Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats For Exercise-Specific Strength

If you have issues with your upper body tipping forward during front squats, this technique is going to address that by adding direct resistance hanging from your elbows.

 



 


 

To be clear, even though we're adding some extra weight, this is not about working your LEGS harder...

 

This technique is about addressing weaknesses in your body position so that you can maintain better form and work your legs harder in the REGULAR exercise.

It's a front squat assistance exercise.

Basically, you're going to add a little resistance out in front of your body by using bands to hang a couple of small plates from your elbows.

Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats

This works best with the front rack method, though it can potentially work with crossed-arm as well, though.

By adding a little extra resistance out in front, you're forcing your upper back and core to do more work to maintain the upright torso position during the front squat.

The bands aren't for adding instability or bounce...they're just an easy way to loop some weight around your elbows. You could use a couple of straps that have no bounce, too.

I'm using 5 lb plates and small bands here. Put the bands through the center holes then loop the ends around your elbows right before your set.

Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats Loop the bands around elbows

Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats lopo bands

Take a bit wider stance when doing this one so that the plates come down between your legs.

Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats Start

Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats  Bottom

I've tested 25 lb plates and they hit the ground at the bottom. It can be effective but it does pull the arms down a lot more. I recommend starting lighter and working on keeping the elbows high against that direct leveraged resistance.

Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats Heavier

This is a good finisher after you've done your regular work sets. You don't need a lot of weight...the loading away from the body takes care of that.

This is useful because it doesn't hammer your overall recovery as much as just adding more heavy front squats (which seems to always be the objection to stuff like this...i.e. "just do more ___").

Sometimes just doing more of the main movement can actually set you back instead of helping to address weaknesses directly.

You can also use targeted PNF stretching right before you use this method to further improve your front squat racking position.

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