Who here incorporates squats into their routine?

[George G.]

I recently started doing squats on a Smith Machine...and I must admint, they're not easy to do. Aside from starting out with sissy weights (a woman in there does the same weight so I have to wait till no one is around), I'm still getting the hang of form and balance. We'll see how it goes. :o

[The Raven]

Free-weight squats are instrumental in over-all leg develoment.

[George G.]

Yeah, I've heard/read that there are several benefits to squats....I'm just surprised that it's much more difficult than say the leg-press.

[dankstang]

I can't even do 'em with any weight if that makes you feel better

my balance is f'd with a rod in my left femur and a rod in my right tib/fib.
don't have any flexibility to do 'em. my workout buddies keep wanting to switchup and do squats but I say hell no.

that and lunges....f that!
i'll hit 10 machines before i'll do those 2 exercises

[TOMMY]

I do squats every Thursday. I workout with 405 4 sets of 12. I warmup with 205 then go up from there. By the time I get to 405 its heavy as hell. I've been doing it for a couple of months and can tell a big difference. My verticle has gone up 3 or 4 inches :D

[5111]

"Real" Squats will work you more than any other machine. But that is the same reason that they kill you.

Also, don't cheat. I see guys doing squats with a huge rack of weight but they are barely even bending their knees. They move a total of 3 inches :rolleyes: Be careful as well. Many people are injured while doing squats because they do too much weight or do it with incorrect form.

[CobraChic]

I did squats one time and my back hurt for weeks..

Yea I wasn't doing them right.. but I haven't even tried them since. :o

[Shorty]

If you're going to do squats, don't use the smith machine. It's too easy to lean against the bar and cheat. Squats in my opinion are secondary to deadlift for leg and overall strength, but both are totally necessary if you want big gains. Tommy, have you ever maxed out on squat? 4 sets of 12 at 405 to parallel is impressive I was just wondering what your max is.

[busted90]

To add mass to your legs squats are the best thing, I do mine on Thursdays as well. I'm up to 5 sets 12 at 315 its time to go up i dont break a sweet till the 4th set now. I need to get a set of knee wraps before i go all out.

[TOMMY]

"Real" Squats will work you more than any other machine. But that is the same reason that they kill you.

Also, don't cheat. I see guys doing squats with a huge rack of weight but they are barely even bending their knees. They move a total of 3 inches :rolleyes: Be careful as well. Many people are injured while doing squats because they do too much weight or do it with incorrect form.

I go down for enough where my legs are almost 90 degrees any lower I think your looking at blowing a knee out IMO. :D

[TOMMY]

If you're going to do squats, don't use the smith machine. It's too easy to lean against the bar and cheat. Squats in my opinion are secondary to deadlift for leg and overall strength, but both are totally necessary if you want big gains. Tommy, have you ever maxed out on squat? 4 sets of 12 at 405 to parallel is impressive I was just wondering what your max is.

405 is pretty tough for me 3 & 4 sets are killer. If I had to guess no more than 445-450 safely. I can see the bar bending in the mirror when I put it on my shoulders :eek: I'm looking for some kind of shoulder/back support that I can wear while doing my squats. That way I can lift more without hurting myself.

[George G.]

Well, I think I'll stick to the Smith Machine. I'm not going for big gains or massive weight....if that makes sense. I do have a back(lower tail bone) issue, from a previous injury many years ago so I have to just find my limit and stay below that. Which is why I don't think I wanna do with no support. What type of back injury is usually associated with doing squats, whether it's from too much weight or incorrect form? I've been taking it slow since I'm starting out and I go all the way so my quads are parallel to the floor. Feet are a little wider that shoulder width and stay planted flat on the floor.

[George G.]

You guys are crazy...I don't think 400+ lbs is in my future. If you include the weight of the bar assembly(28lbs) + weight(15x2), I'm doing less than 60 lbs. :rolleyes: But I know I can do more...it's my second time to do them so I'm still getting used to following the movement of the bar. Plus, I gotta watch my back. :(

[Mr. Smith]

You guys are crazy...I don't think 400+ lbs is in my future. If you include the weight of the bar assembly(28lbs) + weight(15x2), I'm doing less than 60 lbs. :rolleyes: But I know I can do more...it's my second time to do them so I'm still getting used to following the movement of the bar. Plus, I gotta watch my back. :(


Dude, dont worry about what anybody else is lifting. They were in the same place you are one day. Just take your time until you feel comfortable and get your form right.

[JKDGabe]

Past parallel for squats (http://cbass.com/Squats.htm)

[JPS]

Ok, now I really feel like a wimp. I do squats 3 times a week but I never use weights. My own body is heavy enough! :eek:

Then again, I'm not looking to add muscle but I want to tone up. Good luck on the weights. They're right, you'll get there!

JPS

[JKDGabe]

You don't need weight, do Hindu squats (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler19.htm)

[greenrebel]

I used to put squats into my workout, but have recently given them up because I do so much biking. I'm thinking about going back to low weight, high rep sets to get endurance up as much as possible.

[Shorty]

Past parallel for squats (http://cbass.com/Squats.htm)
since you posted up olympic deep squats, I might as well post an article on powerlifting squats for the alternative :) http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=FB55449BD5C1293CADEAECF6D5 CABE7D.hydra?id=459775

[Shorty]

I used to put squats into my workout, but have recently given them up because I do so much biking. I'm thinking about going back to low weight, high rep sets to get endurance up as much as possible.
here's some inspiration for ya. 98 reps of 218 at 218 bodyweight. huge file. http://www.marunde-muscle.com/videos/sarge218lbsbw218lbsquatX98reps.wmv

[poopnut2]

<---Fucked up knee

I have to settle for leg press.:(

[George G.]

Past parallel for squats (http://cbass.com/Squats.htm)


Hey, thanks for that link...got a few pointers about olympic style squats. I'm up to 25 lbs on each side now and that's slowly increasing each week.

One more question for anyone. On leg days, I've been doing squats, leg presses, calf raises(with leg press weight) and ham curls. Should I alternate the squats and leg press on different days? I notice I get muscle fatigue quicker than I'd like.