I'm done with squats

Howarth17 · May 8, 2015

Think I'm just gonna do leg presses, extensions, and leg curls. I hate squats!!! I never feel right doing em, just a totally uncomfortable exercise for me. Any of you guys in the same boat?

xLGx · May 8, 2015

Do you do high bar or low bar? Feet narrow or wide?

LatRaze · May 8, 2015

Howarth17 said:
Think I'm just gonna do leg presses, extensions, and leg curls. I hate squats!!! I never feel right doing em, just a totally uncomfortable exercise for me. Any of you guys in the same boat?

Howarth, from experience cutting out squats (when I had a back issue) and doing leg press, extensions and leg curls saw a definite change in mass.

But if you hate them and they're uncomfortable then by all means, don't. Have you done hack squats, lunges?

Howarth17 · May 8, 2015

LatRaze said:
Howarth, from experience cutting out squats (when I had a back issue) and doing leg press, extensions and leg curls saw a definite change in mass.

But if you hate them and they're uncomfortable then by all means, don't. Have you done hack squats, lunges?

A decrease in mass...

?

I do like lunges and my school gym has something called v squat machine and like a different kind of hack squat. Forget what it's called though.

LatRaze · May 8, 2015

Well I kinda noticed my legs weren't as big when I stopped squatting.

ebfitness · May 9, 2015

Ugh, hate to see anyone give up squats. I'd suggest to play around with a bunch of different styles to find out which you prefer: wide stance, close stance, high bar, low bar, hook grip, box squats. Watch squat vids from Koklyaev, Klokov, Mark Bell, Eric Lilliebridge.

Curt James · May 9, 2015

Try doing free standing squats, no weights, along with your leg presses, etc.

Paul Anderson was the king of squats but he also did bodyweight full squats.

Otoh, Freddie Ortiz didn't do squats (according to one interview, iirc) and few here would cry if they woke up looking like him!

Howarth17 · May 9, 2015

My dad said the same about free squats. Icant though! I always come up on my toes if I squat without any weight on my back.

Adrenolin · May 9, 2015

Howarth17 said:
My dad said the same about free squats. Icant though! I always come up on my toes if I squat without any weight on my back.

Where do you position the bar on your back, is it low like across your rear delts or is it high like on top of your traps? Where do you place your feet, is it wide with toes angled outwards, or narrow shoulder width or closer with toes pointing forwards? Have you ever tried utilizing a declined platform to raise your heels off the ground? How about front squats?

Howarth17 · May 9, 2015

I've done all ways. Low bar/high bar. Narrow and wide. I have tried with plates under my heels, that helps. Front squats are kind of awkward for me, just grabbing them in the first place. I've been doing high bar though.

IronMac · May 11, 2015

I squatted for years,I thought to get big legs that's what you had to do,the big myth,squat!squat!squat!....all I had was a squat rack in my basement....then I started hack squatting an leg press,holy hell my legs responded better with less knee an no lower back strain..hacks hit my quads better than any barbell squat...squatting isn't for everyone...it's def better in the long run if you get away from it...we wer not built to put that much weight on our backs an bend that way,guys blow knees out an discs all the time with squats....now they are no doubt an great leg an overall exercise,but they come with consequence,just like every barbell movement