If you’re looking for the most effective exercises to achieve your fitness goals, be they muscle gain, fat loss, to improve athletic performance, or simply to stay in shape, the squat and deadlift are two of the most effective overall exercises. This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under heavier loads than almost any other weight bearing exercise, and because of this, they generate the greatest results.

In this article we will look at the barbell squat, and why it can be beneficial to try a couple of alternatives to the normal barbell back squat.

University studies have proven that squats can increase development of the upper body as well as the lower body, even though there are no specific upper body joint movements performed during the squat. There are a number of ways to perform squats, for instance, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, or just body weight. These are all forms of free weighted squats and are far more beneficial than the Smith Machines you often find in your local gym. Smith Machines or any other squat machines do not allow your body to follow its natural movements. They also stabilize the weight for you, which means you perform less work, and in turn get weaker results.

There are many ways you can perform free weighted squats but the squat that most people are familiar with is the barbell back squat, where the barbell rests on the back of the shoulders. There are two other types of squats that many training and strength coaches believe are more useful to athletic performance, and offer less risk of lower back injuries compared with the back squat. They are the front squat and the overhead squat.

The two names really describe themselves, as in the front squat, the barbell rests on the shoulders in front of the head, and in an overhead squat, the barbell is in a snatch grip above your head. Not the most exciting names in the world, but they do the job I suppose.

Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle development or athletic performance, for best results, you could try adding all three squats to your workout program, spread across your routine of course.

Front squats are a little more difficult than back squats and overhead squats are much more difficult than both front and back squats. If you have never tried the front or overhead squats before, it could take a couple of sessions before you feel comfortable with them, so you should definitely start out light. Once you get the feel for things you can start adding weights and building intensity.

The Front Squat

The really good thing about the front squat is that in order to perform it properly, you have to really engage your abdominals. Obviously the squat is more of a lower body exercise, but you engage several other areas at the same time, especially when you are performing free weighted squats, which is why I tend to shy away from Smith Machines.

One of the more tricky parts of the front squat is learning how to rest the bar on the front of your shoulders. There are two ways you can do this. The first is to cross your forearms like an X while resting the bar on the dimples in your shoulders, which are created when you cross your forearms and lift your elbows. Ensure you keep you elbows up high so that your upper arms are parallel to the ground. From there you simply hold the bar in place with the thumb side of your fists against the bar.

The second way is to hold the bar by placing your palms face up while resting the bar on your fingers against your shoulders. Again, ensure that your elbows are up high enough that your upper arms are parallel with the ground.

Find out which method works for you by practising with the bar only, and perform a couple of reps to see which one you feel comfortable with. Once you’re comfortable with the grip, start the squat from your hips by sitting back and down, and place the weight on your heels rather than the front of you feet. You should squat down to a position where your thighs are roughly parallel to the ground, then move back to the starting position. By keeping the weight on your heels, you protect your knees and there is less chance of injury.

Front Squat with “X” Grip

Alternative Palm Grip

The Overhead Squat

This is by far the hardest of the three basic squats, and it can take a while before you become comfortable with it, so starting out with an un-weighted bar is the best way to go.

To perform the squat, you first need to get the bar above your head and your hands in a wide snatch grip. When you are starting out with lighter weights, you can snatch it, and when you get much better at them and move up to heavier weights, you can clean and press it over your head, then adjust your hands to a wider snatch grip.

When your barbell is up and stable, you need to ensure your arms are locked really tight and that the weight is positioned slightly towards the back of your head. You must keep your entire body extremely tense or the weight could fall forward or back. Keep your head up, keep the weight on your heels, and sit into the squat until your thighs are roughly parallel with the ground then move back to the starting position.

As I say, this squat is quite hard and it does take a few sessions to really feel comfortable with it, so it is really important that you get your grip and movements nailed down first using an un-weighted bar, before you start to increase weight and intensity.

Overhead Squat

You will be quite surprised at how hard these two new squats will workout your abdominals when you nail down the correct form. This is because you need more of an upright posture to perform them compared with the back squats.

Again, I stress that with any new exercises, try them out first without weights, until you feel comfortable with the exercise and are performing it correctly, and then you can start thinking about adding weights and increasing intensity.

If you are interested in finding out more about hard body workouts like the squat or deadlift, as well as many other fat burning and muscle building strategies, check out these Ab and Muscle Training Secrets.

Also, grab a free copy of Training and Nutrition: Inside Secrets for a Lean Body by Mike Geary, for 27 specific metabolism-boosting and muscle building secrets.