Squats and Leg Presses and other help needed

[SuppKnight]

After a 9 month Gym absence due to illness, (in which I gained 55 pounds!) I started working out again just two months ago. In those two months, I have upped my Squats to 300 lbs and my leg presses to 400 lbs.

However, I have two problems. First, my leg extensions suck. I can't do better than 80 lbs on the machine. Second, my bench press also sucks badly; the best I can do is two sets of 145 lbs or 3 sets of 130 lbs.

Is there any reason why it has been so easy to get better at squats and leg presses but not at leg extensions and benches?

Any help to increase strength in those areas would be much appreciated.

 

[R1balla]

legs are a very large muscle and u are always using them (walking). legs, at least for me, are the fastest muscle to get stronger. my legs get stronger faster than my chest or back does if that makes sense. just dont worry about how much you are lifting bro. focus on form and the weight will come.

 

[Ricky5145]

yeah what he said, focus on the lift and the weight will come. there are no secrets here, just hard work

 

[gamer2be08]

I wish my squat would jump haha...

 

[R1balla]

another thing that will increase strength on any muscle group are drop sets. for me, whenever i am looking to get stronger, i do plenty of these. u can also take Prime by USP labs on the 69 protocol to increase strength. for the first time, a supplements label is true! ive ran it 3x and every time it has done what it promises. maybe not 80 pounds on squat like it says but a good 50 or so.

 

[R1balla]

and always focus on form! guess who will be bigger? the guy squatting 225 with awesome form (doing this for a few months while increasing weight as he gets stronger) or the guy doing 300 going down 4 inches then back up? when i use great form and really focus on it, i see my best growth.

 

[Minnesota]

remember your squat is more than your quads, also try sissy squats they are way better than leg extensions to start out with until your muscles around your knees are stonger. I stopped doing leg extensions even though i was banging out heavy weight and actually saw more definition and size.

but that's just me and my body