Questions about squats + my leg workout

[Stanknogger]

Hi, today was leg day, first, what do you think of my routine:

calf raises
squats
deadlifts
leg extensions
leg curls

Anything obvious that I am missing?

Gawd damn I love squats, I have only been lifting legs for 3 weeks, but there is no better feeling than putting a bunch of weight on your back and squatting like hell!! Ok for me it is only 155lbs, but still!

Now, a question about squats. Should I feel it in my lower back at all? I did, a bit. I am wondering if I am leaning too far forward.

And about deadlifts - my gym has these platforms about 6 in off the ground you can do deadlifts on, because you can go down farther. I'm thinking going down farther might be a bad idea. What do you think about the platforms?

Thanks

 

[Blood&Iron]

I would suggest replacing the deadlifts with stiff-legged deadlifts, as you're not doing much for your hamstrings currently. Also deadlifts are as much an upper-body lift as anything. Besides squats and deadlifts are some of the most taxing lifts and I'd generally put them on different days. Also, any reason you're doing calf-raises first? The Weider priority principle perhaps? I'd put them last.

The squat is quite taxing on the lower back. For most people just starting they will fail not because their legs or gluts are exhausted but because their lower back gives out. What you should be careful to avoid is letting your squats degenerate into good-mornings. Your hips and shoulders should be rising simultaneously. Recently I found myself doing this, after adding weight too rapidly. See Arnold in Pumping Iron for an example of this.

That's just my opinion though.

 

[bigmag]

you should definately do calves last because they tie into the bottom of the hamstring and have more affect on the strength of the hamstring then the hamstrings have on the calves.

 

[gymtime]

I agree with B&I. I would not do squats and standard deadlifts on the same day. Also, as bigmag said, do calves last. I prefer to do compound lifts like squats at the beginning, when I'm the most fresh.

Finally, if you love doing squats, you're not doing them properly.