Girly Squats and More

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

I have no clue what the proper name for them is(please let me know) but i started to squat with my heels up on 2 25 pounds plates(like if i was wearing high heels) in order to isolate my quads. For months i was focussing on compounds but now except from legs ext. i am searching for exercices to isolate my quads. I had never tried lifting my heels since i am very flexible. I allways feel my glutes when i work my quads.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestion particularly if specific about range, feet position and any specific details. I know you might answer it is somewhat personal but i tried by myself, now help is welcome. Free weights, machines, i am open.
Thanks !

2

Front squats tend to emphasise the quads more. Use the leg press too. There are loads of articles on this site about single leg exercises that could also be useful.

3

Thanks i did a search and found sissy squats but again the glutes kicked in. I tried the leg press varying feet positions but still no real isolation. For now my right dominant shoulder needs rest so in some weeks i will try front squats. Now i use a dumbell on my left hand.

4

Glutes are only stabilisers in the sissy squat. Please do them properly.

5

Your feet should be closer together with front squats than back squats. You could add some hack squats if possible and finish with extensions. If your quads aren’t sore the next day, then I don’t know what to do. Also, unless your hams are over developed(whats the chances?),I wouldn’t neglect them.

6

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You might want to take a look at Gironda’s 3-way sissy squat. He himself was adamant about not putting mass on the glutes, so he used those and hack slides a lot.

Also, in personal experience, Jefferson Lifts (basically a deadlift/lunge with the bar between your legs) seemed to hit the quads very well, especially that of the “front” leg.

7

As far as machines, I got some advice before when I asked about targeting the lower thighs around the knee.

Based on that advice, I started doing leg press with my feet at the bottom of the pad, with my feet together, heels raised, and going as deep as possible for high reps. That seemed to hit that area of my quads very very well.

For me, olympic style squats hit my quads very well in general, but mostly up toward the hip… which is why I started doing legpress like that to hit the rest of my quads too.

8

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Based on that advice, I started doing leg press with my feet at the bottom of the pad, with my feet together, heels raised, and going as deep as possible for high reps. That seemed to hit that area of my quads very very well.
[/quote]

I still think you should just focus on feet in a regular position constantly getting your weights and reps higher each week doing continuous reps without locking out. You’ve just started doing leg presses right?

9

Thanks everyone,
i did sissy squats with the apparatus i will try without
hack squats i also get glutes going
i have been doing leg press for 7 months
i know to finish with leg ext
i have no problem working my hams, i believe in balance

All the best !

10

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Based on that advice, I started doing leg press with my feet at the bottom of the pad, with my feet together, heels raised, and going as deep as possible for high reps. That seemed to hit that area of my quads very very well.
[/quote]

I still think you should just focus on feet in a regular position constantly getting your weights and reps higher each week doing continuous reps without locking out. You’ve just started doing leg presses right? [/quote]

A couple hours after 20 rep squats, yes.

Considering the squats are the “real” workout, and the leg presses are “auxiliary, extra, add some more volume when you feel like it”… I didn’t think it mattered THAT much. Sometimes I don’t feel like hitting legs twice; sometimes I wasn’t able to lift over lunch, etc.

As far as I understand, the leg press by itself, wasn’t going to be much different than squats. Which I thought would mean the growth stimulus is still going to be near my hips, rather than my knees.

Faulty reasoning?

11

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Based on that advice, I started doing leg press with my feet at the bottom of the pad, with my feet together, heels raised, and going as deep as possible for high reps. That seemed to hit that area of my quads very very well.
[/quote]

I still think you should just focus on feet in a regular position constantly getting your weights and reps higher each week doing continuous reps without locking out. You’ve just started doing leg presses right? [/quote]

A couple hours after 20 rep squats, yes.

Considering the squats are the “real” workout, and the leg presses are “auxiliary, extra, add some more volume when you feel like it”… I didn’t think it mattered THAT much. Sometimes I don’t feel like hitting legs twice; sometimes I wasn’t able to lift over lunch, etc.

As far as I understand, the leg press by itself, wasn’t going to be much different than squats. Which I thought would mean the growth stimulus is still going to be near my hips, rather than my knees.

Faulty reasoning?[/quote]

Well shit, I couldn’t leg press the sled after 20 rep squats! Do the heavy leg press first then the 20 repper.

12

Uhhhhh i dont know why you wouldnt want to work your god damned glutes at the same time when working quads.

Cause…

  1. If your quads get real sore from sprinting, its cause you got weak glutes.
  2. If your hip flexors get sore from squatting/jumping, its cause you got weak glutes.
  3. If your hips dont thrust forward well in a deadlift, its cause you got weak glutes.
  4. If you get any kind of knee or hip pain much, its cause you got weak glutes.

Just a thought.

13

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Based on that advice, I started doing leg press with my feet at the bottom of the pad, with my feet together, heels raised, and going as deep as possible for high reps. That seemed to hit that area of my quads very very well.
[/quote]

I still think you should just focus on feet in a regular position constantly getting your weights and reps higher each week doing continuous reps without locking out. You’ve just started doing leg presses right? [/quote]

A couple hours after 20 rep squats, yes.

Considering the squats are the “real” workout, and the leg presses are “auxiliary, extra, add some more volume when you feel like it”… I didn’t think it mattered THAT much. Sometimes I don’t feel like hitting legs twice; sometimes I wasn’t able to lift over lunch, etc.

As far as I understand, the leg press by itself, wasn’t going to be much different than squats. Which I thought would mean the growth stimulus is still going to be near my hips, rather than my knees.

Faulty reasoning?[/quote]

Well shit, I couldn’t leg press the sled after 20 rep squats! Do the heavy leg press first then the 20 repper.
[/quote]

If it weren’t for a good 3+ hours break between the two, I couldn’t either. I can barely stumble out of my garage after those squats… and I still have to walk upstairs.

Sounds like I’ll have to switch things up with a gym bag and lift at the office over lunch.

I use 3 gyms, with a mix of equipment. Office gym has leg press (stack-style), along with a smith machine, dumbbells, and lat machine. Apartment gym has lat machine, and an adjustable cable pulley stack. And my garage gym has the power rack, two bars, a pair of olympic dumbbells (usually always set up for heavy partial laterals), a couple pairs of light DBs, and an ez bar.

A good part of the reason for doing two-a-days is because of the difference in equipment between gyms. Lunch workout is usually at home; the other is somewhere else.

14

LoRez maybe you can find a neighbor to do first WO
a friend to do second WO
pull a lottery ticket for third WO ? ? ?
Just kidding. I often do 2 gym visits, 25, 20 min. plus 15 min. at home.

I just want to have the option to isolate or work together.

Thanks !

15

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Based on that advice, I started doing leg press with my feet at the bottom of the pad, with my feet together, heels raised, and going as deep as possible for high reps. That seemed to hit that area of my quads very very well.
[/quote]

I still think you should just focus on feet in a regular position constantly getting your weights and reps higher each week doing continuous reps without locking out. You’ve just started doing leg presses right? [/quote]

A couple hours after 20 rep squats, yes.

Considering the squats are the “real” workout, and the leg presses are “auxiliary, extra, add some more volume when you feel like it”… I didn’t think it mattered THAT much. Sometimes I don’t feel like hitting legs twice; sometimes I wasn’t able to lift over lunch, etc.

As far as I understand, the leg press by itself, wasn’t going to be much different than squats. Which I thought would mean the growth stimulus is still going to be near my hips, rather than my knees.

Faulty reasoning?[/quote]

Well shit, I couldn’t leg press the sled after 20 rep squats! Do the heavy leg press first then the 20 repper.
[/quote]

If it weren’t for a good 3+ hours break between the two, I couldn’t either. I can barely stumble out of my garage after those squats… and I still have to walk upstairs.

Sounds like I’ll have to switch things up with a gym bag and lift at the office over lunch.

I use 3 gyms, with a mix of equipment. Office gym has leg press (stack-style), along with a smith machine, dumbbells, and lat machine. Apartment gym has lat machine, and an adjustable cable pulley stack. And my garage gym has the power rack, two bars, a pair of olympic dumbbells (usually always set up for heavy partial laterals), a couple pairs of light DBs, and an ez bar.

A good part of the reason for doing two-a-days is because of the difference in equipment between gyms. Lunch workout is usually at home; the other is somewhere else.[/quote]

Ah, I see. Have you thought about having two leg days/week? One of them, just stick to the office gym. For quads hit some heavy leg press and narrow stance smith squats. The other day in your garage, hit some squats and some DB split squats or lunges.