The Squat is rightfully considered as one of the best exercises for the lower body due to its ability to recruit the largest and most powerful group of muscles in the human body, the Quads. Other key muscles involved in the movement include the Harmstrings at the back of the thigh, the Gluts, lower back and to a fairly appreciable extent, the Calves. No wonder it’s a common feature in a variety of training programs for lower body strength conditioning.   

The Back and Front Squats represent the two main variations of the exercise, with the back Squat being the most popular. Both variations have the capacity to effectively work on the key muscle groups mentioned above. Expectedly, there are some differences in terms of overall technique which translate to differences in involvement of the key muscles. This also translates to differences in the maximum loads associated with these techniques, with the Back Squat much more capable of handling more weight.

A quick look at the available literature on the web will lead you to a conflict of ideas regarding the most effective variant in terms of muscle recruitment. Some circles believe that the Front Squat is much more effective at recruiting at isolating the Quads and reducing the loads on the back while others seem to say there isn’t much of a difference.

The big question is: Does it really matter whether you are focusing on the front or back squat?

My curiosity had me come across a rather descent research effort on the subject by Kinesiologists by Jonatan Gullet and Mark Tillman from the University of Florida. Let’s take a look at the key findings:

• Both exercises had similar levels of overall muscle involvement in the key muscle groups. In other words, the front and back squats are equally effective as muscle recruitment is concerned.
• The front squat is associated with significantly lower compressive forces in the knee joint.
• Both exercise were associated with low sheer forces across the knee joint.
• The Back Squat is much more capable of lifting higher loads than the front.

What does this mean?

• Both exercises can be effectively used for strength conditioning with possibility for similar results.
• The Front Squat is a better choice if there are preexisting knee joint problems such as Arthritis and previous knee injuries due to the lower compressive knee joint forces associated with the exercise. Additionally, it’s a better exercise to use if you have Shoulder problems as the Bar is positioned in front rather than across the shoulder girdle.