Thread: no more squats

Nothing can completely replace Squats. Leg Press would be the closest i believe though.

why can't you do them exactly, I mean whats the problem?

i'm guessin' its your lower back or knees?

If so, leg pressin will maintain nicely....

leg press, I have not done squats in about 3-4 months myself.

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

my doctor says i cant do squats for a while is there anything that can replace them

why can't you squat?

I feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems but squatting isn't one, hit me!!!

No, I'm j/j. Legpress if you can't squat.

Try the following giant set for 1 post-warmup cycle if you want big legs without squats:

leg press x 10 reps
leg extension x 10 reps
leg press x 20 reps performed like breathing squats. Try to bang out the first 10 reps without resting. Once you have completed the 10th rep you will lock-out your knees and take at least 3 deep breaths. Bang out another 1-2 reps and then stop for 3 more big breaths. Continue this until you hit 20 reps.

Do not rest between the above 3 exercises. You will have to reduce the leg press resistance for the 2nd set (after the extensions).

If you are able to walk within 10 minutes of the completion of this giant set you didn't try hard enough. Make sure you are in good health before attempting this brutal giant set.

It will probably be the hardest thing you ever do in the gym and you will probably puke your brains out the first few times you do it!

i cant do squats cause i pulled a muscule when i did them a few weeks ago in my mid back when i squated to much and i cant even do the motion without weight without it hurting

Yeah, I'd work on form and lower the weight the next time. Recover first, and then try the legpress.

Originally Posted by chris mason

T Once you have completed the 10th rep you will lock-out your knees

Sounds like a good plan to screw your knees up, NEVER lock out your knees on a press! If you mean hold the weight up with a slight arch in the knees thats different then a true lockout, if you lockout with a decent amount of weight you are risking a serious knee porblem.

Can you explain to me exactly how you are risking a knee injury by locking out your knees? Are you going to blow out your elbows when locking out a bench?

Technically you don't "lock out" on any exercise it is merely an expression. locking out takes the load off the target muscle and places it on the joint.

Originally Posted by chris mason

Try the following giant set for 1 post-warmup cycle if you want big legs without squats:

leg press x 10 reps
leg extension x 10 reps
leg press x 20 reps performed like breathing squats. Try to bang out the first 10 reps without resting. Once you have completed the 10th rep you will lock-out your knees and take at least 3 deep breaths. Bang out another 1-2 reps and then stop for 3 more big breaths. Continue this until you hit 20 reps.

Do not rest between the above 3 exercises. You will have to reduce the leg press resistance for the 2nd set (after the extensions).

If you are able to walk within 10 minutes of the completion of this giant set you didn't try hard enough. Make sure you are in good health before attempting this brutal giant set.

It will probably be the hardest thing you ever do in the gym and you will probably puke your brains out the first few times you do it!

that was a great idea
i did 10x leg press
10x hack squat
10x leg extention
20x leg press with the same wieght and i could move for like 3 minutes
then i did it again and finished with 2 more sets of hack squats and leg extentions

Originally Posted by LAM

Technically you don't "lock out" on any exercise it is merely an expression. locking out takes the load off the target muscle and places it on the joint.

Errr, that is the point during the "breathing" movements. You temporarily take the load away (in actuality you are not completely removing the load) and take a quick "rest" of a few seconds in order to continue the set.

The gentleman mentioned injuring one's knees by brining them to lock-out during a set of leg presses. This is only going to be problematic if one does this in a particularly violent manner. Locking out one's knees on the leg press is quite safe if the movment is performed with some modicum of care.

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

that was a great idea
i did 10x leg press
10x hack squat
10x leg extention
20x leg press with the same wieght and i could move for like 3 minutes

Excellent, I am glad you liked it. You will probably be VERY sore tomorrow and the next couple of days.

Originally Posted by chris mason

Errr, that is the point during the "breathing" movements. You temporarily take the load away (in actuality you are not completely removing the load) and take a quick "rest" of a few seconds in order to continue the set.

actually it's not the point if you want to keep your joints as healthy as possible. there is no reason to ever completely lock out on any exercise, especially when going heavy...

Ok LAM, please explain your statement with something to validate your opinion.

it's not an opinion...tell me what is the "benefit" to the target muscle, joints and surrouding tendons and ligaments by locking out when lifting for hypertrophy ? that's what rest-pause sets are for, it is simply risk vs benefit...

you hyperextending the joint when you lock the knees...continue to lock out and enjoy being crippled when you are 60...

LAM, I asked you for some sort of proof of your opinion. You provided none as I suspected you would not.

I think your opinion is stretching matters to a GREAT degree. If you are that concerned about your joints in your advanced years I certainly hope you do not lift with anything bordering on heavy resistance. Heavy training is a great stressor to the joints but a necessary one if a trainee wishes to gain great strength and muscular size.

I have reviewed several of my texts (to include Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning by the NSCA) and I see no references to not locking out on movements.

The point of the lockout during a "breathing" set is to allow the musculature a brief rest and to help alleviate the anaerobic oxygen debt incurred so that one may continue the set and further exhaust as many muscle cells as possible.

remember that strength is realative...so the effects of a person "locking out" with 200 lbs does not have the same effect on joints as it does using 400 lbs, etc...the stronger you are the worse locking out is for you...

and like I said...using rest-pause is a far better approach for use during a breathing sets than locking out..

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

my doctor says i cant do squats for a while is there anything that can replace them

that's a great loss, i'm sorry to hear that, squat is THE best lower body exercise, leg press don't even come close to that.

Originally Posted by chris mason

LAM, I asked you for some sort of proof of your opinion. You provided none as I suspected you would not.

Provide something that says its good for the joints. You don't kneed to have any proof that its bad, simply go into a press and load some decent weight on (I'm assuming you using some decent weight here and are talking from experience and are not just thinking it works...tell me you have pressed a decent weight and FULLY locked out) and let me know if it hurts like a mofo. I know for myself who have had problematic knees from a young age and can not afford yet ANOTHER knee injury I will stay away from such idiotic moves such as locking out. Just imagine a matchstick with a ton of weight on top of it, flick that matchstcick and watch it buckle....thats your knees.

Why don't you simply rack the weight for a second breat quickly and start it up again?

For people worried about joints, rest pause would be a better option (by far). When you "lock out" the load is no longer being tolerated by the muscle, but by the skeleton. So if you're working out with three or four hundred pounds on squats, this load is being unnecessarily handled with little significant benefit to the musculature. Racking the weight would be a better option.

One is welcome to rack the weight if they wish.


Deadbolt, I can leg press a fair amount of weight. In fact, probably significantly more than you. I have locked out my knees on the leg press and I too have injured both knees in the past. I have experienced no problems with doing so.

your knee joint is the strongest joint in the body. It can hold under enormous amounts of pressure. I was talking to a phyiscal therapist once who said you will break a bone before you shatter your knee. When that joint is locked it is the storgest joint in the body. Provided that you are standing in a even balance I see no problem with it. Most injuries will occur when you are locked and shift weight in one direction or another.

The point of the lockout during a "breathing" set is to allow the musculature a brief rest and to help alleviate the anaerobic oxygen debt incurred so that one may continue the set and further exhaust as many muscle cells as possible.

I agree 100%. That is the point of breathing squats.

I also do not see how locking out a joint during a short rest period during a set could harm a joint.

I know I do it on presses, including leg, bench, military, triceps.

Sounds like another bodybuilding myth to me. But then, I haven't done leg presses in something like....ever. But I've locked out some pretty heavy squats and deads and my knees are dandy.

The only problem I can see is the loading on the menisci which may or may not be a problem.

Originally Posted by Saturday Fever

Sounds like another bodybuilding myth to me. But then, I haven't done leg presses in something like....ever. But I've locked out some pretty heavy squats and deads and my knees are dandy.

you also haven't been lifiting for that long. nobody knows what happens after hyperextending that joint this for 20-30 years as there is no data that covers the subject.

like I stated earlier it's all about risk vs benefits...