Hi,
I’m working out to build strength for basketball. I am 14 years old, 125 pounds, 5 foot 5.
I’m going to workout at home in my basement. One of my leg excersises will be the squat. Do I need one of those squat cages? Will it be dangerous for me to do sqauts by myself with no partner and no squat cage?
Also which squat is better? Dumbell squats or Barbell squats?
And in your opinion what are the best leg excersises?
Please help me out.
Thanks.
Baller,
I would highly recommend you get at least a squat cage with pins, especially if you are training by yourself.
Barbell squats are the way to go, BTW. I would also incorporate some single leg movements into your program as well. Good luck!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Baller1950 wrote:
Hi,
I’m working out to build strength for basketball. I am 14 years old, 125 pounds, 5 foot 5.
I’m going to workout at home in my basement. One of my leg excersises will be the squat. Do I need one of those squat cages? Will it be dangerous for me to do sqauts by myself with no partner and no squat cage?
Also which squat is better? Dumbell squats or Barbell squats?
And in your opinion what are the best leg excersises?
Please help me out.
Thanks.[/quote]
[quote]Baller1950 wrote:
Hi,
I’m working out to build strength for basketball. I am 14 years old, 125 pounds, 5 foot 5.
I’m going to workout at home in my basement. One of my leg excersises will be the squat. Do I need one of those squat cages? Will it be dangerous for me to do sqauts by myself with no partner and no squat cage?[/quote]
A power rack is great! That’s what I purchased for myself when I built my home gym. All I have is my rack, an Olympic barbell set, a flat bench and a few other little things (Swiss balls, med balls, kbells, dumbbells, EZ bar).
I have trained alone for a number of years (in the gym and now at home). I never train to failure, and if I get to a point where I might fail, I can always drop the weight. However, with a power rack, you can set the pins so that you can dump the weight.
But at your age, you shouldn’t be lifting too heavy. You should stay in the higher rep ranges (8-15) and never train to failure. So technically, you don’t need a spotter or power rack, but it’s always a good investment, and of course, it’s safer.
[quote]Also which squat is better? Dumbell squats or Barbell squats?
And in your opinion what are the best leg excersises?[/quote]
All squats are good (back squats, front squats, overhead squats, barbell hack squats, and don’t forget about deadlifts, lunges, etc.).
And those are the best exercises. You can use dumbbells if they are heavy enough, or if you want variety.
[quote]Baller1950 wrote:
Hi,
I’m working out to build strength for basketball. I am 14 years old, 125 pounds, 5 foot 5.
I’m going to workout at home in my basement. One of my leg excersises will be the squat. Do I need one of those squat cages? Will it be dangerous for me to do sqauts by myself with no partner and no squat cage?
Also which squat is better? Dumbell squats or Barbell squats?
And in your opinion what are the best leg excersises?
Please help me out.
Thanks.[/quote]
I would definetly go with the cage and barbell squats.
Other Great leg exercises with dumbells are single leg squats, step ups, and lunges.
Hope this helps, I’m 14 and i play football and basketball
Good Luck
bro do the pistol squats.
Baller,
There is no penalty for being too safe!
Heavy weight/lifting to failure isn’t the only thing you must safeguard against. Breaking form while lifting a manageable load can sometimes lead to sudden weight shift that is difficult, if not impossible to control. Use a cage.
As already suggested there are alternative exercises if you can’t buy one right away. Search the article library under the author Ian King. He has several leg-specific programs that identify a variety of bodyweight or dumbell exercises that will humble you, no matter what your experience.
[quote]!vic wrote:
Baller,
… As already suggested there are alternative exercises if you can’t buy one right away. Search the article library under the author Ian King. He has several leg-specific programs that identify a variety of bodyweight or dumbell exercises that will humble you, no matter what your experience.[/quote]
Oops! No excuse now!
can you guys give me links to good squat racks and cages? I could look them up. But I wont know which ones are good.
Thanks.