I would absolutely go for RFESS over leg press or hack squat for leg strength and size in an either/or situation. They are just so much more bang for buck.
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Unilateral work also minimizes imbalances. BB squats are bound to make you depend slightly more on your dominant side. Less imbalance = everyoneās happy in terms of strength and injury prevention. And yeah, I think bulgarian split squats give so much bang for buck
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Good discussion, thanks guys! I just assumed leg pressing would be superior (I see a lot of big strong dudes leg pressing, and rarely see anyone doing RFESS).
These are all good points, I definitely see value in doing more unilateral work. I think Iāll be cycling these into my routine for a bit.
As always, I appreciate the input fellas!
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Cause theyāre hard. Lol. Thereās an extra layer of learning the balance requirement part of it to get it right
Iām late to the party, but I much prefer RFESS as well - especially if youāre already squatting.
I think they give you a different range of motion than squats, where leg press is a pretty similar movement - so itās just extra, but non-specific, volume of what you were already doing.
RFESS also puts you in a stretch position and loads you unilaterally - so itās rehabilitative in nature. The leg press puts a ton of stress on knees (low back too if you leave your butt on the seat), so it adds to the joint trauma you already get from squats.
RFESS makes you use your feet, too, because of the balance issue - I think this helps train you to grip the floor when you are squatting.
That said, I use both.
This is just my $0.02, and I am obviously doing a whole different thing than you stronger folks.
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I think RFESS are the bees knees for complete leg training. But, that only applies to me. I think each person needs to assess their range of motion with their other movements to determine what to add or remove from their training. We donāt have time to waste on redundancies.
My squat is narrow and not so deep (quads). My body is built for deadlifts but the ROM doesnāt challenge my glutes or hamstrings in a shortened position (basically the top half of hip extension). RFESS is the missing ROM for my training by hitting the very, very bottom portion. Itās the only thing that induces glute DOMs right now.
@TrainForPain, that was a great post for the benefits of RFESS. Well done!
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Finally - i contribute!
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@littlesleeper not sure if you follow Chris Ottawa, but I think he is gonna start a phase using bulgarian split squats as accessory. Might wanna watch out for what heāll say about if after a few weeks
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Thanks for the additional points guys! Before spending the money (and space) on the leg press, I think Iāll give a little more effort into some RFESS and see how it goes.
@whang, I do try to pop in there when I can, but I hadnāt seen that he was going to trial split squats. Interested to hear what they do for him!
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If I know that dude, he wonāt like them.
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Haha! I had a tiny wee little doubt too, but anyway, Iām still curious. Hope he doesnāt give up on it too early
I think this video covers some great points
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Quick Lower Body Sesh
Front Squats
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
275 x 5
275 x 5
225 x 5
SUPERSET
RFESS
135 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5
Hmm. What is everyoneās favourite way to elevate their rear foot? Tried to do it on a bench and I donāt really have the ankle mobility, so my toes end up pointed down on it. Fine for my right foot, but my left toe (the one I broke this summer) still hurts like a biatch under pressure. Then I tried with my ankle on a bar, but that was just uncomfortable (boo hoo, right?). I think my new (to me) rack has a little padded roller for this type of work, but wonāt be able to use that for a couple months until my own home gym is up. Any obvious setups Iām missing?
Capped the reps at 5 because balance was all over the place, and didnāt feel like falling down today.
DB RDL and Shrug
100lbs DBs x 10
100lbs DBs x 10
100lbs DBs x 10
Cardio, this superset had me way more out of breath than it should have.
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Slender Jeff with the 95s! I better get to work!
I donāt mean to be offensive, Iām just genuinely curious. Is he natty? Not that it matters that much, his content is still good regardless. Just genuinely curious
Is he supposed to be? Has he talked about it? Heās not hugely big or immensely strong. I would believe him if he said so.
Heās really lean, but his face looks sucked out and lean too, like it matches his body and heās dieted down.
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Iāve started using the decline bench. Those round pads that anchor the legs are perfect. If thatās not available then you can use the bar, but wrap something around it. I think a large towel folded multiple times would work. You need to make the diameter large enough to fill the space between your foot and shin comfortably.
I had that exact same thought yesterday while watching a video about upright rows. A month ago I would have said he is definitely natty. But now that Iāve learned about peptides and how they can help burn fat I suppose itās possible heās taking something that helps him stay lean.
Yeah, a guy would have to actually talk to him about his nutrition and how he feels to know the full story. I know that I could be that lean (but less muscular), but I donāt want to be. Iāve struggled bad enough with constant hunger staying below 215. When I see lean guys now, I just think of how hungry they must be.
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Gotcha. He barely even talks about his diet if Iām not mistaken. I guess those tips are reserved for those who actually pay him for his expertise. Like Iāve said, I was just genuinely curious. Either way, it doesnāt change the fact that he puts out a lot of good content. Plus itās free!
Hope everyone is doing well, life has been pretty busy, so training has been on the backburner.
Managed to get some work in today!
AM:
Sled drags while pushing stroller.
2 x 35lb plates x 400ā
3 x 35lb plates x 400ā
2 x 35lb plates x 400ā
2 x 35lb plates x 400ā
2 x 35lb plates x 400ā
2 x 35lb plates x 400ā
2400ā Total
5000ā/10000ā Total Challenge
Iāve got some work to do if Iām going to complete this challenge, so I decided to march some longer distances with some lighter weight while pushing the stroller (wife was out of town this AM).
Still thinking about running Deep Water to kick off the T-ransformation Challenge this year, so I decided to toss in one of his workouts this afternoon.
This is a workout from his Deep Water Beginner Program.
Push Press - Prescribed 70% of 10RM (275lbs x 0.77 x .7 = ~150lbs)
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 10 (I hit the 5th rep and decided that this would be my working weight)
135 x 10 - ouch, overextended my left knee.
135 x 10 - knee still bothering my, but not too bad
135 x 10 - wow, not sure if Iāll even get 10 sets at this weight
135 x 10 - added knee sleeves, seem to have helped
135 x 10
135 x 10 - finding a groove here, this set felt good
135 x 10
135 x 10 - up until this set, it was more cardio and bracing difficulty. Now the delts/tris are starting to tire
135 x 10 - yep, glad I stuck with 135lbs for this one. Not sure I had 150lbs for the 10x10 today.
Lateral Raises
25lbs x 10
25lbs x 10
25lbs x 10
Barbell Curls
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10
SUPERSET
Situps - feet anchored
20
20
20
Back Extensions
20
20
20
Nice little superset finisher, core was toast.
I can only assume this would be one of the easier workouts from Deep Water, and this was far from easy! AND this was using a lower weight than prescribed. Iām really going to need to buckle in if I decide to run this program, yikes.
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Cool idea!
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Hereās a video to provide a visual.
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