At 44, with good knees that NEED to stay good, how would you guys progressively overload on squats? I’m able to squat parallel without knee pain, so I do. I am not using any gear or supplemental T.
Neither do I use knee wraps. I don’t have knee pain or issues unless I try running for cardio. Jogging/running leads to knee inflammation for me. Other than that, good knees.
Currently I’m squatting 300lbs straight sets, 4 sets of 10 reps (my last 2 sets may only be 7-8 reps depending on what my cardio/CNS can handle). I am using a Leverage Squat machine, mostly because i don’t have a spotter, but also because that machine fits my stumpy frame very nicely.
Also, always pre-exhaust my quads first with leg extensions and hanging leg raises. I progressive overload those as well. I’m only now beginning to learn how to use pre-exhaustion before major compounds, but since doing this, I’ve noticed that my quads have really responded well to it.
So, how do I do progressive overload with this, while being mindful of protecting my knees? Should I:
Increase the weight by 5lb per week, keep reps about the same.
Keep the weight the same, but do more reps.
Add more sets
Keep squats about the same but focus on progressive overload more on my pre-exhaust sets.
Is there anything specifically wrong with your knees?
I’m post ACL reconstruction, 37, and actually finished up squatting this morning on a torn hamstring with a little creativity as far as compression goes.
You wrote you don’t have knee pain or issues, so I’m not sure what you’re going for here.
At 44, how do I approach progressive overload without putting my knees at unnecessary risk.
I realize 300 isn’t exactly Olympic caliber weight but generally speaking is it safer on the knees to do higher reps at moderate weight, or fewer reps at heavier weight?
I feel like both approaches will satisfy my goals for strength and hypertrophy, but how about joint wear?
Simply use appropriate programming, make use of deloads as needed, keep good technique and don’t chase after dragons. Movement is medicine. You’re keeping your knees healthy by exercising them.
I would probably be barbell squatting around 250-275. The leverage squat changes your ROM a little to make it similar to a leg press with your feet high on the pad, putting a little more load on the glutes at the bottom of squat.
I feel like I can really push myself safer on this machine. Mostly psychological honestly, the machine just feels safer to me.
Let me give you a little perspective from my experience. In my very early 60’s I was squatting over 500lbs and accommodating up to 600lbs with no knee issues. (I always used knee sleeves and never wraps) My spine gave out first, followed shortly thereafter my hips, where I now how two artificial hips. At 74 my knees are still good.
I know that we are different, so what is true with me may not apply to another. This is why I asked about your family history of knee problems, and it should be those that are genetic.
I may be misunderstanding, but it doesn’t sound like you actually care how much you squat per se? You’re just using the squat (actually a variation) because you care about hypertrophy, correct? If this is the case, it opens a ton of avenues.
Progressively overloading leg extensions would scare me more than anything for long-term knee health.
How does hanging leg raises help? Is it a bracing thing?
As the above gentleman point out, though, there is no inherent reason getting stronger in a movement is going to damage your knees. Unless you currently have pain or pathology, it’s going to be difficult to say what you should/ shouldn’t do. We could potentially be helpful if you want to upload form videos and we can see if anything looks off, but just sets/ reps/ load recommendations aren’t going to be of great use to you.
I think just common sense wise, doing a slower eccentric at least most of the time would help protect the knee joints i.e. do not use the stretch reflex. Also Rest days in between squatting , proper planning to as you mentioned.
I am a similar age 43 but I have not really squatted a great deal. I find the cold is bigger factor than squats for my joints but I have a slightly torn meniscus from doing a stupid trick. I also don’t use sleeves often if at all. They are uncomfortable and sometimes place too much pressure on the knee.
Thin knees sleeves should help keep U warm between sets ,as Hank said.
For knee health I would ditch the machine. Machines control your ROm and if it’s not perfect for your body type they can cause more damage. Get under a bar, use knee sleeves (not wraps), and set the pins so you don’t need a spotter if you fail.
I’m essentially shooting for a balanced approach to hypertrophy and strength but to your point, I’m not aiming for a specific squat goal. Any improvement I’m calling a win.
And, I think you have a point about leg extensions. It’s not really a natural motion for heavy weight so I’ll keep that in mind.
Nothing hurts me like leg extensions. They can be a great exercise, but not when I’m focusing on load. For me, I don’t let my heels come behind my knees at the bottom, I lean forward a bit at the waist, and I flex every rep at the top for a long count. That makes it all “pump” rather than strength; safer, but not conducive to caring what I put on the stack.
By the way, a I’ve only made 2 posts here and you guys are already the most sensible and helpful forum for lifting I’ve found. Thank you all. It’s kinda strange, in a magnificent way, to have people asking questions for clarity and understanding without immediately launching into a bunch of nasty attitude and trying to solve problems that aren’t problems