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If you couldnt squat...

SureShot

SureShot

Member
What would you choose as the next best mass builder for quads/hams? No variations of squats either.
I'm thinking Leg Presses with legs wide, then maybe hack squats although they tend to put a lot of stress on my knees.
 
Do leg presses, lunges, reverse leg machine curls, leg quad curls, and don't forget the calves..

oh and this may help:
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I have a problem with my left knee, so I stick to hack squats and leg presses for major mass builders. I'm having a lot of success with the hack squats...
 
darius said:
Do leg presses, lunges, reverse leg machine curls, leg quad curls, and don't forget the calves..

oh and this may help:
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excellent! I'm not saying i cant squat, but i do know many with big legs that basically just do not squat at all. Im basically just looking for more opinions.
 
I have a problem with my lower back, and the leg press simply KILLS my lower back. Like there will be a shooting pain if I go all the way down on the rep before I'm warmed up. Squats don't seem to present a problem though... so I stick with them :) I'd like to give the press a try one day though.
 
hypo said:
I have a problem with my lower back, and the leg press simply KILLS my lower back. Like there will be a shooting pain if I go all the way down on the rep before I'm warmed up. Squats don't seem to present a problem though... so I stick with them :) I'd like to give the press a try one day though.
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That happened to me a couple of times and it turned out that I was going too low. Have someone watch you and tell you when you have gone the down correctly.
 
On the leg press, your lower back shouldn't move from the cushion in the down position. When the lower back begins to lift from the cushion, that's where the rep ends. It will tend to lift some more when you begin the concentric part of the rep, and it does tend to dislocate the vertebrae in the lower back.

Two things one SHOULD ALWAYS DO that directly alter these dynamics, making it more comfortable and safe to do the leg press.

1. STRETCH THE HAMSTRINGS. Every workout. They are the muscle that can cause among the most problems when they are not stretched appropriately. The hamstring attaches at the lower leg and also at the lower back, among others. This means that a hamstring lacking flexibility will directly pull on your lowest vertebrae when in the elongated position. It is an extremely long muscle group, overlapping TWO joints in the body, and thus has the tendency, like any muscle, to tense and shorten when it is trained for strength without proper stretching.

2. Strengthen the lower back erectors. In other words, DEADLIFTS. I have a "terrible" hernia in my lower back, and I deadlift without a belt and feel great. When I stop the deadlifts and reverse hyperextensions too long, pinched feelings return. Once strengthened, the spinal erectors can save your lower back from damage when put in a risky situation, such as going too low on the leg press...
 
hypo said:
I have a problem with my lower back, and the leg press simply KILLS my lower back. Like there will be a shooting pain if I go all the way down on the rep before I'm warmed up. Squats don't seem to present a problem though... so I stick with them :) I'd like to give the press a try one day though.
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Me too... Leg press is deadly for the lower back. Squats are somehow better
 
I dunno why squats own me. I did 225lbs like 6 months ago, 3 reps, then the 4th one I just couldn't get up, so I sorta panicked a bit and ended up almost snapping my left ankle cause it buckled in hard. I'm suprised it didn't break. Lucky the squat bar safety thingy caught it, but then again im 6'3", so it still jacked up my ankle and put it out of commission for like 2 months. :(
 
I can't stand squats. Too inconsistent for me to really gauge progress. Leg press and hack squats work better for me.
 
For whatever reason I cannot get the same feeling in my thighs doing anything other than squats.I hate this fact, I have a great leg press machine inverted where the weight is right over my legs and no matter how much weight or how many sets or reps I do I just do not get the same stimulation as I do 4 sets of deep squats..

Someone suggested supersetting leg extensions then right to leg press,im gonna try it.
 
stupidly, i tried supersetting leg press and deadlifts one time, 5 minutes later, i was seeing black and green spots.
 
Personally I can't do squats anymore because of knee problems but I've recently started to use the MTS Squat machine I think either Life Fitness or Icarian make it but it's a life saver. Put practically no stress on my knees and I can go heavy and hard and put myself in the " I think I'm gonna puke" pain that only squats gave me before. God bless it my legs can grow again. LOL
 
jminis said:
Personally I can't do squats anymore because of knee problems but I've recently started to use the MTS Squat machine I think either Life Fitness or Icarian make it but it's a life saver. Put practically no stress on my knees and I can go heavy and hard and put myself in the " I think I'm gonna puke" pain that only squats gave me before. God bless it my legs can grow again. LOL
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What does that machine look like?
 
Squats kill my lower back. I was in a bad car wreck 7 years ago and it screwed my back up bad. Leg presses, however, are fine on my back. I do leg presses and hack squats and they kill my legs.(In a good way) I was thinking of doing box squats or bring breathing squats into my routine. It might help doing higher reps and lower weight on squats and get your knees or lower back back into a "squatting shape" and eventually squatting heavier weight sometime down the road.
 
I tend to only squat heavy for a few weeks at a time, then either use leg presses or hacks or do lighter weight higher reps on the squats. I seem to always stagnate on squats after about 4-5 weeks
 
I found old-school hack squats work really well - they don't bother my knees at all. Use only 25# weights, stand with the bar behind your ancles, and lift it like you are doing a deadlift. It takes some getting used to but it works more muscles than a hack squat machine.
 
Trap bar Deadlifts

This exercise is an awesome addition to any lower body routine and a nice break from heavy lunges, stiff-legged deadlifts or smith squats... in fact, I would say that it is probably the most effective lower body exercise I have utilized, including free squats.
 
SureShot said:
excellent! I'm not saying i cant squat, but i do know many with big legs that basically just do not squat at all. Im basically just looking for more opinions.
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Some guys have done a lot of squats in the past and have built trees for quads. Some people have no trouble getting their arms to grow and some have no trouble gets quads to grow. These guys might be in the later group. But to be honest, I've never seen a set of really big legs on a guy who has never done a lot of squating.

For the guys that have back trouble doing legs presses: I found that a vertical leg press caused my back to round, like doing a bad squat were you get bent over too far. If possiblem use an engled leg press and try different angles on the back rest. But if you really can't squat, I'd say Darius was right one the money.
 
MaDmaN said:
Someone suggested supersetting leg extensions then right to leg press,im gonna try it.
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I use this, as I cant squat from a massive knee injury when I was in my mid teens. I just have a fear it will go on me, and I don't care to be in a wheelchair or on crutches ever again.
 
Deoudes59 said:
What does that machine look like?
I'll try and find a pic for ya. But basically you lay down on it (lying on your back) and there's two big foot pads that move independently of each other. You can simulate running and all kinds of **** it's great. And most importantly no pain in my knee Ok I've tried and I can't get the diagram right. Hopefully I find a pic :frustrate
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