The front squat and back squat are two of the primary lower body dominant strength and power exercises that almost every strength program contains. Many strength and conditioning coaches will tell you that the back squat is the end all be all exercise. Meaning you will get stronger, faster, and more explosive quicker using back squats than any other exercise. While this exercise defintely has its benefits, the risk factors also need to be thought about. The back squat should follow a very strict form, and some athlete’s particularly the taller type athletes will struggle with proper form of the back squat. Because of the long femur’s the taller athletes have, lumbar flexion usually compensates for the poorly performed squat pattern. Also in the squat the bar is placed behind the neck, and with heavy loads the amount of spine compression can be extreme. On the other hand is the front squat. Another bilateral strength and power lower body exercise. The main difference between the front squat and back squat is bar placement. The bar is now in front of the athlete’s neck, on the clavicle. The reason the front squat seems to have the advantage over the back squat is proper execution. If form is poor in the front squat, the athlete will often just dump the bar forward. Also, the amount of weight in the front squat is usually less than the back squat.
It is clear that both the front and back squat offer many pros and cons. A recent study was done by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that compared the EMG activity in the erector spinae while performing both squat patterns. This study concluded that the front squat produced roughly 25% more EMG activity in the erector spinae compared to the back squat. Obviously for a beginner of someone with history of lower back pain, the back squat would seem to be the wiser choice. Once erector spinae strength is increased, then the front squat could also be used. Low back pain is one of the most common injuries that almost everyone suffers from at one point or another. In sum, choose the movement that would be most rewarding for your athletes by limiting the risk factor.