of our chest and sternum. At the end of the day, it's not about avoidance, rather finding a way to still get the benefits from these positions.

Sifting and searching through my rehab programs for clients, you will find an ample amount of front squat or front loaded variations abundant in their routines. As identified in my initial disclaimer, I am somewhat biased due how my own body feels in these positions but prescribe based upon the benefits for others as well. Next time you are exploring new movements or maybe looking for a change, front squats may be a great choice for you and you might just find your love language matches that of my own.

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