Front squats vs back squats

As you know, arguably the most popular leg training exercise is the back squat, yet we’re looking at a different variation of that exercise today. Back squats are generally performed in a squat rack, with a barbell resting across your traps.

You then carefully un-rack the bar, walk back a few paces, squat down below parallel, bracing your core and keeping your head up, and you stand back up. You repeat this exercise for as many reps as you can do before you feel like puking. A front squat is performed with the barbell resting in front of you, across your sternum.

Most people cross their arms over one another with a barbell sitting level with the upper/middle chest and they perform squats that way. Front squats offer many different benefits to back squats, which we’ll be highlighting below.

16 fantastic front squat benefits for you to enjoy

Now here’s a look at several awesome front squat benefits for you to enjoy:

They’re easy to perfect – One of the hardest part about back squats is getting the technique right. Sure, on paper they sound easy, as you simply rest the barbell across your back, and squat down. The truth of the matter, though, is that a lot of people tend to rest the bar across the base of the neck which can be dangerous and can be painful. With front squats, getting the barbell placement correct is much easier, so you can go ahead and squat at your leisure.

Less painful than back squats – If you’re a huge powerlifter with enormous traps, then resting the barbell across your traps probably won’t be very painful or difficult. If you’re an average-sized person with normal traps, a heavy metal bar pressing down onto your upper-back can cause a decent amount of pain and discomfort.

With front squats though, the bar rests across your front and the weight is displaced differently. This means that it is far less painful so you can get on with your set, in peace.

It is something different to try – Even if you love doing squats on leg day, that doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from trying something different every now and then. One of the best things about front squats is the fact that, because they’re so different, people often enjoy doing them as it breaks up the monotony of a regular leg day. Trying new things is how we broaden our horizons and discover new benefits, such as the front squat benefits which we’re looking at today.

Better posture – If you suffer with poor posture, like so many other people in the developed world tend to, one of the first things you need to consider is doing more front squats. Front squats are perfect for people that suffer with bad posture. Because so many of us spend several hours per day looking at our phones and sat working at a desk, poor posture issues are becoming more and more common.

A misaligned spine can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort, as well as leave you looking shorter than you actually are. Front squats are ideal because they help to realign the spine and promote good posture.

Mobility – When talking about front squat benefits, another awesome reason to do plenty of front squatting is the fact that the exercise is great for mobility. When you do front squats, because of the mechanics of the exercise, and the range of motion involved, front squats are great for people that are looking to become more balanced and mobile on their feet.

Great for the calves – Now, we could include this in the section talking about leg benefits in general (which we’ll be getting to a little later on) but we’re giving it its own little section here. When it comes to training your legs, one of the most stubborn parts of the body to grow is the calves.

Unless you are blessed with great calf genetics, it is very difficult to build up the calves, so you need all of the help you can get. To train the calves, you can probably think of calf raises and… well, that’s about it really. Well, another benefit of front squats is the fact that the exercise is so great for building up your calves. If you want to train your calves, without even realizing that you’re doing so, front squats are perfect.

Safer – Okay, any exercise involving free weights is going to be dangerous, and front squats are no exception. With that said, though, statistically, front squats are much safer than back squats.

This is because it is easier to control the weight with front squats, and it is easier to un-rack and re-rack the bar because it is in front of you, as opposed to behind you pressing down onto your traps. You could still injure yourself with this exercise, obviously, but it is a little safer than a back squat, so just consider that.

Stronger core – If you’re looking to enjoy some of the many different front squat benefits that we’re going to be looking at today, another one to consider is the fact that front squats are so great for the core. For building up your core, front squats are ideal because you are forced to brace and engage your core for the duration of the exercise.

Due to how the weight is displaced, standing up with the barbell requires you to generate power from your core, which in turn recruits your abs, and core stabilizer muscles. The more front squats that you perform, the stronger your core will become.

Increase pressing strength – Hold on! How can a leg exercise help you to press more weight via your upper body? Well, it depends on what type of pressing we’re talking but when it comes to standing pressing exercises such as log presses and military presses, front squats are the perfect accessory exercise.

You see, when you press weight above your head when standing, unless you’re Eddie Hall, Big Z, Thor Bjornsson, or Brian Shaw, you will likely have to generate power from your quads to drive the weight up into the air. Front squats are perfect because they work the quadriceps and engage more fast-twitch muscle fibres which are responsible for explosive speed, strength and power. If you’re looking to improve your overhead press, front squats are very useful.

Build muscular legs – Now we’ve got to one of the most obvious front squat benefits on our list today, and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. One of the best things about front squats is the fact that they help you to build a set of strong and muscular legs.

Front squats work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and the calf muscles and they are therefore ideal for anybody looking to increase muscle mass in their legs. If you want a tried and tested exercise to begin your leg day with, front squats are ideal.

Great compound exercise – Another very useful benefit of front squats is the fact that they’re such a great compound exercise. A compound exercise is one which recruits multiple muscle groups at the same time. So, basically, by doing one exercise you are working several muscles at once.

For building muscle, the benefits here are pretty obvious. The more muscles you work, the more beneficial the exercise becomes. One exercise is the equivalent of doing several at once. As well as working different muscles in your legs, front squats also work your core muscles and even the lower back.

Better complimentary exercise for other lifts – It isn’t just your overhead pressing that will improve when you start doing more front squats. It turns out that the exercise will also help you in other areas too. Because front squats are so great for increasing explosive strength and power, they help you to perform other heavy compound lifts. Many people that front squat regularly find that their deadlifts improve drastically, as well as exercises such as bent over rows.

More strength and power – Front squats are a compound exercise that target several muscle groups simultaneously. Because of the mechanics of the exercise, you’ll find that you it targets more fast-twitch muscle fibres. Now, this is important because fast-twitch muscle fibres are responsible for generating explosive speed and power.

The more of these fibres you break down via training, the more explosive speed and strength you will generate, especially from your legs. Whether you want to squat more weight, leg press heavier loads, or just make your legs stronger in general, front squats are the perfect exercise.

Great for other sports – It isn’t just other weightlifting exercises that can benefit from you doing more front squats, either. Oh no. Front squats will also help you to perform better when taking part in other sports too. Having stronger legs means that you will be able for running faster.

Again, the fast-twitch muscle fibres we keep mentioning come into play here, because the more of these fibres you break down, the more your body will rebuild, and the more explosive speed you will generate. Sprinters for example, need to run very fast for short distances, so they benefit hugely. Basketball players and hurdlers will also benefit here, because front squats enable you to increase your vertical leap so you can jump higher.

Better depth – When squatting, depth is very important yet with back squats, because of how the weight is displaced, getting good depth is tricky as it can be painful – especially on the knees. Because of how you perform front squats, though, you’ll find that as the bar’s weight is displaced on the anterior deltoids, you can get a better depth on the exercise and so you can squat deeper. A deeper squat means that you will break down even more muscle fibres, which will equate to greater muscle hypertrophy.

Stronger joints – If you want a joint strengthening exercise, front squats are perfect. In terms of the many front squat benefits we’ll be looking at today, you cannot overlook the fact that front squats are so great for strengthening the joints. Because of this, they’re great for people that suffer with joint pain and/or discomfort, and they’re great for people that are at risk of joint issues such as arthritis, or inflammation.

Capture the Glow

Nothing can replace a well-rested body and glowing skin. When you feel energized after a good night’s sleep it will certainly show on your skin and face. Stay hydrated and look after your skin by using sunscreen on a daily basis to help your skin remain intact. The glow and youthful look good night’s rest provides can’t be replaced by any food or exercise. Without high-quality sleep, your skin will look dry and loose since it doesn’t produce enough moist.

Less Wrinkles

Getting plenty of sleep will definitely reduce your wrinkle depth. A material that is also known for preventing wrinkles from forming is silk. Clean sheets and silk pillowcases for acne can prevent breakouts and be an effective solution for clogged pores. When we compare silk and cotton, the latter one causes more skin irritations and redness due to its rough texture.

Recovery Time

During the sleep mode, your body is on a mission to recover from heavy makeup you worn during the day and save your skin from future inflammation. Strong wind, unhealthy diet and touching your face with your hands all affect the quality of your skin. During sleep, the body puts itself in restart mode, and it does all the work on its own. Not sleeping properly is making your skin texture uneven and is constantly triggering breakouts. When the body is stressed, it produces too much cortisol, which makes the skin oily and clogs your pores which then develop into acne breakouts.

No More Bags Under Eyes

In some cases, dark circles around the eyes are a result of a genetic predisposition some people have. If you have eliminated this cause, it is highly likely that stressful lifestyle and sleep deprivation contributed to ruining and darkening the area around your eyes. Your skin looks paler if you don’t get much sleep, so the bags under eyes are even more prominent. Also, if your natural complexion is fair and you still get little sleep, the circles are going to be extremely visible.

Stops Aging Process

Disrupting the sleep schedule is a stressful event for your body, even though you might not perceive it like that. Body can’t produce enough collagen if it is exposed to chronic stress. In other words, less collagen means thinner skin. Thinner skin means the structure of your skin isn’t as elastic as before which affects the skin quality and shows signs of aging. Furthermore, puffy eyes and wrinkles around them can make a person look a lot older than they actually are.

Apart from not being stressed, eating a healthy diet and staying hydrated, skin needs its 8 hours of “beauty sleep”. Even if you’re young, try sticking to good sleep habits and bringing lack of sleep to a minimum. Your skin will appreciate it when you get on in years. How do you take care of your skin? What products are the best for improving your skin quality? Tell us all about it in the comment section below.

Treatment of breast cancer in Germany

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the epithelium of the mammary gland. Risk factors for the development of this pathology are early menarche, absence of labor, abortion, late menopause, smoking, alcohol, diabetes mellitus, obesity or an increased body mass index, low physical activity.

Diagnostics of the disease

Early diagnostics of breast cancer is the key to the successful treatment. The guaranteed result of the disease detection gives an annual preventive examination by a mammologist or oncologist, mammography (especially for women over 40) and ultrasound of the mammary glands.

One of the important elements of diagnostics is the determination of a gene mutation. In 3-10% of breast cancer patients, the development of the disease is associated with the presence of mutations in the genes BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK, NBS1, and tP53. This test is important in determining further treatment tactics and the possible outcome.

For foreigners who want to undergo comprehensive diagnostics in Germany, it will be more comfortable to use the assistance of the medical provider Booking Health. Booking Health will assist in organizational matters, as well as in the selection of best clinics and qualified specialists. Using the help of Booking Health, you can choose a diagnostic and treatment program at the best prices.

Symptoms of breast cancer

Sometimes the first manifestation of breast cancer may be discharge from the nipple. Most often is serous or bloody, but such discharge can also occur in benign diseases of the ducts of the mammary gland.

With more advanced processes, clinical symptoms are much brighter:

• Symptom of diffuse swelling of the breast tissue, or a symptom of "lemon peel".
• Changes in the central part of areola, swelling and flattening of the nipple (symptom of Krause).
• Various types of organ deformation.
• Skin retraction noticeable by eye at the site of the tumor (symptom of "ubiquitization").
• Ulceration of the skin over the tumor.
• Retraction and fixation of the nipple.
• Presence of conglomerate of dense, motionless, often "hammered" lymph nodes in the axillary region.

Classification of breast cancer

The tumor process begins mostly in the ducts of different sizes, mostly the small ones. Much less often, the process begins in the epithelium of the lobules, giving origin to lobular breast cancer.

Thus, in terms of morphology, breast cancer is represented by three large groups:

1. Non-infiltrating tumors:

• Intraductal cancer.
• Lobular cancer.

1. Infiltrating tumors:

• Infiltrating ductal carcinoma.
• Infiltrating ductal carcinoma with a predominance of the intraductal component.
• Infiltrating lobular cancer.
• Mucous cancer.
• Medullary cancer.
• Papillary cancer.
• Tubular cancer.
• Adenocystic cancer.
• Secretory (juvenile) cancer.
• Apocrine cancer.
• Cancer with metaplasia (squamous, spindle, chondroid, osteoid, mixed types).

1. Others.

Breast cancer treatment

Treatment of breast cancer in Germany begins immediately after the diagnosis making. There are currently many treatment options for breast cancer. The choice of a particular method depends on the stage of the cancer, its spreading to distant organs, type of cancer, etc. The main methods for treating breast cancer are: surgical treatment, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. For more information follow the link treatment of breast cancer in Germany.

Surgical treatment of breast cancer is the most common method and, as a rule, is combined with radiotherapy (radiation) or chemotherapy that is used before or after surgery.

Surgical operations for breast cancer are divided into organ-conserving surgery (removal of only the part of the breast in which the tumor is located) and mastectomy (complete removal of the breast in which the cancer has developed).

Surgical removal of the mammary gland, as a rule, is combined with the removal of lymph nodes in the axillary region (cancer is located in this area very often). A cosmetic defect that develops as a result of removal of the mammary gland can be corrected by means of the reconstructive surgery (silicone implants, etc.).

Radiation therapy is a method of treating breast cancer, which is usually performed after surgery to remove the tumor. The main goal of radiotherapy is to destroy cancer cells that were not removed during surgery.

Chemotherapy is a method of treating breast cancer, which allows to kill rapidly multiplying cancer cells, or slow down their reproduction. Chemotherapy as an independent treatment method is not effective in the fight against breast cancer, but in combination with surgical treatment and radiotherapy it demonstrates very good results.

As a rule, chemotherapy involves taking several drugs at the same time. The choice of a drug depends on many factors and is determined by the attending physician.