Leg work out without squats

[Marty Champions]

For whatever reason, I've always felt like squats are not the best leg exercise for me. Long ago I gave up on them- I think I don't do them with proper form and have always felt that leg presses, hacks, reverse hacks, and various squat machines give me a better leg workout. However, I still envy those guys that can step under the squat rack and handle some heavy poundages. It motivated me to start doing squats again last year, but I started to injure my lower back (old injury from about 10 years ago re-surfaced).

So, do you guys think you can get a great leg workout with squats or is in the lack of squats in a leg workout insurmountable as a flaw? Opinions?

i have the same probablem with lower back, the only thing that will work for you is dumbell lunges, kicking , running, and jumping

[Marlo Stanfield]

Some true and false here. Benefits to risks you say? What risks, there aren't any if you do them right. And since you don't want 40 inch quads, no need to be going super heavy, so what's the problem?

And yes, if you do rows and all the variations of them you can build a thick ass back. Deads are great, yes, but it can be done without them.

 for one, lets just say you have 2 plates on each side, and you squatting, and the bar is balanced on your trap(back of neck or whatever).. if for whateverthe bar tips to a side or something, there is some weight on your spine, and your jerking your spine...

yes i know same can be said about flat bench presses with a bar, but if that happens when squatting, you risk your spine... again, for me, its not worth it.. you say i can do lightweight, but why bother? there are safer machines out there where you can go heavy, and still be much safer that squatting. i know in the bodybuilding culty, its the politically correct thing to say that you squat and you cant wait for leg days, but no, i dont squat, and i think unless you are competing, you can get pretty fucking awesome legs without squats...

for example, the hack squat machine IMO hit the same muscles with the same intensity, but because its a machine, you have the weight equally balanced on your SHOULDERS, not your neck/spine...

[deceiver]

what benefits??? back problems, knee pain, spinal compression, etc, etc...?

fuck that.

and don't start with the "it raises test" bullshit

as if that's anything but negligible

Improved stability, stronger core thus less back problems in future, stronger base for upper body movements. Overall athletic abilities.

[Marlo Stanfield]

Improved stability, stronger core thus less back problems in future, stronger base for upper body movements. Overall athletic abilities.

Improved stability ? huh , please explain

stronger core ? which can also be achieved by :planks,crunches( any of the 50 different variation)


stronger base for upper body movements? yeah, with stronger legs, you get a better base. but stronger legs can come from your normal leg routine, and subsituting for example hack sqquats with regular squats

[abijahmaniaco]

Improved stability

translation: thick waist, destroyed v taper

stronger core thus less back problems in future

did you just say, "core"? this is an absolute bull shit word. DO NOT USE IT AGAIN BC IT IS BULL SHIT. again bodybuilders don't want thick waist. and squat ALWAYS give you back problems years later. if you don't believe me go ask the professional opinion of chiropracter. ask his opinion of squat. fucked up back from squat is one of the most common things they see. over and over.

stronger base for upper body movements.

grasping at straws/bull shit

Overall athletic abilities.

wtf no. do jumping jacks sprints and shit if you want "athletic abilities". since when do bodybuilders have athletic abilities anyway?

[deceiver]

Improved stability ? huh , please explain

stronger core ? which can also be achieved by :planks,crunches( any of the 50 different variation)


stronger base for upper body movements? yeah, with stronger legs, you get a better base. but stronger legs can come from your normal leg routine, and subsituting for example hack sqquats with regular squats

Your problem is that you think of body just as muscles and even without going too much into details.

First of all you won't get required CNS adaptations with other leg exercises. Secondly, key thing here is proportion of strength. Think of body as an machine, every muscle has to balance the other in order for machine to work without any problems. There are certain exercises which make you adapt in certain way so you ensure that desired strength proportions remain. Therefore performing for example only plyometric exercises will lead to certain knee problems. It's biomechanics 101, I'm sorry, you have to read more.

Squats won't give you thick waist, it's GH and steroids abuse. Have you seen any olympic lifters?




Where the fuck is this thick waist?

Most people have problems because they:

 - dont go deep enough (therefore destroyed knees and back)
 - use powerlifting style squats instead of olympic style (and then they wonder why their glutes grow instead of quads and why they have back problems)

Overall I believe front squats are better than back squats because they force you to use proper technique and puts most of the stress on quads while having all benefits of traditional back squats.

[Domthemilky]

i love squats, i seem to be built for them. short legs long torso. i can achieve very deep squats easily where as the tall guys at the gym almost do good mornings cause of their height. never get any lower back problems either. Just a shame i suck so bad at deadlifts, have to pull the weight so far cause of my short arms.

[deceiver]

Good mornings cause of their height? They have terrible flexibility, they should work on that.

By the way I find it really peculiar that same people who rant how much weight doesnt matter complain they can't do squats because they have to put so much weight and so on, and same people who make half sissy squats with 10 plates on each side. Whatever you may feel or any bullshit broscientists tell you, you don't get full leg development from half squats. If you truly are a bodybuilder, put 3 plates on each side and perform full olympic squats for 20 reps. If it's still to easy then do that with slow, controlled negative. Still too easy? Pause at the bottom, just remember to keep your quads flexed at all times otherwise it might be dangerous for your knees. That should be enough for about everyone here including Tom Platz so well, I will end my rant here.

[Domthemilky]

Have you seen arnold doing squats in pumping iron? its like he bends forward almost cause of his height. thats what i mean.

although most people probably are not flexible enough to do it. but im pretty damn unflexible and i can do some real deep squats. stance is normally the issue i think.

[abijahmaniaco]

Have you seen arnold doing squats in pumping iron? its like he bends forward almost cause of his height. thats what i mean.

although most people probably are not flexible enough to do it. but im pretty damn unflexible and i can do some real deep squats. stance is normally the issue i think.

the taller you are the further you have to bend over to balance the weight. this is one of the reasons why tallers guys find squats difficult.
i'm only 5'11" but i avoid them like the plague. i did them for ten god damn years and they didn't do shit for me, but pain. and i'm not talking muscle pain. muscle pain (fatigue, burn) i like. joint pain. strain in my gut i don't want. i have no fucking reason to do them.

[Hulkotron]

When at my biggest i only did leg extension and leg curl 5 set with as many reps i could on each then finished.. couldnt walk for days after...

And my legs where 74 cm with veins and pretty lean my calves was 49 cm and i only did 2 set of standing calf raise a week...

Squat is for powerlifters...

You must have been a monster.