[quote]hungry4more wrote:
Once I switched to squats, the hypertrophy and strength gains have continued ever since, as long as I switch up the rep ranges and stances from time to time. Besides, you’ll never be as tired from a 20 rep leg press as from an all out 20 rep squat, simply no comparison. [/quote]
Probably one of the advantages of the leg press.
There is no comparison. Squats>Leg Press
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
hungry4more wrote:
Once I switched to squats, the hypertrophy and strength gains have continued ever since, as long as I switch up the rep ranges and stances from time to time. Besides, you’ll never be as tired from a 20 rep leg press as from an all out 20 rep squat, simply no comparison.
Probably one of the advantages of the leg press.[/quote]
That would be like saying tricep kickbacks are a better tricep exercise than dips because kickbacks don’t leave you as tired. Common sense says that the more demanding an exercise is, the more results you get from it.
[quote]hungry4more wrote:
That would be like saying tricep kickbacks are a better tricep exercise than dips because kickbacks don’t leave you as tired. Common sense says that the more demanding an exercise is, the more results you get from it. [/quote]
Sample Workout 1:
Squat 10RM
Leg Press 20RM
Barbell RDLs 2X15
Dumbbell Lunges 2X12
Sample Workout 2:
Squat 10RM
Squat 20RM
Squat 2X15
Squat 2X12
Squats are harder than Leg Presses, Romanian Deadlifts, Lunges, Leg Curls, Glute-Ham Raises, Reverse Sled-Dragging, Reverse-Hypers, Banded TKEs, Calf Raises, and all sorts of other exercises that many big, strong people have found useful for getting bigger, getting stronger, and staying injury free.
If you can only do 1 exercise, then you should pick the best exercise. But you gotta have variety. Even if the Leg Press sucks and you’ve got sufficient evidence to prove to yourself that it’s not worth including in your training, you still shouldn’t build an entire program doing NOTHING BUT SQUATS for your legs FOR YOUR ENTIRE TRAINING CARRIER.
Beginners probably should do nothing but Squats and Deadlifts for lower body strength. They should probably do nothing but Military Pressing, Bench Pressing, Rowing, and Chins for their upper body. But there comes a point where things like Leg Presses, Triceps Pushdowns, and Curls become useful when they’re performed after Squats, Presses, and Pulls.
More often than not, people get this equation wrong and focus on Curls and Extensions just as much as they do on Squats.
But there are still people out there who take the “Nothing But Squats, Bench, and Cleans” approach too far. They work up to one work set of that exercise and leave the gym.
Excellent post, FightingScott.
Just to add on to this thread. I haven’t leg pressed in over a year and just started to add them again. I found myself incredibly weak at it even though I can squat 2x my bodyweight. After about 2 months of incorporating some leg presses (I still do squats and front squats) in my DC training program, my leg press has increased very progressively and I noticed my quads are lagging less. I know it has a lot to do with the CNS adjusting to the formerly used exercise, but big progress is big progress. The vastus medialis of my quad would usually get sore as shit while squats help the outer sweep of my quads. So once again, both the squat and leg press can be excellent tools.
Just my 2 cents, but if you can progressively improve on any given exercise, common sense says you’re bound to grow. I would like to put hack squats in the program too but we don’t have a hack squat machine at my college.
[quote]RockmanX88 wrote:
Just my 2 cents, but if you can progressively improve on any given exercise, common sense says you’re bound to grow. I would like to put hack squats in the program too but we don’t have a hack squat machine at my college.[/quote]
Are you familiar with the Barbell Hack Squat?
[quote]PF_88 wrote:
zephead you’re 16, well that explains it. Geez calm down you need anger management or something. He made a mistake…an increddibly small one and to you that means his genes need to be wiped from the gene pool. Ummm I drama queen I think.[/quote]
It was entirely the fact he tried saying posting a question in the training logs section was correct. That is ridiculously fucking stupid. I don’t give a rats ass if you disagree. At least this thread got moved. I don’t see how this wasn’t the same thing as posting about combat pyramids in the bodybuilding section.
I don’t fondle peoples dicks on the internet when they do stupid shit. I’m glad to see you guys do.
edit: don’t expect more from me. The disease was cured. And I do’t check this section.
FS, I’ve never done barbell hack squats before but I’m going to give them a try during summer.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
PF_88 wrote:
zephead you’re 16, well that explains it. Geez calm down you need anger management or something. He made a mistake…an increddibly small one and to you that means his genes need to be wiped from the gene pool. Ummm I drama queen I think.
It was entirely the fact he tried saying posting a question in the training logs section was correct. That is ridiculously fucking stupid. I don’t give a rats ass if you disagree. At least this thread got moved. I don’t see how this wasn’t the same thing as posting about combat pyramids in the bodybuilding section.
I don’t fondle peoples dicks on the internet when they do stupid shit. I’m glad to see you guys do.
edit: don’t expect more from me. The disease was cured. And I do’t check this section.[/quote]
you really are a fucking nut, ur not even an author so im not to sure why you talk to people like that. Also people can always make a mistake so I think you need to get laid and maybe all that agression will leave your body.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
PF_88 wrote:
zephead you’re 16, well that explains it. Geez calm down you need anger management or something. He made a mistake…an increddibly small one and to you that means his genes need to be wiped from the gene pool. Ummm I drama queen I think.
It was entirely the fact he tried saying posting a question in the training logs section was correct. That is ridiculously fucking stupid. I don’t give a rats ass if you disagree. At least this thread got moved. I don’t see how this wasn’t the same thing as posting about combat pyramids in the bodybuilding section.
I don’t fondle peoples dicks on the internet when they do stupid shit. I’m glad to see you guys do.
edit: don’t expect more from me. The disease was cured. And I do’t check this section.[/quote]
Oh man, well I second my own notion of you being a drama queen again. Grow up man, or at least act your age, I know I wasn’t like that when I was 16.
Major beginner here, but I’ll chime in… Some of the guys here got me started on Mark Rippetoe’s program for beginners about a month ago, and making great progress (though still majorly weak compared to probably everyone else here… LOL).
In any event, I decided to spring for Rippetoe’s book, “Starting Strength, 2nd Edition”. Excellent read! Chapter 1, interestingly, is “The Squat”. Rippetoe starts the whole book by proclaiming the squat to be the single best exercise in the gym. While leg presses work mainly the legs, the squat works more of the whole body. Not sure if leg presses are considered an isolation movement per se, but the squat is definitely a compound movement. (Very generally speaking, I guess one could say the latter is “better” than the former.)
Regarding correct form, ATG is definitely it! If you stop above parallel on the downside, I guess you’re putting tremendous shear on the knees, whereas if you go all the way down (butt lower than knees; that is, femurs sloped slightly down toward rear) it’s much easier and safer on the knees. You want to keep your back straight (not hunched over; chest “pushed up”) and you want to focus on a spot on the ground about six feet in front of you (in order to keep your neck “anatomically normal” relative to your back). The most important point is to start with the bar precisely over the center of your feet at the top and maintain this all the way down and all the way back up again.
All this from a beginner! But I’m learning fast…
[quote]crod266 wrote:
you really are a fucking nut, ur not even an author so im not to sure why you talk to people like that. Also people can always make a mistake so I think you need to get laid and maybe all that agression will leave your body.
[/quote]
Yeah, people can make mistakes, insisting their questions belong in threads in the training logs section is just utterly stupid. If you wat to carry on feel free to pm. I just have a much lower tolerance for bullshit then you.
[quote]PF_88 wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
Oh man, well I second my own notion of you being a drama queen again. Grow up man, or at least act your age, I know I wasn’t like that when I was 16.[/quote]
Same for you, feel free to pm me. He might just “knock my teeth out” if I keep posting in this thread. Because you know “his baby niece could take me”. Yeah man, I better shut the fuck up. Same goes for anyone else who wants to talk about this. I would rather not derail a (now that it’s been moved?) thread.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
crod266 wrote:
you really are a fucking nut, ur not even an author so im not to sure why you talk to people like that. Also people can always make a mistake so I think you need to get laid and maybe all that agression will leave your body.
Yeah, people can make mistakes, insisting their questions belong in threads in the training logs section is just utterly stupid. If you wat to carry on feel free to pm. I just have a much lower tolerance for bullshit then you.[/quote]
I didn’t see the OP insisting on anything.
Your low tolerance for bullshit may well be because you are all ready full of it , bullshit that is.
You are the one carrying on here, making a mountain out of a molehill. Let it go.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
PF_88 wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
Oh man, well I second my own notion of you being a drama queen again. Grow up man, or at least act your age, I know I wasn’t like that when I was 16.
Same for you, feel free to pm me. He might just “knock my teeth out” if I keep posting in this thread. Because you know “his baby niece could take me”. Yeah man, I better shut the fuck up. Same goes for anyone else who wants to talk about this. I would rather not derail a (now that it’s been moved?) thread.[/quote]
Goddamned children on these forums! Always having a fucking temper tantrum. Does da widdle baby need his diaper changed?
Heaven forbid anyone make a small mistake around this asswipe.
I’m all for people speaking their mind good for you zep in that regard sticking up for what you believe. I don’t agree with how you react but I don’t give a shit about all this, and really everyone just leave it to pm as your hijacking this thread.
A lot of good suggestions on this thread, the problem with leg press is a lot of them are not great leg press machines and don’t give you best results. I like the suggestion of the hack squat machine as I feel that is a lot better then the leg press machine. I think leg press machine is so popular since you can move a lot of weight and people seem to like that.
Really though leg press is not that bad you will get some good results with it and its better then nothing. If you like it and are getting results then use it, but realize it is not even comparable to a real squat.
I love leg presses. I just bought a leg press sled a few months ago, and my knees have thanked me every leg day since.
Do work? Yes they do. Do Leg presses work? Yes they do. I prefer leg presses and machine hack squats to BB squats because I don’t have to wrap my knees when the weight passes 225.
I also swear by the Smith Machine.
Dogma will get you no where. Know what works best for you, and understand that what works for you may not work for everyone.
[quote]barryjenkins00 wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
Rob320 wrote:
I’m a fucking moron
beginners, bodybuilding, strength sports, any forum on here to discuss training. NOT THE PLACE FOR FUCKING DIET/LIFTING LOGS.
are you seriously that dumb?
The guy made a mistake, who the fuck made you the police at 5’9" and a 170.[/quote]
5’9" and 170? has to be photoshopped and inflated interweb claims. NO ONE can be the hyooooooooge. ROFLMAO,
j/k, bcuz the gen inepts will be leading the world someday. IMO
[quote]speakman wrote:
Major beginner here, but I’ll chime in… Some of the guys here got me started on Mark Rippetoe’s program for beginners about a month ago, and making great progress ([/quote]
progress isn’t allowed here.
since when is progress an indicator of effectiveness?
The leg press is actually one of the moves that I simply never throw into my workout, the reason all that started was because it took so damn long to load and unload the weight. I’ve always used squats, box, ATG anf front. I usually design my routines, and when I design a leg day it almost never includes leg press, but I cannot have a leg day without squats…to me they are the king of lower body movements.