Today's Vlog is about back squats versus front squats when related to swimming.
One common mistake that traditional strength coaches make (especially if they have little or no experience in swimming) is that they favor the back squat to develop "stronger starts and pushes off the wall," when really the front squat offers more transfer effects. This is because the front squat engages the quadriceps (muscles in the front of the legs), while the back squat engages the hamstrings (backside of the legs). Swimming is a very quad-dominant sport and training must reflect that.
Now before anybody lights me up on my view, I am not saying back squats are bad. Posterior chain development is important in any sport or movement, swimming included. The point I am trying to make in this video is that the front squat needs to be utilized because the muscles that are activated, and the body position used, more similarly reflects the movements when pushing off of a wall.
There are many ways to work on the quads but I'm a fan of front squats and Thrusters (shown in the video). What are your thoughts on these exercises, and what are your favorite swim-specific movements?
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