Ed Bogue Personal Training

Front squat is the most knee extension biased squat variation you can perform and the most effective variation for quadriceps activation. However most people lack the mobility to get into the correct position

The most common limitation found is tight lats. This makes it harder to drive the elbows up, leading to a less upright torso, which is important when keeping the bar over the mid foot

Whilst it’s important to not permanently rely on external props to find the correct position. I would rather anyone maintain a strong position with the help of an aid whilst working on improving their range of motion in the background

An effective way to eliminate lat tightness in the short term is adding lifting straps to the barbell. This will allow you to drive the elbows higher and achieve the upright torso needed for a strong front squat

Use this as a short term solution whilst you get to work on loosening off the lats💪

Hopefully not long now until I’m back fully fit and dropping plenty of balls😂

Just wanted to say a big thank you to my sponsor this season Brunsdon insurance brokers

Looking forward to getting back out there🏉

Romanian deadlifts are a great hip hinge movement for hamstring and glute development

However there’s a fine line between effectively targeting the posterior chain(PC) and placing the load on the wrong areas

One of the main variables that will dictate whether the movement is executed correctly or not is the angle your knees are at

Too much or too little knee bend will have big consequences on your ability achieve the desired output

In position No. 1 you can see I have too much knee bend. My knees track further over my feet meaning less emphasis is placed on the PC as my quadriceps will take on some of the load

In position No. 2 I’m keeping my knees directly over my heels and dropping my hips back. This allows me to keep the tension throughout the PC whilst also achieving a sufficient hip hinge

In position No. 3 I don’t have enough knee bend, as an outcome my knees drop behind my heels. My hamstrings will reach their end range a lot sooner and this negatively impacts how much I can hinge

Keeping your knees above your heels and completely vertical to the floor will allow you to achieve the correct position throughout the movement without compensation elsewhere👊

Any questions drop me a DM📩

Same exercise, different starting positions. Which is correct?

The answer is neither is wrong

Limb length, body structure and desired outcome all play a role in influencing someone’s starting position and their movement throughout the lift

Having longer legs means I have to start off with a further forward torso in order to get hold of the bar, leading to greater load on the hips and the muscles that surround it

Due to having a shorter stature, he can get a hold of the bar with a more upright torso leading to increased emphasis on knee extension and subsequently the quadriceps

Does it mean that because we are starting in different positions we are performing different lifts? No. The emphasis has just slightly shifted

But in both instances there is still sufficient loading of the hips

Just because your starting position looks different to someone else’s doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It’s ok for yours to look different to the person next to you. What you should be worrying about is covering the none negotiable’s of said lift and loading the correct area’s

Any questions drop me a DM📩

The past few posts Iv’e spoken about the hip:knee continuum and where different movements sit along that continuum. So I thought I’d go into a bit more depth with what it actually means

All your lower body lifts sit somewhere along the hip:knee continuum. Depending on what you are aiming to achieve will dictate which movement you chose

If you’re wanting greater quadriceps activation from a movement you should steer towards the knee extension end of the spectrum

Alternatively if you are aiming to load the posterior chain then hip biased movements would be more favourable

Inevitably all lower body movements have an element of both hip and knee extension however the ratio of how much of each varies from exercise to exercise

Here are a few example lifts showing where along the continuum they sit and what level of hip & knee activation they possess

Any questions drop me a DM📩

TRAP BAR VS CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT 🏋️‍♀️

There are more similarities between conventional and trap bar deadlift than there are differences but both variations do lead to slightly different outcomes

The conventional deadlift is further down the hip hinge continuum so more emphasis is placed on the hamstrings and spinal extensors

Although still predominantly a hip hinge movement trap bar deadlift sits a little closer to the knee extension end of the spectrum. A more vertical torso and knees slightly further forward allows for greater quad activation

Trap bar deadlift is more favourable to the sports specific population as there is greater carry over to jumping, sprinting, leg drive and agility compared to conventional deadlift

On the flip side if you’re looking to improve your olympic lifting, then conventional deadlift would be more beneficial as it replicates the initial phase of oly lifts

Which one should you choose? It ultimately depends on what you’re training for and what you are aiming to achieve from the movement

Considering all the factors will allow you to choose the right one🤙

Any questions drop me a DM📩