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hey guys, i recently started trying to learn front squat form. Ive kept the weight on the front squat really light trying to get my body used to the lift. I was fine until I actually started adding a little bit of weight. It wasnt hard to do at all but my wrists felt like they were going to flare up afterwards. I use the form where I put the bar on my front shoulders while my hands support the bar at shoulder width with my palms facing forward. I wanna know why my wrists hurt. Does the pain eventually go away as you get used to it or is this a bad sign and I should stop using this form all together?

it is normal to hurt
If you can stay more upright than I can, I imagine you will use your hands to keep the weight in place, while not actually putting pressure on the wrists. That is rest the weight close to your throat, not on your hands. Wrists need to be flexible, that will come with practice

reminds me I should probably try this exercise again, it's an ego killer

You say you support the bar with palms forward? That sounds just plain wrong. Like Oscar said, the hands are there to just keep a touch to the bar, not to hold any load or support it at all. My hands barely touch the bar, only fingers. And how can you keep your palms forward when in the front squat (and clean) you should drive your elbows up? How on earth are you holding the bar? I bet that hurts your wrists. It's the shoulder-area that keeps the bar in place, not your wrists. Drive elbows up and let your hands just get a hold of the bar and nothing else.

I'd say my palms point either up or back or between those two. Never forward.

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Prove the impossible!

cross grip?

Yeah, learn to cross grip.

Although as your delts & chest get bigger, you don't really need your hands. Your delts should form neat little shelves to hold the bar.

I end up choaking myself out a lot with FS. But it is what it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkK9-mnDAy4

this is excatly how i do it. strict ass form but with ridiculously light weight right now. is this a good way to do it or should i do cross grip. But speaking of crossfit, I saw this other video where the guy says cross grip makes u round ur shoulders in which makes u round ur back a bit more. Any thoughts about that?

If your flexibility allows it, do it they way in the video. An alternative is to wrap lifting straps around the bar and do it that way.



I don't like crossing my hand since it pulls your scapulas forward and makes it harder to keep your back tight.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

are using straps like that considered cheating?

no

Zercher Squats if all else fails.

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Thanks TimD.

"are using straps like that considered cheating?" - Immortal2

No ... There's also a device called the Stingray you might try. I use one for all my front squats and find it helps a lot.

I'm huge fan of the front squat and the wrists are usually the weak link whenever someone starts. When I started my wrists were the most important thing for me to stretch and warm up (I would briefly punch a punching bag) and I remember then when I started doing three or four sets I would have to do a cross-grip for one of the middle sets until I got used to it.

oddly, my problem is pushing the elbows up because it starts to bother my right shoulder, as if its' going to come out of socket. Which has happend long ago. Not while front squatting.

i can't get anywhere near a clean grip when front squatting, my wrists'd snap. I'm cross grip all the way.

i actually tried zercher squats.... was pretty fun until I woke up the next morning and had several bruises on my arm mainly the opposite side of my elbows. Might give them a try again though because I wasnt prepared the first time. Great idea. And does hitting a punching bad really help get the wrist ready to bend at those angles? I would think that hitting a bag tightens your wrist if anything.