# squats or leg press



## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

*Just got into training legs properly and prefer to do leg press to squats how important are squats are they essential anyone.*


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## ste08 (Jan 4, 2009)

I'd mix it up mate, do squats for a couple of weeks then switch to leg press for a week. I tend to just keep it varied mate.


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## BillC (Jun 11, 2009)

It's your ego that likes leg press. Easy to put a sh!t load of weight on. Squats hurt and are hard, but they build mass on the legs. If you really must do leg press only, have a look on youtube for James lewellyn(supercell on here) and hios leg workouts with leg press, absolutely obliterate your legs, done properly you will be sick.


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

*sound is it best to go all the way down or untill your thighs are parrallel to the floor i do the later.*


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## daisbuys (Mar 22, 2009)

As low down as you can go, staying parrallel puts more strain on your knee joints.


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## Dezw (May 13, 2009)

The squat is a far superior exercise.


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

elcollio said:


> *sound is it best to go all the way down or untill your thighs are parrallel to the floor i do the later.*


till your thighs are at a 90 degree angle to your knee is more than sufficient enough to,you'll have lots who say its gotta be ass to the floor but thats utter pish,your putting unneeded strain on your knee tendons everytime you ask your legs to drive you out that deep and PLENTY of guys build monster wheels without going ass to grass.

This is bodybuilding not a powerlifting or form competition,too many critics like to slate guys not going deep,at the end of the day your trying to build lean tissue and keeping the tension on the muscle is where its at 

As for whats better,its down to your bodies own mechanics,regular and smith squats dont suit me at all,they kill my lower back,its only recently i have started front squatting and its good,i do that along with leg press each work out


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

Dezw said:


> The squat is a far superior exercise.


in your opinion.

Like i said,its down to the individuals biomechaniics,Yates built some pretty beastly quads using leg press as his core exercise.


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

*i read to many articles saying different things and they contradict each other on training techniques etc.*


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## Seyyed-Merat (Sep 1, 2007)

weeman said:


> As for whats better,its down to your bodies own mechanics,regular and smith squats dont suit me at all,they kill my lower back,its only recently i have started front squatting and its good,i do that along with leg press each work out


x2 There are many bodybuilders that dont squat as they found leg press suited their mechanics better, IMO I say do both In the same workout.


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

*cheers good advice weeman*


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## TH0R (Aug 15, 2007)

elcollio said:


> *i read to many articles saying different things and they contradict each other on training techniques etc.*


No sh1t:lol: :lol:


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

*the best way is to just get the basics then fine tune your training on how your body reacts to different techniques and training and dont believe everything you read.*


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

elcollio said:


> *the best way is to just get the basics then fine tune your training on how your body reacts to different techniques and training and dont believe everything you read.*


exactly:thumbup1:


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## Ashcrapper (Jul 3, 2008)

I personally like doing squats or hacks followed by the leg press technique mentioned earlier (James L) where you stagger you legs.


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## eurgar (May 5, 2008)

I would always use squats as your main exercise as they give you so much more than leg press (core strength e.t.c) I sometimes use leg press as a supplementary exercise or if im feeling lazy and dont feel like squatting


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## TH0R (Aug 15, 2007)

I do both, I'm going to try doing leg press first for a while, pre exhaust before squats so

less chance of injury


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## Ken Hutchinson (May 29, 2009)

The new leg press machine the gym bought when it moved up the road is total bollox, the poles that you put the weight on are really low so it is a pain in the @rse putting the plates on and off, the old machine was at waist height, theres no problem with 1 or 2 plates a side but 8,9 and 10 it stops people using it and more people are now squating.


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

I'll start to keep squats in my routine and take if

from there see what works best gona blaze legs tomorra now yh yh


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

i do both. but i prefer leg presses. i feel it much more in the legs. dont go to low on squats, as the pressure actually comes off the legs and onto the knees.


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## ekko (Dec 3, 2008)

leg press = quad mass for me

thinking of introducing squats nx year mainly for core and overall strength though


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## skd (Dec 17, 2008)

do whatever works best for you, i personally cant stand leg press, as it always fcuks my lower back up.. i squat but i go right down to the ground everytime with less weight, if i stop halfway it dont work for me


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2009)

Very interesting discussion.

I find squats, particularly the Smith variety, extremely uncomfortable, and the technique mentioned by Tel of pre-exhaust on leg press to lessen the chance of squat injury didn't work for me yesterday, when I still hurt myself slightly in the lower back on Smith squat.

I am finding that I am building strength on leg press far better than on squats, and I am puzzled by the people who insist as if it is some kind of gospel that "you have to do squats to build muscle". Weeman's comments that squats don't suit him either make me feel less guilty about entertaining the idea of giving them up.


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## Geoff (Oct 18, 2008)

just look at ronnie colmans leg workouts


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2009)

Geoff said:


> just look at ronnie colmans leg workouts


Why, what will that do for us? He's not a typical bodybuilder, is he?


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## B-GJOE (May 7, 2009)

elcollio said:


> *i read to many articles saying different things and they contradict each other on training techniques etc.*


PMSL, welcome to the world of bodybuilding, for every opinion you'll find contradictory evidence against it and so on and so on.


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## Jake1436114563 (May 9, 2008)

Squats, literally no question.

People make excuses for squats, whatever Trevor.

Shut up and squat.


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

same with deadlifts. plenty of top level bb'ers who dont do them yet have great backs. squats dont stimulate the legs as well as leg press. it stimulates the whole body though better


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## Jake1436114563 (May 9, 2008)

BigDom86 said:


> same with deadlifts. plenty of top level bb'ers who dont do them yet have great backs. *squats dont stimulate the legs as well as leg press.* it stimulates the whole body though better


 :lol:


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## big silver back (Jan 17, 2009)

They do say if you could do 1 exercise in the gym it should be squats, i love heavy squating but it has come with a price for me injury after injury. Now i tend to do more hack squating and leg pressing lighter with more reps and i have great workouts doing this :thumb:


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

Davesky said:


> Very interesting discussion.
> 
> I find squats, particularly the Smith variety, extremely uncomfortable, and the technique mentioned by Tel of pre-exhaust on leg press to lessen the chance of squat injury didn't work for me yesterday, when I still hurt myself slightly in the lower back on Smith squat.
> 
> I am finding that I am building strength on leg press far better than on squats, and I am puzzled by the people who insist as if it is some kind of gospel that "you have to do squats to build muscle". *Weeman's comments that squats don't suit him either make me feel less guilty about entertaining the idea of giving them up*.


thanks mate.

I dont have the best pins by far but i will say this,i squatted for years and got no where with it,managed to get all the way up to 245kg,all it ever did was give me mediocre growth and back pain so bad it confined me to my bed with psyatic (sp) pain.

In the last few years,since i started being a competitive bodybuilder,i basically ditched them in favour of leg extensions,HEAVY (as in 1000kg+) leg pressing and hack squats,result?legs came on leaps and bounds.

Another good example of outstanding quads built without the aid of any squatting is the boards own pscarb,he has some fkn impressive pins in the flesh and he is also another leg press advocate,for medical reasons (given he was paralysed from the waist down for a period of his life) but non the less it pretty much shoots the arguement in the foot,there IS NO be all and end all exercise for any given bodypart,but there ARE be all and end all exercises for each one of our biological make ups.

Fuk,flat benching for example,i can bench 180kg for reps and have no doubt i would break the 200kg barrier within weeks of putting my mind to it,it does fuk all for my pecs tho,doesnt half hurt my front delts,incline pressing,now thats different gravy,the underlying message?again,each of us is different,there is no one holy grail movement,its just bodybuilding here say,lets move into the 21st century and be a bit more realistic and open minded 



Jake said:


> Squats, literally no question.
> 
> People make excuses for squats, whatever Trevor.
> 
> Shut up and squat.


i refer to my above statement and also say dont be so ignorant


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## egyption t (May 21, 2009)

4 me i prefer the squat any day...but whtever works for ya,..Dorian didnt dom much squats,and had amazing wheels


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## spiderpants (Nov 21, 2007)

squats is a definate pal. nothing works the full muscle structure of the legs like a good squat. av been pounding my squats to try and get big legs for the 2010 shows


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

spiderpants said:


> squats is a definate pal. nothing works the full muscle structure of the legs like a good squat. av been pounding my squats to try and get big legs for the 2010 shows


IF IT SUITS YOUR STRUCTURE!!!!!!

is no one reading the thread before they post? :lol:


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## ElfinTan (May 23, 2008)

weeman said:


> IF IT SUITS YOUR STRUCTURE!!!!!!
> 
> is no one reading the thread before they post? :lol:


Read???????? Now you're just being plain silly!


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

Cheers everyone some good tips and advice only joined this forum 3 days ago

and learn loads already and at had to spend money on a mag lol sound


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

what? for me they dont. instead of putting a smiley face why dont you make a comment?


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## Jake1436114563 (May 9, 2008)

Because it's utter rubbish.


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

elcollio said:


> *Just got into training legs properly and prefer to do leg press to squats how important are squats are they essential anyone.*


then do leg press there is not one person on this board that can say Leg press does not build muscle



Dezw said:


> The squat is a far superior exercise.


for you maybe not for everyone



Jake said:


> Squats, literally no question.
> 
> People make excuses for squats, whatever Trevor.
> 
> Shut up and squat.


really well tell you what you come down to my gym and do my leg session, just leg press and leg exstensions then we will see what your excuses are....



weeman said:


> Another good example of outstanding quads built without the aid of any squatting is the boards own pscarb,he has some fkn impressive pins in the flesh and he is also another leg press advocate,for medical reasons (given he was paralysed from the waist down for a period of his life) but non the less it pretty much shoots the arguement in the foot,there IS NO be all and end all exercise for any given bodypart,but there ARE be all and end all exercises for each one of our biological make ups.


cheers buddy....Brian is correct i was paralysed from the waist down in 1996 before then i did mostly front squats and did have some decent legs but since that year (well 1999 when i started training legs again) i have only been able to do leg press.....for those saying it is an ego exercise so what is squatting a pumping one:cool: you move the weight between 2 points thus building muscle be that squats or leg press same difference certainly have not done me any harm...

the advantage leg press has over squats is that you can raise the intensity without raising the weight and without injuring yourself......


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

Jake said:


> Because it's utter rubbish.


why is it upper rubbish? there are a few guys on here who dont squat like weeman and pscarb who have good leg development... whats your leg development like?

i do both squats and leg press. and from what im feeling i get much more leg stimulation out of leg pressing.


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

i would say hack squats are superior to standard squats aswell due to the fact you can sit back into them more


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## Jake1436114563 (May 9, 2008)

Dom I can't be bothered to get into it.

Hack squats superior to full back squats? Come on.

Leg press stimulates the legs more than squats? Maybe for you.


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

Jake said:


> Dom I can't be bothered to get into it.
> 
> Hack squats superior to full back squats? Come on.
> 
> Leg press stimulates the legs more than squats? *Maybe for you.*


the last three words is exactly the whole point that your missing......


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## glen danbury (May 23, 2006)

personally I would opt for squats - work the back, the hamstrings and calves as well - so basically training efficiency

however if you have back problems then opting for some variants of leg pressing isnt a better option (basically this debate depends on leg press and squat style as there not all the same result) as some leg presses due to how they are built put alot of pressure on the lowerback

from experience training people I find most people can focus upon the quads more during a leg press and push harder - as such they will get better quad development from that than the squat

alot has been stated about your body dictating which works better - however I would rather state how your bodys shaped (limb length etc) would rather dictate how your perform each exercise


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## Jake1436114563 (May 9, 2008)

Pscarb said:


> really well tell you what you come down to my gym and do my leg session, just leg press and leg exstensions then we will see what your excuses are....


I wouldn't make excuses, i like training hard.

I've tried nearly all the Weider training principles, and a few more to boot.

Try the Smolov squatting routine, that is hard.


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

glen danbury said:


> personally I would opt for squats - work the back, the hamstrings and calves as well - so basically training efficiency
> 
> however if you have back problems then opting for some variants of leg pressing isnt a better option (basically this debate depends on leg press and squat style as there not all the same result) as some leg presses due to how they are built put alot of pressure on the lowerback
> 
> ...


This is where my problem lies,i have a long torso,short legs and a girls hip girdle,all that equates to nothing but pain in the wrong places for me when regular squatting


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## TH0R (Aug 15, 2007)

I think we can agree that the squat is the best overall exercise, as in back, hams, quads,

and calves, but the leg press can work the quads more, due to the excess weight with added

safety, so confidence is better. Confidence on a lift is everything imo.


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## glen danbury (May 23, 2006)

weeman said:


> This is where my problem lies,i have a long torso,short legs and a girls hip girdle,all that equates to nothing but pain in the wrong places for me when regular squatting


I am built the same (long torso, short legs and high inserting lats = unstable lowerback) - I do find though that i squat very comfortably but for me the front squat seems to work perfectly for my body shape


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## hamsternuts (Feb 8, 2009)

i've always taken it as a given that both are needed, i do squats first (A2F), as heavy as i can with correct form, and then go as heavy as possible, until i'm crying like a little b!tch

why choose only one, if you can't decide, do both? they both work your legs differently after all


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## godsgifttoearth (Jul 28, 2009)

i primarily front squat.

i do however use a leg press if i stall on squats, or want to give myself a bit of a deload.

its very handy to go to a legpress and work to failure safely for 5 or so weeks with higher reps, then go back to where i left my squat and breeze through the sticking point.

legpress is by far the superior machine if you want to use high reps. high rep squats can be a risky endeavour towards the end of the set, as you will naturally start to lose form. and as soon as form goes a bit wobbly, this is when you most expose yourself to injury IMO.

both squats and legpress have their place in any routine. but i have to favour squats for building total body strength.


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## pea head (May 28, 2008)

This is becoming one of those p1ss poor dicussions again,iy like the whos dad is hardest.

For ME,squats work better than anything,BUT,,my gym didnt have a leg press machine for around 5 yrs believe it or not,now that there is one i use it every time i train,and since this i have made some massive improvments.

So,its what suits you,simple thing is thet BOTH WORK end of story.

Do what suits you,all the years folk said bench press was king...i have not flat benched for aroung 6 yrs now because it hurts and i dont like it,but i still grow.

Do what works for you...if all else fails do both and just get on with it.


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

Jake said:


> I wouldn't make excuses, i like training hard.
> 
> I've tried nearly all the Weider training principles, and a few more to boot.
> 
> Try the Smolov squatting routine, that is hard.


oh the weider principles well that says it all.....so what day should i expect you down?? i have a few clients in south wales you can always jump in on a session when i visit them......

i would love to see a pic of your legs though as obviously my excuses are poor me not doing squats so would love to see a pair of pins that squats have developed just so i can see what i am missing...


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

glen danbury said:


> I am built the same (long torso, short legs and high inserting lats = unstable lowerback) - I do find though that i squat very comfortably but for me the front squat seems to work perfectly for my body shape


sounds like we are built the same but regular squats are a total no no for me,like i said before its not from lack of trying,i've punted some decent weight but only earned injury off the back of it,front squats are very decent tho i do find as well,totally shifts the focus and feel it perfectly where the stress needs to be 



pea head said:


> This is becoming one of those p1ss poor dicussions again,iy like the whos dad is hardest.
> 
> For ME,squats work better than anything,BUT,,my gym didnt have a leg press machine for around 5 yrs believe it or not,now that there is one i use it every time i train,and since this i have made some massive improvments.
> 
> ...


good post mate


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## hilly (Jan 19, 2008)

I think it matters little as long as your are progressing in weight over a period of time, working your ass off, keeping ure body guessing and eating enough to cover recovery and muscle growth.


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## ba baracuss (Apr 26, 2004)

I don't like squats. I don't think they suit my structure well as I have long legs and a long back which puts too much strain on the joints. I also tend to find I tense up in my traps and get more of a burn in them than in my legs.

I may just stick to leg press for a while. Since we have some leg press fans here, can I ask how deep do you go? I usually go right down to the buffers, but tend to find my knees feel it a lot.


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## ekko (Dec 3, 2008)

intesity intesity intensity not this vs that what ever targets/ punishes YOUR!!! paticular bodypart is all that matters at the time.

I find it very easy to make a mind to muscle link when pressing.

but find its not so easy when using a complex compound movment like squating.

also i could never go to failure on a squat the way i do when pressing

put it this way if i was to use the same intensity like fst7 whilst squating i'd prob wake up the floor.

leg pressing allows for safe & intense routines.

although squats will build overall staballising/core strength.

Ive used both but for different reasons

I think both should be included or @ least alternated on a weekly or routine basis.

did I say intensity? and whatever punishes YOU!


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

im gona stick to leg press for now and see how i go for a month or so i think


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

ba baracuss said:


> I don't like squats. I don't think they suit my structure well as I have long legs and a long back which puts too much strain on the joints. I also tend to find I tense up in my traps and get more of a burn in them than in my legs.
> 
> I may just stick to leg press for a while. Since we have some leg press fans here, can I ask how deep do you go? I usually go right down to the buffers, but tend to find my knees feel it a lot.


basically 90 degrees to the knee joint for me on leg press,there is a vid of me doing it somewhere,will get link (yeah yeah whoring again i know  )


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)




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## ekko (Dec 3, 2008)

awsome weeman wish we had a sled like that @ our gym


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

nice bit of weight on there buddy


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## ba baracuss (Apr 26, 2004)

Nice one. Mental lifting also :thumbup1:

I think I must go miles deeper than that as I take it all the way down to the buffers. Will try less ROM next time :thumbup1:


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

ekko said:


> awsome weeman wish we had a sled like that @ our gym


thanks mate,wish i had your fkn quads tho you mofo:cursing: :cursing:



elcollio said:


> nice bit of weight on there buddy





ba baracuss said:


> Nice one. Mental lifting also :thumbup1:
> 
> I think I must go miles deeper than that as I take it all the way down to the buffers. Will try less ROM next time :thumbup1:


thanks guys,to sound a little like i'm blowing my own trumpet (who me?never:lol that is comparitvley light compared to what i do nowadays,recently i have had 1010kg plates on the leg press for a set,was 17x20kg per side,plus the sled is 50kg and also had 30 st worth of guys (2 guys) sitting on top whilst i did the set:thumb:

Once i am back up to speed in the new year i will take video of that


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## ekko (Dec 3, 2008)

lol just added up ye plates weeman thats like 1400lb you can see why some may call it ego nursing.

state of mind can be so important when training though.

often this game is about mind over matter and your gonna feelin good after that right ?


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## elcollio (Dec 29, 2009)

ye too right you got to get that new vid im goin to low


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

ba baracuss said:


> Nice one. Mental lifting also :thumbup1:
> 
> I think I must go miles deeper than that as I take it all the way down to the buffers. Will try less ROM next time :thumbup1:


I used to do it like that but it just crushed my ribs and also found at the very bottom of the rep my hip girdle/tail bone curled up under yourself causing much pain,narrowed it down to this rep range and find it keeps constant tension on the quads.

Altho in saying that you can see in the video there i lock out several times in the set where as i tend to try not to do that now,again keeping the tension on the quads,in fairness this clip was taken about 1 week after my first ever bodybuilding comp and i am a whopping 13st 10lbs there or something lmfao


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## ekko (Dec 3, 2008)

weeman said:


> thanks mate,wish i had your fkn quads tho you mofo:cursing: :cursing:
> 
> cheers m8 ill swap em for you back ok


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## patterson27 (Jan 31, 2009)

About squats -- there was some discussion earlier on this thread about depth -- how deep to go (parallel versus ass to grass). Can't find the link at the moment, but read an article a while back that says that the point of maximum instability on the knee is actually just above parallel through to just below parallel. The article recommended that it's therefore best to go all the way down, with a good rhythm, and not stop at parallel -- i.e., drop right through that unstable point and get down into the full squat before driving back up.

Been doing it that way myself for quite some time (all the way down), with knees feeling great (touch wood).

That said, like a couple guys have said above, it's gonna depend in large part on your build. I'm not a great squatter, though I love squats... Front squat works a lot better for me -- easier to keep good form with them.


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## Tempa (Dec 31, 2009)

Squats = GH+test boost so good for total body growth but leg press really taxes your legs alone and so for building bigger legs alone is better in a sense.


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## frowningbudda (Dec 16, 2008)

Some really good idea's on this thread, making me think


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

ekko said:


> lol just added up ye plates weeman thats like 1400lb you can see why some may call it ego nursing.
> 
> state of mind can be so important when training though.
> 
> often this game is about mind over matter and your gonna feelin good after that right ?


nissed this post,it never feels good enough mate,ever,unfortunately!!


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## Martin Jones (Apr 14, 2009)

Pscarb said:


> so would love to see a pair of pins that squats have developed just so i can see what i am missing...


You can take a look at Natalie's legs if you want Paul :thumb:


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

ba baracuss said:


> Nice one. Mental lifting also :thumbup1:
> 
> I think I must go miles deeper than that as I take it all the way down to the buffers. Will try less ROM next time :thumbup1:


like i said before to you mate. i wouldnt go that low at all. if i go that low i find my lower back starts coming into play to try and keep in the seat and the pressure goes from my quads onto my knees.

i go slightly lower than weeman but around the same depth, but thats because i put my feet slightly closer together so can get a bit deeper.

wish i went to a gym with a decent leg press like that. my one in london can only fit 11plates a side. so have to get people to sit on top if i want to do more


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

Martin Jones said:


> You can take a look at Natalie's legs if you want Paul :thumb:


i have and they are very good Martin.....

someone made a point in this thread and that is who cares what you do? as long as you progress.....people can scream blue murder to me that squats build better legs than leg press and all i can say back is Not for me..... :thumb:


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## Martin Jones (Apr 14, 2009)

Pscarb said:


> i have and they are very good Martin.....
> 
> someone made a point in this thread and that is who cares what you do? as long as you progress.....people can scream blue murder to me that squats build better legs than leg press and all i can say back is Not for me..... :thumb:


Hence that is why I have not commented.... you know where I stand.


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## ba baracuss (Apr 26, 2004)

BigDom86 said:


> like i said before to you mate. i wouldnt go that low at all. if i go that low i find my lower back starts coming into play to try and keep in the seat and the pressure goes from my quads onto my knees.
> 
> i go slightly lower than weeman but around the same depth, but thats because i put my feet slightly closer together so can get a bit deeper.
> 
> wish i went to a gym with a decent leg press like that. my one in london can only fit 11plates a side. so have to get people to sit on top if i want to do more


So you did mate. I've always looked at people with smaller ROMs on the leg press as cheating, but maybe that's what I need to do. This thread has made me consider binning squats TBH.


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