Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
Leg Press V.s Squat
- Thread starter muscledog95
- Start date
B
buksoon
Guest
A tiny, trembling voice of dissent....
I'm only 106 lbs (also 5'2" and a chick) so I don't claim the tiniest fraction of these guys' expertise.
But, here' s my problem with squats as opposed to leg press:
1. The knee factor. You gotta treat the knees as priceless diamonds, because when they go, THEY GO! Ouch! No training for a long time!
Leg presses feel better on knees--especiall ATF, which seems almost dangerous to me.
2. Squats seem to involve more cardio. Maybe because the whole body is moving. (???) Anyway, that means my heart get "fatigued" almost before legs do. Leg presses are strictly quad and glutes. Otherwise you're lying down. Barely cardio at all.
What do you think?
I'm only 106 lbs (also 5'2" and a chick) so I don't claim the tiniest fraction of these guys' expertise.
But, here' s my problem with squats as opposed to leg press:
1. The knee factor. You gotta treat the knees as priceless diamonds, because when they go, THEY GO! Ouch! No training for a long time!
Leg presses feel better on knees--especiall ATF, which seems almost dangerous to me.
2. Squats seem to involve more cardio. Maybe because the whole body is moving. (???) Anyway, that means my heart get "fatigued" almost before legs do. Leg presses are strictly quad and glutes. Otherwise you're lying down. Barely cardio at all.
What do you think?
Phemomena
New member
Re: A tiny, trembling voice of dissent....
okay, let me start out by saying that squats, although primarily a leg exercise, are an all over mass builder, that means, that if done heavy and correctly, squats can make your chest bigger (in no way compared to bench or whatever, but muscle fibers in the entire body are activated during squats, especially the torso... IMHO if you want solid abs, SQUAT!!!)
leg presses are a decent leg exercise, but should, in no way be compared to squats...
okay, that being said
1) being female should have NOTHING to do with your decision to squat... most females are seeking that 'squatters butt' that you aint going to get from leg press...
2) if you find squats uncomfortable on your knees, use a wider stance, making sure that your toes are always pointed forward. ATF (that's a cute term) squats, when done correctly are completely safe on your knees...
if you have a pre-existing knee condition then please disregard what i've said, but if your knees are fine and squats bother them, your form is probably the problem, not the squats... (if you are a powerlifter and/or squatting more than 2 or 3 times a week you may develop knee problems, probably due to repetitive use more than anything...)
3) squat motions, when first done are tiring to the entire body.. this is because as stated above, squats are an allover exercise... and a tricky motion to get down... its not so much that they're 'cardio-like' it's just that they're a hell of a lot more difficult than leg presses (and if you aint feeling at least a bit of the same effect from the leg press, you're probably not going heavy enough
)
once you get the knack of them and your body adapts to the motion (your stabalizers strengthen to handle the load etc) it won't seem so difficult... if you do them once a week, it'll probably take 6-8 weeks to get through a good squat set w/o feeling like you've done 20 min of HIT cardio... but the end result is definately worth it!!!!!
so with all that said and done, do you have to squat, no... all you have to do is eat, crap, breathe and die... if you want a kick ass legs and a strong midsection, you may want to get crackin on those squats....
but that's just my 2 cents
phem
buksoon said:
okay, let me start out by saying that squats, although primarily a leg exercise, are an all over mass builder, that means, that if done heavy and correctly, squats can make your chest bigger (in no way compared to bench or whatever, but muscle fibers in the entire body are activated during squats, especially the torso... IMHO if you want solid abs, SQUAT!!!)
leg presses are a decent leg exercise, but should, in no way be compared to squats...
okay, that being said
1) being female should have NOTHING to do with your decision to squat... most females are seeking that 'squatters butt' that you aint going to get from leg press...
2) if you find squats uncomfortable on your knees, use a wider stance, making sure that your toes are always pointed forward. ATF (that's a cute term) squats, when done correctly are completely safe on your knees...
if you have a pre-existing knee condition then please disregard what i've said, but if your knees are fine and squats bother them, your form is probably the problem, not the squats... (if you are a powerlifter and/or squatting more than 2 or 3 times a week you may develop knee problems, probably due to repetitive use more than anything...)
3) squat motions, when first done are tiring to the entire body.. this is because as stated above, squats are an allover exercise... and a tricky motion to get down... its not so much that they're 'cardio-like' it's just that they're a hell of a lot more difficult than leg presses (and if you aint feeling at least a bit of the same effect from the leg press, you're probably not going heavy enough
)once you get the knack of them and your body adapts to the motion (your stabalizers strengthen to handle the load etc) it won't seem so difficult... if you do them once a week, it'll probably take 6-8 weeks to get through a good squat set w/o feeling like you've done 20 min of HIT cardio... but the end result is definately worth it!!!!!
so with all that said and done, do you have to squat, no... all you have to do is eat, crap, breathe and die... if you want a kick ass legs and a strong midsection, you may want to get crackin on those squats....
but that's just my 2 cents
phem
GenetiKing
New member
Phemomena is dead on. Also, squats will release more Growth Hormone than any other exercise you can do in the gym.
Interestingly enough, I've found that heavy squats have helped me mentally as much as anything. I discovered that once I had the ability to fight back the pain involved in total-failure squats, I could handle just about any gym pain. In other words, heavy squatting has expanded my pain threshold which makes thrashing smaller, less-painful musclegroups like arms or delts seem much less physically taxing.
Interestingly enough, I've found that heavy squats have helped me mentally as much as anything. I discovered that once I had the ability to fight back the pain involved in total-failure squats, I could handle just about any gym pain. In other words, heavy squatting has expanded my pain threshold which makes thrashing smaller, less-painful musclegroups like arms or delts seem much less physically taxing.
the Prince
New member
You should utilize both exercises in your training routine for overall leg development.
Imnotdutch
butler monkey
It isnt really the height that causes the problems. Its the ratio of the length of your legs to your torso. For example my legs are pretty long. If I try to use a shoulder width stance or closer, I can lean forward all of the way and still end up with the weight pushing down behind my heels.....which means falling on my ass. So I go wider which allows me to at least stay on my feet!!
The other extreme is the short legged person who hardly has to lean to keep the weight above their heels.
The other extreme is the short legged person who hardly has to lean to keep the weight above their heels.
Big_Brick said:
GenetiKing
New member
Imnotdutch said:
Exactly.
My leg day
I use both. First heavy squats, gotta do it. To many times I see people finding reasons and excuses not to do them but they are a necessity. As for the knee thing. I have been cut on twice and shouldve had a third operation on my right knee but opted not to. The injury didnt occur while in the gym but squatting has actually helped with the strengthening of the muscles that help hold the knee together thus taking the burden of of my destroyed ligaments. Now I am not a big fan of ATF squats simply for this, yes if done correctly they arent really any more dangerous than leg press or squatting normally, but it is all a matter of people doing them correctly. Most people cant squat to 90 degrees correctly yet alone that deep. I go one in below 90, that is a legitimate powerlifting squat and get great gains out of it.
After I blast my legs with squats I go to the leg press and go heavy there also.
I believe you should use both but if your only gonna do one its gotta be squats.
I use both. First heavy squats, gotta do it. To many times I see people finding reasons and excuses not to do them but they are a necessity. As for the knee thing. I have been cut on twice and shouldve had a third operation on my right knee but opted not to. The injury didnt occur while in the gym but squatting has actually helped with the strengthening of the muscles that help hold the knee together thus taking the burden of of my destroyed ligaments. Now I am not a big fan of ATF squats simply for this, yes if done correctly they arent really any more dangerous than leg press or squatting normally, but it is all a matter of people doing them correctly. Most people cant squat to 90 degrees correctly yet alone that deep. I go one in below 90, that is a legitimate powerlifting squat and get great gains out of it.
After I blast my legs with squats I go to the leg press and go heavy there also.
I believe you should use both but if your only gonna do one its gotta be squats.
