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Module 6: The Front Squat: The Hidden Core

Lead Instructors:  Andrea Chang ,  Zar Horton ,  Vic Verdier
 Access:  Public   Status:  Active   Lesson:  Part of Course
The squat is the most fundamental movement of all. Contrary to the more modern and erroneous perspective that a squat is bad for the knees, the rock bottom bodyweight squat is where most of humanity has spent, and still spends, a great deal of time. A good squat pattern showcases mobility and stability. The kettlebell Front Squat is not only an exercise that creates strong legs and promotes hip flexibility, but it is also a great educator for the abs and the stable core cylinder. Kettlebell Front Squats are a very effective muscle building exercise, particularly when performed in complexes, and/or paired with other exercises such as cleans and presses. Luckily, the kettlebell Front Squat is also much easier on the wrists than the barbell Front Squat, and much more effective for intra-abdominal pressurization than the dumbbell Front Squat. A properly tensioned, below parallel, heavy kettlebell Front Squat will build the foundational platform for many other strength exercises – not only for grinds, but for ballistics as well.

Lesson Specs

Other Lessons in Course

Instructions

  1. Watch the Module
  2. Take notes on key aspects
  3. Bookmark key points in the Module
  4. Ask questions on the Forum
  5. Use Module resources to supplement your knowledge

Lesson Chapters

  1. Introduction
  2. Step 1: Understanding the Technique
  3. Step 2: Recognizing the Problems
  4. Fixing Problem #1: Improper Structure and Position
  5. Fixing Problem #2: Incorrect Technique and Timing
  6. Fixing Problem #3: Inadequate Breathing and Tension
  7. Add Progressions and Variations
  8. Conclusion

Lead Instructors

Andrea Chang
StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor

Andrea U-Shi Chang, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor, FMS Instructor, Ground Force Method Global Instructor, Z-Health Movement Coach, and advisory board member for R2P (Rehab 2 Performance), has specialized in movement training and kettlebell coaching since 2005. An early member of the instructor staff of kettlebell pioneer Pavel Tsatsouline, Andrea became editor of Pavel’s online newsletter and authored several articles in StrongFirst and Dragon Door. In 2009 Andrea opened the Pacific Northwest’s FIRST kettlebell gym—Kettlebility —her Russian Kettlebell Instruction and Elite Performance Coaching studio, in Seattle.

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Zar Horton
StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor

Zar Horton is a 30 year veteran of the Albuquerque Fire Department currently serving as a Battalion Chief. He has been training others in the use of Kettlebells since 2004. For the last 13 years he has devoted himself to bringing safe, functional, strength-training and fitness, along with greater quality of life and longevity, to fire service, law enforcement and our military members. He currently holds the position of StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor. He has instructed across the United States and internationally.

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Vic Verdier
StrongFirst Certified Team Leader

Vic Verdier, BExerSc, CSCS, StrongFirst Certified Team Leader, FMS2, GFM2

Vic Verdier has been a sport enthusiast since his childhood in Paris, working as an instructor for more than 35 years and training more than 3,000 instructors worldwide in disciplines from Scuba diving to fitness.

Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Vic first taught physical training and other military-related activities as an officer in the French Commandos, the French Navy’s special operation forces. After ten years in the military, Vic spent a peripatetic two decades teaching elite cave diving and mixed-gas deep diving around the globe—in the process becoming one of the planet’s deepest explorers. Vic held a 2006 world record for the deepest shipwreck dive (650 feet, in the Philippines), using state-of-the-art rebreathers that, Vic says wryly, “no one in their right mind would be stupid enough to use.”

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Other Lessons in This Course

Module 1: The Elements of Kettlebell Instruction

All the kettlebell lifts and skills incorporate some common elements. It is therefore very important to fix any inefficiency in these elements in order to avoid recurring problems.

Module 2: The Deadlift: The Beginning

At first sight, the Deadlift might look like an easy and very intuitive lift. However, it is based on some important elements and concepts that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Module 3: The Swing: The Cornerstone

The Swing is a multilayered, powerful, athletic, ballistic exercise. It is the foundational movement from which all the kettlebell ballistics grow. It takes continual skilled practice and awareness to keep this single exercise from degrading.

Module 4: The Clean: The Prerequisite and the Standalone

Kettlebell cleans are simple but not easy. They are not only used as an intermediary movement for upper body movements like the Press and lower body movements like the Squat but are also a very powerful stand-alone exercise.

Module 5: The Get-Up: Steering Strength and Mobility

The Get-Up is an old-time strongman movement. The goal is to put something really heavy, something so heavy that you cannot lift in any other way, over your head.

Module 6: The Front Squat: The Hidden Core

The squat is the most fundamental movement of all. Contrary to the more modern and erroneous perspective that a squat is bad for the knees, the rock bottom bodyweight squat is where most of humanity has spent, and still spends, a great deal of time.

Module 7: The Press: Strength and Power

The Military Press is a classic test of strength and grit. A true grind, the principles of tension, stable core cylinder, postural alignment, and steering power are front and center.

Module 8: The Snatch: The Ultimate Conditioner

The Snatch is the one-stop-shop of the kettlebell ballistics. In fact, many call it the Tsar of all the kettlebell lifts.