Be honest. Are squats necessary for bodybuilding??

[QUADMONSTER]

Lets get to the point.

Are squats necessary for building massive legs?

Say a guy was to not do squats but did tons of leg presses, some hack squats, and also leg curls and extensions. Always moving up in weight.

Guys legs would grow big wouldn't they even though he never did squats?

I like doing squats but I was just wondering if there are guys out there with big legs who have never really never put that much effort in including them on leg day.

Now powerlifting is a whole different ball game. Squats are 100 % needed.

 

[Saucylemonz]

I have 2 week cycling program: one quad centric, and one glute/hamstring centric. Here they are:
Quad centric day:
Warmup: bike 5 min, Dynamic stretching, etc.
Front squats
1 warmup set: 12-15
3 sets: 8-10

Leg press
4 sets: number of reps = number of 45lb plates +2 (ex. 10 plates=12 reps)
1 3x drop set using same rep scheme as above

Leg extension
3 sets: 12-15
2 4x drop sets: 10-12 and then To failure for each drop

 

[Saucylemonz]

Quad centric day cont:
Hip abductor machine
3 sets 15-30
2 4x drop sets 12-15/drop/all drops tofailure

Stiff let deadlift
3 sets: 10-12

Lying leg curl
3 sets 12-15
2 4x drop sets 10-12/drop/all drops to failure

Seated calf raise
5 sets
8-10 reps-15 sec. Rest. Repeat x3=1 set

I like to get 45 sec to a min between sets for rest

 

[Saucylemonz]

Glute/hamstring centric day
Warmup bike 5 min, dynamic stretching, etc.
Stiff leg deadlift
1 warmup set: 12-15
3 sets: 10-12

Seated hamstring curl
3 sets
7 normal reps, 7 reps pointing toes, 7 normal reps=1 set (pointing toes gives me a great pump)

Lying hamstring curl
3 sets 12-15
2 4x drop sets 10-12/drop/reps to failure for drops

 

[Saucylemonz]

Glute hamstring centric day cont.
Superset: 3 sets
Barbell glue bridge 10-12
Box jump to failure

Glute press
3 sets 12-15
2 4x drop sets 10-12/drop/drop portions to failure.

Hack squat
3 sets 12-15

Leg extension
4 sets 12-15
1 5x drop set 12-15/drop/same cadence as above

 

[Saucylemonz]

Glute/hamstring centric day cont. x3
Leg press calf raise
5 sets 15-20 reps

Once again-45 sec to 1 min. Rest in-between sets. Hopefully my confusing drop set syntax didn't confuse anybody.

 

[QUADMONSTER]

lol Saucy that is some intense stuff right there.

 

[hooah47]

Squats are not a quad dominant movement.. they are posterior chain dominant. Powerlifters have massive legs because of consistent overload and the hypertrophy based accessory work. Will squats build your quads? Sure. But there are better choices if you're solely looking for quad size.

 

[Saucylemonz]

Squats are not a quad dominant movement.. they are posterior chain dominant. Powerlifters have massive legs because of consistent overload and the hypertrophy based accessory work. Will squats build your quads? Sure. But there are better choices if you're solely looking for quad size.

I absolutely agree. I like to do some sort of big compound movement to start my workouts, and then move to isolation exercises for everything else. I originally did back squats for the first exercise in the first week of the program I listed above when I played sports in High School, but I made the change to front squats when my sports career was over. Once I did, my quads really shot up in size. That being said, my hip strength and other stabilizing muscles in my lower back stopped their growth. The back squat is a movement which should be mainly used by athletes and powerlifters because of this; that being said, it is not necessarily mandated that it should be reserved for them only.

In summary, the back squat is a jack of all trade exercise, being good at developing overall leg strength, but not being particularly good at working on any particular part. Can you omit squats all together in a leg program? Yes, if you are doing all of the necessary isolation work for them.

 

[HIT4ME]

No exercise is "necessary" in bodybuilding. Every exercise has its pluses and minuses. Dorian Yates stopped doing squats at some point in his career...he just didn't feel they were beneficial for him based on his structure and goals.

If your goal is to get big legs only, then no- you don't need squats. If your goal is to get healthy, functional and powerful, I think squats will take you along way.