Post by tog on Jan 31, 2005 16:32:10 GMT
this was posted on another football board that i go to
just wanted to hear what you guys think
The following was a reply given by world renown Pro Strength Coach Mike Boyle to the question of which is better for developing athletes.
Here is Mike's reply, unedited:
"I'm a front squat guy. Approximately eight years ago I came to a conclusion. Athletes that I trained would no longer perform the back squat.
As a former power lifter I realized that this was heresy but, I was tired of constantly asking our athletes to keep their heads up, and use their legs, not their backs etc. The emphasis of the back squat was always on increasing weight. Unfortunately this was often done by altering technique to improve leverage, not actually by increasing the strength of muscles so necessary to run or jump.
The decision to discontinue back squats was based on simple logic that was unfortunately a long time overdue. Front squats are safer than back squats. This is an opinion based on watching hundreds of thousands of squats. Whenever one of our athletes sustained a back injury he or she would be reintroduced to squatting via the front squat prior to the back squat for a number of reasons:
The front squat keeps the torso upright and, decreases the torque that causes problems with the SI joint.
The nature of the front squat forces the athlete to use a lighter weight than the back squat. This is particularly true with beginners although our athletes now can front squat 90 to 100 percent of their previous best back squat.
The front squat places greater stress on the knee extensors and less on the hip extensors. (This might seem like a negative but it actually allows us to perform hip dominant movements the day after squatting with less overlap)
The reintroduction to squatting via the front squat was always a huge success. Athletes would begin front squatting but would always be itching to back squat like everyone else. At this point as coaches we would cave in to the pressure and, allow the athlete to perform the back squat again. This process began the vicious circle of back pain - front squat - back squat - back pain.
Many coaches have overreacted to back problems caused by squatting and have resorted to leg presses, safety squat bars, TruSquat or any number of single leg activities.
The real key is not to overreact in this manner and in effect throw out the baby with the bathwater. Often we hear coaches disparage a form of training or a particular lift as injury producing.
Our experience has shown that the solution may not be eliminating lifts entirely but, changing to variations that avoid positions of higher stress. This is why the front squat makes sense. The front squat produces a better body position by the nature of the exercise. An athlete has a very difficult time front squatting poorly. The athlete either front squats well or, drops the bar. There is very little middle ground. Conversely in the back squat athletes can squat poorly for weeks, months or years before sustaining an injury."
just wanted to hear what you guys think
The following was a reply given by world renown Pro Strength Coach Mike Boyle to the question of which is better for developing athletes.
Here is Mike's reply, unedited:
"I'm a front squat guy. Approximately eight years ago I came to a conclusion. Athletes that I trained would no longer perform the back squat.
As a former power lifter I realized that this was heresy but, I was tired of constantly asking our athletes to keep their heads up, and use their legs, not their backs etc. The emphasis of the back squat was always on increasing weight. Unfortunately this was often done by altering technique to improve leverage, not actually by increasing the strength of muscles so necessary to run or jump.
The decision to discontinue back squats was based on simple logic that was unfortunately a long time overdue. Front squats are safer than back squats. This is an opinion based on watching hundreds of thousands of squats. Whenever one of our athletes sustained a back injury he or she would be reintroduced to squatting via the front squat prior to the back squat for a number of reasons:
The front squat keeps the torso upright and, decreases the torque that causes problems with the SI joint.
The nature of the front squat forces the athlete to use a lighter weight than the back squat. This is particularly true with beginners although our athletes now can front squat 90 to 100 percent of their previous best back squat.
The front squat places greater stress on the knee extensors and less on the hip extensors. (This might seem like a negative but it actually allows us to perform hip dominant movements the day after squatting with less overlap)
The reintroduction to squatting via the front squat was always a huge success. Athletes would begin front squatting but would always be itching to back squat like everyone else. At this point as coaches we would cave in to the pressure and, allow the athlete to perform the back squat again. This process began the vicious circle of back pain - front squat - back squat - back pain.
Many coaches have overreacted to back problems caused by squatting and have resorted to leg presses, safety squat bars, TruSquat or any number of single leg activities.
The real key is not to overreact in this manner and in effect throw out the baby with the bathwater. Often we hear coaches disparage a form of training or a particular lift as injury producing.
Our experience has shown that the solution may not be eliminating lifts entirely but, changing to variations that avoid positions of higher stress. This is why the front squat makes sense. The front squat produces a better body position by the nature of the exercise. An athlete has a very difficult time front squatting poorly. The athlete either front squats well or, drops the bar. There is very little middle ground. Conversely in the back squat athletes can squat poorly for weeks, months or years before sustaining an injury."
Uh...no.