The front squat is my favourite squat variation for strongman and it can be done very easily in a commercial gym.
A regular front squat with a barbell transfers over to all overhead movements, helps with stones and other loading events.
It also carries over to side handle car deadlift. Anyone that has done a side handle car deadlift knows that your quads are on fire after doing it. The front squat is a quad dominant exercise so it carries over to it very well.
When I started strongman I had a poor deadlift but could beat better deadlifters because I was a much stronger squatter than them.
You can train the front squat as the main exercise or an assistance exercise in your workout. Below is a sample 7 week off-season cycle.
Week | Goblet Squat | Squat | Front Squat | Sldl |
1 | 4×10 | 60-65% 4×8 | 3×8 | 3×8 |
2 | 4×11 | 65-70% 3×8-10 | 3×8 | 3×8 |
3 | 4×12 | 70-75% 3×8 | 3×6 | 3×10 |
4 | 4×13 | 75-80% 3×5-6 | 3×6 | 4×10 |
5 | 4×14 | 85% X 3 | 4×6 | 3×8 |
6 | 4×15 | None | 3×4 | 3×8(7/10 Effort) |
7 | 4×16 | None | Heavy Triple | 3×6 |