Has anyone dropped back squats and still made gains?
I used to lift 10 years ago back when Any Forums was obsessed with SS and people said it was impossible to make any gains natty if you don't squat or deadlift.
I've now come back to lifting at 30 and I can't stand them anymore. I'm only up to 80kgx5 using linear progression but that's feeling extremely heavy and every rep is horrible.
I only care about hypertrophy and general fitness. Can I drop squats and replace them with stuff like leg press, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions etc?
It's supposed to suck, don't give up just because it's hard. Squats/deadlifts are awesome for you. If you quit now you'll regret it later.
carry on and you'll thank yourselrf in a couple of months.
Juan Powell
>i don't squat and now the squat feels heavy woah who would've guessed that when you don't squat your squat is shit squat more and it'll get better.
Robert Martinez
Try barbell hack squats instead. It gives you a chance to work on your breathing, and it allows you to power through that last rep you wouldn't be so sure about if you had the bar on your back. I legitimately think they're superior for quad development.
Liam Miller
I do front squats
Justin Nelson
>80kg >Hard Just stop being a dyel I have no other advice
James Jackson
>squat more and it'll get better.
Nope. Only gets worse. The LP to 500x5 is a real bad time.
Colton Morgan
>Has anyone dropped back squats and still made gains? lmao yes. Can you believe that we used to think that you wouldn't get big arms if you trained your arms without doing squats? How fucking silly.
>I've now come back to lifting at 30 and I can't stand them anymore. I'm only up to 80kgx5 using linear progression but that's feeling extremely heavy and every rep is horrible. That is because you are grinding out reps at max effort. This is NOT a good way of training and making progress for compound lifts. Any Forums is still a little in the 2011 but most people have caught on to how stupid LP and lifting at max all the time is. Its not the squats that are brutal, its that you are maxing out at every workout. You do not have to do that to make progress.
>I only care about hypertrophy and general fitness. Can I drop squats and replace them with stuff like leg press, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions etc? Absolutely, of course. Think about it logically. Why would it not? Why would your leg muscles not get stronger and bigger if you trained them that way? What is so magical about barbells that they are the only thing that works? Think about it how stupid that logic is.
Thomas Baker
i replaced deadlifts with front squats and the gains have been pretty solid so far, 7 months after removing desds from my routine, my max deadlift still went up by 35lbs squats are all you need, back squats + front squats
Hunter Garcia
I only do hacks and leg extensions occasionally I throw in leg press as well. Never done deadlifts but got 25 inch legs anyway
Evan Green
How would you recommend progressing?
Carter Young
>Can I drop squats and replace them with stuff like leg press, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions etc? yes. simple as.
Robert Morgan
>linear progression >500lb Learn about periodization then come back.
Justin Reed
>Ugh 80kgx5 feels extremely heavy and every rep is horrible
I'd sprinkle them in every other week. They're still decent quad and glute growers and are pretty much indispensable for a strong lower back IMO. Play around with variations. But watch out: Just because your legs can lift the weight it doesn't mean your break can too.
Grayson Long
Hack squats are an amazing quad exercise, but take a lot of mental strength as well, compared to a leg extension machine and the likes. And they're not the easiest to execute correctly.
John Ward
>break Meant back. Don't break.
Dylan Hernandez
You absolutely can replace squats with leg press, as long as you're deadlifting or at least doing some deadlift variation or good mornings. What I like about the deadlift is the unique way it develops the back, which imo you can't get out of rows.
Logan Torres
I dropped back squats because the power racks in my gym are taken most of the time. I opted for hack squats and realized I can train my legs harder without being limited by my lower back. Leg press is a good exercise, just don't lockout your knees. I recommend you do RDLs, SLDL, or hyperextensions for the lower back when you do legs.
Jonathan Bennett
Yes, I always skip leg day and that makes me work harder on upper body.
