Blows my quads and posterior up. They seem to stay engorged for some time after, too.
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Sorry, but I felt like called out. I asked about replacement to squats and instead got a request of pics. Ok, I have expressed myself badly. My legs aren’t genetically gifted, they just grow faster than the rest of my body parts, throwing my proportions off and adding my, REALITVELY, short height, make me look very leg dominant.
Answering this and other qeustions about my limitations - I have a wound on my back I am supposed not to open. It wasn’t back surgery per se, not even anything related to muscles. The thing was surgery was performed from the rear. Sure it affects my training, but not that much as one would think. For shoulders I can still do lateral raises and military presses without any problem, and since my wound is in the lower section of the back I can even do rows for back as long as I keep a proper posture. The problem with squats is it is very easy to arch back. And arch + significant weight would probably open my wound.
Apologizing in advance for my rant. I hate these threads so much. If you don’t want to squat, don’t squat. Also don’t make posts explaining why or defending why you don’t squat. Nobody cares.
I had a pilonidal cyst issue years back that after treated was basically an open wound on my tailbone for a year. Any kind of triple extension would leave me with bloody underwear. I started buying black underwear and kept squatting.
I am having trouble seeing how performing a squat properly would be different than anything else recommended or replacement that would aggravate wounds unless that wound is were you place the bar. You also said you will be clear to go in a few weeks. In the long run it doesn’t matter what you do for the next few weeks. Your progress one year from now will have very little to do with 3-5 workouts to skipped or changed to heal a wound. There is no leg workout life hack. Just lift stuff.
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Hi geoff_t. Not sure why you’re getting so much push back here. Perhaps I am sensitive to it since I have a similar story. Quad dominant (in terms of development). I used to have people ask me if I was a speed skater (I live in FL!) I’m on the taller side, 6’2”, and my quads measure just under 30”s. When I’m lean, as I am now (225 lbs) they measure smaller, around 28.5”. I used to love squatting but it’s no longer in the cards due to multiple lower back issues (severe spinal stenosis, herniation’s at L5-S1, etc). However I can still hack squat safely. I love hacks with a full range of motion. Also as mentioned I love the goblet squat. I wish I could go heavier but over 125lbs the db’s get too hard to handle comfortably. I also do Bulgarian split squats. And finally, you can’t beat the variety of lunges. I think if you throw a few of these exercises into your rotation you’ll do just fine. Good luck.
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Hex bar deads
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Prove it, post pics.
The problem is that these threads always read like excuses to not want to squat and/or train legs in general. Looking for ways to do the minimal amount of work for them.
Why mention you were blessed with good leg genetics (**why not post pics?) only to then ask how to train them? If it were truly the case the easiest solution would be to cut your volume. If you were doing 10 sets do 8 or 6 or 4.
**He should have written “I do not give a shit about legs and hate squatting. What exercise would you choose when you want to get the most bang for your buck with the least amount of work?”
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So much passion for squatting here on the forums. I love it.
I just find the notion of guys complaining that their quads are too big odd… Never hear anyone complain that their arms are too big. When did this become a thing?
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Can easily cut off the sleeves of your shirt. Cannot as easily wear Lieutenant Dangle shorts is my guess.
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Dude, is it really that important in the context of this conversation? Anyway, I don’t keep any of these pics on my work PC here because I’m not queer, but here’s a casual shot from last week I grabbed from Google pics (it was in the AM and I was searching for phantom quad veins) -
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Why would having pictures of yourself be queer?
Emphasis, on my work PC. Where i work and don’t need quad pics 
Trust me, I have loads of body pics as I trust most of us do…
I quoted myself obviously but I assume you know I was replying to your comment. Now I’m curious about the original posters gifted quads, haha…
I kind of get it. My legs and my ass are somewhat big and I have to wear size 36-38 shorts to get them over my ass even though I wear 32-33 in the waist. And to top it off when I stand up, my shorts ride up, cuff my legs and ride up my butt crack. pants are even more of an annoyance to wear which is fine because I wear shorts about 10 months a year.
Either way, my arms are usually not the issue with shirts. My chest and back are the tightest part of any shirt I wear. Some sleeves ride up, but most the time not. Still, I train all of it hard and enjoy having bigger legs, but do understand when others don’t.
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Let’s just for the sake of discussion assume I am one of such persons. However I don’t really see a reason for anyone really into the gym not to squat, other than health.Skipping one of the best excercises OVERALL should be a pain in the *** for everybody, who attends gym out of their own free will. I mean if you feel pain due to a bad posture, it is still some kind of health issue. So I don’t really understand CHOOSING to avoid squats.
But as I said, let’s assume.
Why are you so freaking obsessed with this? You keep calling people out, you keep telling them that your way of training is the only correct on the planet and that they suck. I bet you are one of these, who search gyms for people working out with not perfect form and trying to “educate” them. I made a thread to get an advice, not to send you my pics. And I don’t want you to turn it into leg pics thread, since I see you called others out too.
Let people train however they want and if you don’t have anything to contribute, except for trying to feel better about yourself, then please, don’t bother.
I see you didn’t realize the hornet’s nest you were poking when you said your legs were big enough and you didn’t want to squat.
It’s been mentioned that we see a lot of threads where people argue stuff like this while they look for justification to do things their way.
The title of the thread implies that you think something will be better than squats. It sets the tone for everything that follows.
Now, ignoring everything that’s been posted above, it sounds like this will be such a short phase in your training life that it won’t matter.
I’ve been doing all kinds of weird leg training since November because of a hip injury. Size will stay. Strength will drop due to the skill and inter-muscular (made up term?) coordination required, but it will come back quickly.
My leg work is all rehab and exercise bike these days and they seem to be tired just about every day. I’d say they’re still being trained adequately.
Just do you, man. You don’t need validation. You’ve been given lots of exercise options - just run with it.
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Ugh same. Every couple of years that thing gets a mind of it’s own. The scar/weird indent at least. Feels like the skin gets paper thin, and tight. I just slap a bunch of lidocaine over it and keep moving.
Yeah, I was browsing through all this and didn’t quite understand the issue here.
Why limit yourself to one exercise? I really don’t get it.
at 174cm and 70-some KG you’re not some giant. And if you can’t squat period, I don’t think your legs are as gifted as you claim them to be.
Yes, the obvious answer is to squat. You don’t have to do a back-loaded low bar squat. If back loading is a problem do zerchers, front squats, or goblet squats. If loading period is a problem do bodyweight squats and do 100 straight instead of 10x10
But why end it there? Do your squats, do your walking lunges, reverse sled drags, and RDLs
As I said, I am not gonna “not squat period”. I already asnwered - I need few weeks of recovery and by that time it’s not much about putting load on my back, but rather about stabilization. I basically need to avoid excercises that would potentially open my wound, not that I can’t train back at all.
Now about that I got plenty of propositions and that I should go train and consider the thread done - if I could close the thread, you bet I would. Seriously, I didn’t even respond to majority of the posts that were made here. Some other people started asking for and sharing pics, at which point this thread pretty much lost any meaning.
As you said - I got more than expected good ideas, so I am not really wishing to prolong this thread any longer. Not my fault people started fighting here and some generally behave like ****.
Anyways, thank you for all responses, I have what I wanted and within few weeks I will be squatting again, so I just have to live with it for now.