full body workout help

[abett07]

just a few questions

would the original starting strength program work well if I performed barbell rows instead of power cleans ?

and how important are rep ranges ?

[abett07]

2 exercise questions

how do front squats stack up against regular squats ?

is it true that more muscles are used with the standing press than the seated press ?


this forum is awesome , great info

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by abett07

2 exercise questions

how do front squats stack up against regular squats ?

is it true that more muscles are used with the standing press than the seated press ?


this forum is awesome , great info

Front squats are a great choice. While back squats are generally superior, front squats can help develop quad mass and are a good exercise to use if deadlift strength is a key goal or focus.

The standing press definitely involves more stabilization and core - that is if you perform seated presses with a bench against your back.

[BendtheBar]

I was asked via PM why I believe front squats help the deadlift more than back squats. This is my answer:

Back squats are certainly good for deadlift strength, but they have different machanics and drive mechanisms.

A deadlift is not a hip lift from the hole. A back squat is. Back squats have you raising your butt up and then pulling your hips forward. Deadlifts do not have these same mechanics. You don't lift your butt up from the hole. And when you do pull your hips forward it's real high in the lockout.

Front squats focus you more on standing up from the hole. It is very hard to do butt up on front squats in the same way as you do with back squats because you tend to lean forward, and with the bar forward, the bar wants to roll. You start upright with front squats and stay upright. You have to or the bar will roll and you will strain your back.

This standing up very much mimics the drive on the deadlift. Those that "pull" on a deadlift are doing the lift wrong, and tend to raise their hips up and turn deadlifts into an RDL. Those that stand up tend to keep their leverage and "lift".

While I don't believe the front squat and deadlift are in any way an exact mirror image, I do believe the front squat and deadlift to be much more similar than the back squat and deadlift. This does not mean that I don't believe the back squat has carry over to the deadlift...I do believe squat strength helps the deadlift.

My personal experience is this...I can't deadlift heavy multiple times per week. So in the past if I wanted to supplement my deadlift training, when I added front squats they almost always impacted my deadlift strength, and did so without taxing the CNS or bringing additional stress on my hamstrings - even when I did heavy front squats.

This might be different for you, of course.

When training for pure strength, I like adding front squats (or zerchers) into a deadlift plan, or on a deadlift day. I think the combination of front squats, zerchers and good mornings really help the deadlift. In fact, I think you could use these 3 lifts on a deadlift day, not train the deadlift heavy much at all, and make strength gains.

This is just my opinion and I reserve the right to be wrong.

[abett07]

I ended up going with starting strength after all the positive reviews.

Mark rippetoe takes a diffrent approach.He constantly talks about training the whole body rather than specific muscle groups as well as performing exercises that relate to eveyday life.

cant wait for the cleans

[abett07]

how long will i be able to stay on SS before my gains slow down and a new workout is needed ?

my current 5 reps max for the big 4 are as follows (kilos)
squat 60
deadlift 55
bench 50
press 40

thanks