I was wondering if anybody had some good leg programs without squats. Now before everybody assumes I’m a pussy for not wanting to squat, my squat has been stagnant for a couple of months and I’m thinking that I need to take some time off from it to get it going again. I was thinking of doing something along the lines of heavy barbell lunges, hack squats, leg press, romanian deadlifts, and leg curls. Any thoughts?
i often don’t squat during a strength cycle, specifically because i’m doing good mornings and feel it overtrains my lower back if I do both at the same time. I like the good morning and lunge combo. Snatch grip deadlifts from a podium along with stiff legged deadlifts also worked well for me. Perhaps try sprinting as well.
Sure, try a power phase using the Olympic lifts, deadlifts, and various forms of the lunge. Try starting each leg workout with 3 or 4 sets of snatches from the floor or cleans from the floor (without the jerk). Then move on to lunges and romanian deads or good mornings. Finish off with some leg curls and split squats.
Why not try Ian King’s 12 Week Limping Program? In Phase 1, the squat is the last exercise you do, and more emphasis is given to pre-fatigue exercises. This program is a bit strange at first, but should really jump-start your leg progress. Check out the t-mag back issues for more info. Hope I’ve helped.
Try trap-bar DL’s. They overload a lot of the same muscles as the squat. A killer exercise if you do it right!
I would focus on improving your deadlift-after a few weeks of this you can go back to the squat and although poundages may be down a bit initially they will shoot up rather quickly