Ditching back squats

> They basically only front squat
No they don't, this is demonstrably false if you even look at any routines done by any gold-winning country's team

If you don't do hamstring work you will stall fast. I did at 235

I’ll still do work on the hams/glutes.
Usual leg workout goes like this:
Back squat
Conventional DL
Leg press
RDLs
Power cleans/overhead squat (depending on how I’m feeling)

The only thing I’d adjust to it, is taking out back squats completely and only doing front squats

Please be in kilos

hamstring strength had nothing to do with your front squat stalling

it'll be lbs, the advice in context will be for novice/bridge intermediate routines, anyone squatting 235kg already has worked on their weaknesses as a very low % of lifters even reach that weight

Just don't lift too heavy if you're afraid of fucking your shit. Make sure you're using proper form.

I started barbell squatting again since i recently joined a gym again. Been working out at home for 1½ years including weighted step ups (basically one legged squatting on a chair) without pain.
Low bar squat elicits pain around lateral anterior part of left knee during squats . Tried leg press, same thing. Slight external/internal rotation had no effect. Switched to leg extension machine without pain.
Anyone know what I am doing wrong? It's my third time squatting recently after a 1½ year break. I got 50kgs on bar.

>I got 50kgs on bar.
Start with only the bar. Do 3 sets of 5, add 2.5kilo every session. If pain comes, check form, if form good, reduce weight until you can do it pain free.

>front squat is easier than back squat
If you do diddy's, it's probably your balance that's the issue. Back squats should always be stronger

Do you push your knees out enough?

I had knee pain and was stuck at 235. I added deadlift work and after a couple weeks was at 270 easily, knee pain removed

regardless of how much it gets worked in the squat, if you think overdeveloping quads and ignoring your hamstrings is a good idea, go for it

I recently did some front squats and HOLY GLUTES AND QUADS BATMAN. They felt great and I think I even got a little hypertrophy on em from that one workout cuz I was newb to it.

I've Rippetoe squatted for years and that's basically a back exercise...I'll still do it but I am doing front squats for assistance afterward every damn time now.

LMAO

youtu.be/WLh0jF5M_gY
Do these exercises

How come I can't front squat for shit, my back squat 5rm is lmao3pl8 and yet my front squat 5rm the first time I ever did it was like 145lbs, though I did them after heavy deadlifts.

I'm putting the bar into my neck so it's practically choking me, just feels like I'm going to fold forward after like 2 reps which I don't experience in the back squat. Are my abs just too weak?

Sounds like you might have a weak core. Front squat relies heavy on core strength.

> bar into my neck
FS should rest on your delts
do you do the Clean™?
how is your front rack wrist mobility?
perhaps use the 2finger grip on the bar, or increase your grip width slightly
tilt your head slightly up during the movement as if you have your head facing down your body will follow it - weighs about 5kg
may be your quads, just start front squatting once a week maybe on your light day if u have one and do 5x3reps or 3x3, FS are very taxing on your body

here, do you high bar or low bar back squat?
low bar rippetoe squats usually have too much back motion which mean your quads arent activating as much as they should be

I can do a clean and have no problem with the front rack position, I can get the elbows really high and even use a full hand grip instead of 2 finger.

But when I go down I can tell I'm holding the weight with my hands keeping it from falling which I don't think is correct, definitely fighting folding up more than I am fighting the weight up.

I've always done high bar squats since I don't consider myself a powerlifter

Will reduce weight and sub in my regular step-up until the weight actually stresses muscle
I think so, but I'll make sure when I try again in a couple days.
Thanks guys

>But when I go down I can tell I'm holding the weight with my hands keeping it from falling which I don't think is correct,
yeah your delts should be holding a higher % of the weight
>definitely fighting folding up more than I am fighting the weight up.
video yourself, post on /plg/ or /owg/
perhaps deload 10% and video yourself again
>I've always done high bar squats
strange, perhaps you need a form check on back squat too? do your hips/back rise too much?

if after doing the stretches in that video, you still get pain, go see a doctor

I am a doctor and my knee is perfectly fine when I'm not squatting. Primary prophylaxis my friend

RIP
godspeed user

Are RDLs enough?

Do what you want man. Unless you're competing in something there's nobody saying you HAVE to do back squats.
I swear everyone nowadays thinks they have to lift like a powerlifter because Omar Isuf and Alan Thrall said they should do it.

On Klokov:
>He does 10 Squat sessions in 3 weeks. Out of 10 leg training days, 7 would be Front Squat, and 3 would be Back Squat. This I do because Front Squat train the same angles you need in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk.
They do train back squats, in this case 2/3 front squats and 1/3 back squats

No significant difference in muscle activation/development. Go ahead, do it if that's what you want to do.

also this
I've had a few training cycles in the past months without back squats, only front squatting with regular volume and after I did back squats again I noticed carryover - of course this probably won't happen at advanced to elite levels though
if you just want your legs not to atrophy it's perfectly fine to just do front squats and hamstring work (RDLs, hamcurls etc.)

I ditched back squats for front, cant move nearly as much weight but feels better on my back and more quad activation

I love front squats and can squat the same amount as my back for some reason but it I feel like my fingers are going to tear off bending them like in OP’s pic. I used to cross my arms but that felt like cheating.

What do I do?

>Front squats don’t work posterior chain

>slipped a disc in his lower back from deadlifts
not from deadlifts, unless your friend is like 50 yo and deadlifted with awful twice a week for 20 years or so
deadlifts, by the way, cause bulging discs in those extremes cases: not herniation nor "slipped" discs.

>front squat 3pl8s for reps
pretty dangerous for someone who had to face surgery. front squat is obviously better for your back than front squats, but I call bullshit on your whole story.

>Is ditching back squats completely to just do front squats a viable option to build a bigger squat?
Well, we have high bar back squat which is the only, real, back squat used by powerlifters in training sessions too (they move to low bar only one mesocycle before the competition/meeting, since low bar simply allows you to move more weight). Training high bar can prepare for low bar too. If you're asking if you can train using only front squats and then, occasionally, enjoy an improved back squats, I'm afraid it's not exactly the same thing. Strength is an expression of a muscular enhancement, but also a matter of skill and experience. The muscles worked in the core as stabilizers are pretty much more engaged in the back squat and the mechanics are slightly different. Therefore there will be some progression, but probably less than just training with a back squat.
Mixing both is obviously more than fine (different stimuli will improve the overall performance). This if you care about making "big numbers" in back squat.
If you're asking if you can safely ditch back squats for front squats in general, for your fitness overall performance and without regarding to competitions and whatnot, sure, go for it. Front squat is less ego-oriented and arguably safer (or better: it's more difficult to perform it incorrectly)

>with awful
*with awful form
>better for your back than front squats
*than back squats
> and without regarding
*without regard