Girls with boobs
How do you front squat. I feel like the clean grip gets in my way and if I move my arms outside of my boobs then my elbows hit my knees at the bottom of the lift.
I tried the cross grip and it worked for a couple of reps, but I had a rolling problem at the end.
Honestly, I haven't tried front squat for this reason, I feel comfortable with a regular squat and am not strong enough upper body wise for overhead yet. X / I'd be interested on tips too.
Your elbows should be way up in the air, nowhere near your knees. Like this.
I can't hold the bar like that. If my arms are horizontal, like they should be, the bar is across my chin.
Original Post by smashley23:
I can't hold the bar like that. If my arms are horizontal, like they should be, the bar is across my chin.
If it's a wrist flexibility issue, you don't need to hold on to the bar with your hands. You can do it like she is doing, I only keep two fingers on the bar when I front squat. Or you can use straps like this.
Came for the pics... leftdisappointed.jpeg
Yeah, I am pretty good at keeping my arms horizontal, but occasionally the bar hits me in the neck. Sometimes, with the combination of not keeping my back straight enough and elbow sagging, I still hit my knees with my elbows - it's just form issues that I have to work on - I don't front squat enough.
Original Post by solid555:
Original Post by smashley23:
I can't hold the bar like that. If my arms are horizontal, like they should be, the bar is across my chin.
If it's a wrist flexibility issue, you don't need to hold on to the bar with your hands. You can do it like she is doing, I only keep two fingers on the bar when I front squat. Or you can use straps like this.
There are some stretches in Starting Strength to help with wrist flexibility issues.
If the issue is forarm length relative to upper arm length, take a wider grip.
Front squatting with your elbows pointing down puts a lot of extra stress on your elbows and wrists.
I practiced today keeping my elbows up. My wrists were okay, but having the bar on my sternum sucked. I have some practicing to do.
I have heard of people wearing collared polo shirts back-to-front to stop the rub on the sternum/collarbone.
I did front squats tonight, the bar rubs on my left collarbone more because it sits higher since I broke it years ago. Shirt covering that area is better than bar to skin. I was trying to keep my elbows ups, since reading this thread earlier. Do you look forward or upwards?
If your delts and pecs are developed at all you should be able to make a meaty little shelf to set the bar on. Think about resting the bar where your anterior deltoid meets your clavicular head of your pectoralis major. You might try taking a wider grip on the bar and pointing your elbows slightly inward while keeping your arms horizontal. (FWIW, my rack position grip is a few inches outside of my shoulders - about the same place I put my hands for back squats.) Like Solid said, you really only need a finger or two on the bar to hold it in place. Keep working on flexibility and keep those elbows up! FS can be awkward at first, but they are awesome once you find your groove.
ETA: My front squat cue is, "UP!" (Elbows up, eyes up, chest up, lift up.)
