It’s generally a good idea, just for the sake of injury prevention and the improvement of overall capacity, to change up movement patterns periodically. Never changing our emphasis in a movement pattern like the squat can create joint impingements, overuse injuries, and even holes in our strength game.
The front squat is a more quad-heavy squat technique, and it also works the lower back and hamstrings a little differently than the back squat does. Neither variation is necessarily “better” than the other, so I think they should both be employed in the pursuit of strength, grit, and physical capacity.
There’s also something quite vicious about holding a loaded barbell in the space between your collar bone and your neck that reveals untapped stores of physical and mental toughness.
While the back squat allows for larger application of mechanical tension through heavier weights, something the front squat has the advantage in is better development of mobility in the squat. Because the weight is held in front of the lifter’s center of mass we can keep our spine more upright and force larger ranges of motion in the hips and ankles. This is actually a great way to make your back squat better.
There’s also something quite vicious about holding a loaded barbell in the space between your collar bone and your neck that reveals untapped stores of physical and mental toughness. This is a great movement to employ if you’re looking to switch things up a bit.
Be prepared to spend some time at the beginning of your session getting plenty of blood flow to the hips, ankles, and wrists to warm up for this demanding squat variation. “Motion is lotion” so work those deeper ranges of motion.
