Front Squats are one of the BEST exercises you can do that many people hate to do...and so they don't do it.
And they're really missing out.
One of the reasons for this is the grip...it can be tough to get a comfortable grip on the bar that keeps your body in good position.
There are two main grips...the cross-arm grip and the clean grip. I'll be honest...I used to use the cross-arm grip all the time because I didn't have the flexibility or mobility to do the clean grip effectively.
The cross-arm grip is not wrong...and some people definitely have to use it based on their anatomy and mobility. Using it is better than not doing Front Squats at all.
The downside of using the cross-arm grip is that it has a tendency to relax some of the muscles in the upper back that actually work to keep the elbows up during the exercise. Just the position of the arms in the cross-arm grip makes the shoulders push forward, which puts those upper back muscles in a more relaxed position.
This can lead to a tendency to tip forward and put substantial pressure on the anterior (frontal) core, which limits the amount of weight you can use.
Improving Forearm Mobility to Improve Positioning in The Front Squat Setup
I decided to try and make an effort to improve my mobility so that I could actually use the clean grip.
And the single best way I've found to do it this...perform a PNF stretch for the hands and forearms immediately before each set of Front Squats.
PNF stands for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and it's an excellent technique for making near-instant improvements in mobility and flexibility.
I won't go into the full details on it here, but essentially, you're going to contract the target muscle hard for 5-10 seconds against resistance, then relax into the stretch for 10-15 seconds more. This immediately increases your range of motion in that muscle group.
We're going to be targeting the hands and forearms with this stretch because, in my experience, mobility and flexibility here is the "keystone" for proper positioning, similiar to how ankle and calf mobility and flexibility are critical for the back squat, if you have a tendency to tilt forward.
When your hands and forearms are more "comfortable" during the exercise, this reduces the tendency to tip forward as you come down, allowing you to keep better body position, use more weight and get more reps.
How To Do PNF Stretching For Forearm Mobility For Better Front Squat Setup
First, set your hands on one of the rails of the rack, with your arms externally rotated (fingers pointing back, inner elbows forward). You should have your fingertips on the rail.
Now, using your forearms, try and push UPWARDS against the weight of your upper body leaning over the bar. Do this for 5-10 seconds, pushing extremely hard.
After that, immediately relax the muscles and sink down into a stretch in that same position.
Hold that stretch for another 10-15 seconds or so.
Now shake out your hands and immediately get to the bar and get in position for the Front Squat. Your fingers should be set on the bar just beside your shoulders, with the bar resting directly on the shoulders so you're getting as much skeletal support as possible.
I've found when doing this, I can immediately get more fingers on the bar much more comfortably and maintain the position during the exercise.
Repeat this procedure before every set of Front Squats that you do. It'll help immediately in the workout you're doing right now and gradually help improve your hand and forearm flexibility and mobility over time so that positioning gets easier and easier.
I can't say that you'll actually look forward to Front Squats, but you might not dread them as much...and maybe you'll actually do them more often!
You can use this technique with 20 Rep Single Rep Cluster Squats to build Front Squat strength fast.
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