New Video: Mastering the Front Squat for Rowing
Archive post from 2/20/23
I’ve been putting some of my winter time toward recording new videos and redoing some of my older videos. Subscribe on Youtube if you want them right away, or wait until I get around to writing about them on this list.
The front squat is my favorite squat for rowers. Properly performed with good technique, full range of motion, and control of the lowering and lifting phase tempo, I’ve seen the greatest improvement in rowing technique and performance from this lift than any others.
In the modern era of rowing and sculling with hatchet blades and erg training, stability, strength, and power at the front end of the drive is among the most valuable qualities for performance. The front squat builds leg strength and control through the hips, torso, and shoulders to achieve this.
I prefer the front squat to the back squat for a few reasons.
First, tall or long-limbed rowers usually find it easier to reach a full depth at the bottom position of thighs just below parallel to the floor with good technique.
Second, the forward bar position of the front squat facilitates a more upright torso posture, which reduces shear stress on the lower back and encourages the rower to squat from a good position. A common rower error is popping the hips up first from the bottom position of a squat. The back squat will let you get away with this, but the bar will simply roll forward in a front squat and make it clear to the athlete that this is not the desired technique.
Finally, with equal load the front squat results in more leg, trunk, and shoulder muscle activation than the more posteriorly shifted back squat. This makes it a more relevant exercise for rowing performance and the target muscles for stroke technique, power, and endurance.
In my new video, I cover the following key technique features:
“One-piece” torso: stable spine and shoulders
Bar across collarbones, torso supports the weight (not hands/wrists)
Good control with 2:1 lowering:lifting tempo
Goal bottom position of thighs parallel to floor
I also demonstrate common errors and some additional variations of the front squat that I use to target errors and keep the exercise challenging beyond just adding load.
I’ve updated my “Squatting for Rowing: Complete Guide” with this as well, so check that article out if it’s been a while.
Happy squatting!