Screwed my back up a couple of weeks ago doing heavy squats (went a little too heavy and broke form). Still recovering. Instead of squats, I’ve been doing Bulgarian split squats with leg presses. I can barely walk the next day. When I do squats my legs burn a little and I usually don’t have much DOMS, but the BSS and LP’s absolutely smoke my legs. I actually get an incredible visible pump (which never happens with squats, even 20-rep squats). How do you guys feel about replacing bread-and-butter exercises with other exercises? I already had to quit heavy bench press due to extreme shoulder pain. Getting old sucks.
Fact: I need more strength.
So I will stick with squats but I also thought this question. What is wrong with leg presses?
The reason you have so much DOMS are probably numerous but here are some. You dont do Bulgarians often your body has not adapted to them, you go down slower and under control with bulgarians more so than squats you do.
And lastly you use a greater ROM doing bulgarians most likely. Now think of this, when is your chest more sore, a killer bench press workout or a dumbell press and dumbell flye workout? Probably the latter, which means what? Probably more control eccentrically by the pecs themselves. Which could be good for bodybuilding, though ditching primary exercises is not a good idea, IMO you will def lose size and when you go back to the nuts and bolts you will see how weak you are.
Second Question, why not leg presses? There are good uses of the leg press, specifically if you play a sport which requires alot of quad strength, and many times a sport that doesnt utilize a natural running or jumping motion. If you are playing a sport like this, there are still uses for leg presses, namely you can overload the legs without taxing the rest of the body which can be useful for in season training.
But if you are looking to increase your power, strength and overall size during the sports off-season the squat is def the way to go, these are not interchangeable exercises, the leg press has its uses but they are not what most people are looking for on this site.
i recently read a research which said that leg presses were better for hypertrophie than leg presses,
so i would go for the leg press if all you’re interested is aesthetics and squat for more overal power
I love Bulgarian split squats.
And if your legs are feeling it, do whatever works. Being sidelined with injury does nothing for the legs, so go with what feels good and keeps you injury free.
[quote]TheSaint wrote:
i recently read a research which said that leg presses were better for hypertrophie than leg presses,
so i would go for the leg press if all you’re interested is aesthetics and squat for more overal power[/quote]
I could care less about power. I’m not a numbers guy. I’m going for the BB look.
A lot of it probably has to do with the fact that bulgarians and leg presses both are more quad dominant, while you can squat with the stress predominantly on the posterior chain.
That and bulgarians are just a lot of freakin work if you go heavy.
[quote]PGJ wrote:
TheSaint wrote:
i recently read a research which said that leg presses were better for hypertrophie than leg presses,
so i would go for the leg press if all you’re interested is aesthetics and squat for more overal power
I could care less about power. I’m not a numbers guy. I’m going for the BB look.
[/quote]
Then why squat so heavy that you break form and hurt your back?
[quote]sasquatch wrote:
PGJ wrote:
TheSaint wrote:
i recently read a research which said that leg presses were better for hypertrophie than leg presses,
so i would go for the leg press if all you’re interested is aesthetics and squat for more overal power
I could care less about power. I’m not a numbers guy. I’m going for the BB look.
Then why squat so heavy that you break form and hurt your back?[/quote]
Just being dumb and pushing my luck.
[quote]TheSaint wrote:
i recently read a research which said that leg presses were better for hypertrophie than leg presses,
so i would go for the leg press if all you’re interested is aesthetics and squat for more overal power[/quote]
Are you sure leg presses are better than leg presses?
LOL, kidding…I know what you meant.