Tip How Much Should You Be Able to Front Squat Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip How Much Should You Be Able to Front Squat For real-world performance and athleticism how much should men and women be able to do for one rep Answer here by Charley Gould September 7, 2020July 7, 2022 Tags Training Not all squats are created equal, nor is there a definitive "must-do" squat for anyone who isn't a powerlifter. For real-world performance, however, front squats reign supreme. Performance Standard 1RM Males: 1.7 x bodyweight Females: 1.3 x bodyweight Performance Front squats require an upright torso, which – on top of resembling most athletic movements – gives them a multitude of benefits. They're superior for improving rate of force development, boosting reactive power, enhancing the ability to accelerate/decelerate, and eliciting peak core activation. Two particular studies found that front squats produced greater increases in jump height (by 23%) and faster 40-yard dash times (by 0.2 seconds, or 3.3%) than back squats after 10 weeks of training (1, 2). Anti-Fragility The front-racked load acts a counterbalance, allowing for a better posterior weight shift and an enhanced squat depth. Front squats open up extra range of motion in the hips and ankles, and create long-lasting improvements in mobility and end-range stability. Front squats also encourage active external rotation at the shoulders, a "quieting down" of the lats, and the recruitment of the upper back to stabilize the scaps, all of which improve posture. Strength and Muscle The upright position produces a more angled tibia, which shifts the focus almost entirely onto the quads. Paired with the increased range of motion, front squats are a double whammy for turning even the smallest of bird legs into a meaty pair of wheels. Hartmann H et al. Influence of Squatting Depth on Jumping Performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Dec;26(12):3243-61. PubMed. Balderree AS et al. The Effects of Back and Front Squat Exercises on Sprint Speed and Vertical Jump: A Pilot Study. Int J Sports Sci. 2019;9:1-7. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The Very Best Workout Song What's the most listened to song in the gym? And what does science say about it? Let's find out. Training Chris Shugart March 7 Training Ab Training Made Simple You only need two or three exercises to build your abs. The trick is to choose the right exercises and breathe correctly while doing them. Here's how. Abs, Training John Meadows May 26 Training Tip A Crazy Exercise That Actually Works Some exercises are goofy looking and don't work very well. But some goofy-looking exercises are very effective. This is one of them. Abs, Shoulders, Tips, Training Joel Seedman, PhD July 3 Training Tip Do the Squat-Stance Deadlift Is the conventional deadlift or the sumo deadlift better? For many of us, a combination of the two is best. Here's how to do it. Tips, Training Joel Seedman, PhD June 13