@jayaraj Why not just add more weight? The beauty of using machines is being able to add more weight without the risk of folding in half like you would on a squat. You can get way closer to failure safely on a smith machine squat.
@luxaeterna Very deep. My butt touches my feet. Thats why its an insane cardio exercise for me. If I ever pick up squats again as a complimentary exercise, Ill be doing jump squats with lighter weight and half Rom. Only for the atheltic benefits.
@savedbygrace123 Make sure you follow those Smith Machine squats with some heavy Good Mornings and behind-the-neck pulldowns for maximal hypertrophy, OP.
Protip:If you're having trouble completing your set, try conserving energy by skipping your warmup and thrashing around like Linda blair during the concentric.
@jayaraj No you are not. Please don’t listen to those going on about good form. All it takes is one bad rep and you’re done. And believe me when I tell you that your lumbar spine likes to pay back in your 40s what you did to it in your 20s and 30s.
Unless you are powerlifting or have some sort of competitive strength goal you do not need the back squat or conventional DL. I haven’t done them for years with no drawbacks.
Bulgarian split squats are a great replacement & a better replacement than the leg press (which is still good too). Leg press, walking and reverse lunges & leg extensions are all you need for quads on top of Bulgarians. Pre-exhausted goblet squats or front dumbbell squats work very well too. if you have access to a hack squat machine, great.
RDLs, leg curls and hip thrusts cover your posterior chain. You can use progressive overload with minimal risk on those and you’ll grow and get stronger while your lower back will thank you.
@jayaraj Squats are not some magical exercise. You said that your quads are not your limiting factor in the squat, so you’re better off looking for alternatives (hack, pendulum and smith squats, leg press, etc). As for your CNS and test concerns, I would not be worried at all. You are still reaping the physiological rewards of intense weight training. It’s not like your body is magically aware of the fact that you are squatting with a barbell as opposed to doing some other intense leg exercise. If you are worried about missing out on core training, even though some of the alternatives I’ve lifted do engage them, I would simply implement more ab specific training volume elsewhere in your program. In short, the squat seems to have a poor stimulus to fatigue ratio in your case so you’re better off dropping it in favor of more effective moments (hopefully not just the leg press, you would ideally have more variety).
@jayaraj If done intensely and with proper technique, you will certainly make quad gains. With that being said, it is not optimal to simply do these two exercises for the entirety of your quad training.
@jayaraj Movements can get stale sometimes. It’s nice to have a variety of effective movements you can rotate in and out and progress on over time. Also, if trying to maximize quad growth you are likely hitting them 2 times a week with considerable volume, in which case having just those two movements would be limiting.
@jayaraj Well it’s all about total volume. If you just did 1 set in three movements you definitely would not be overworking them. With that being said, if training quads 2x a week it would not be ideal to just repeat those movements. Progression would come easier if you had more variety.
@jayaraj You dont need to squat period. Its mostly macho broscience when it comes to it. You can easily build big legs with leg press, and leg curl/extension, but without the pressure on your lower back, especially if you have back issues. I myself always liked to squat and as others here suggested there are other variations that dont strain your back as much as back squat, but again it is not necessary. Oh and the testosterone produced under heavy lifting is too little to have any significance. The ones who get benefit from this, already have a high natural testosterone level.
Best way to increase test is the illegal way.
@jayaraj It’s not squads that increase test. Muscle increases test. Big legs can be obtained though w/e leg exercise of your choice. A lot to bodybuilders don’t do the powerlifting movements.
Powerlifting movements are only crucial for, you guessed it, powerlifters.
