Is it possible to have decent legs w/o doing squats regularly?

[bg65]

Quick primer, 42 y/o been lifting since i was 16 or 17. I never understood why people tend to hate leg day, i loved leg day, for years i would be excited abt it. Generally kept it really simple too, core of the workout was heavy squats, walking lunges and deads (i know some advocate deads on back day). For a long time i had some pretty well developed legs.
However, the last several years i have really been struggling with issues with my low back (and my right knee, but its my back that fucks me). I have to be careful even putting socks on coz i can throw my back out doing that.
I just can't consistently do squats anymore. I even did like a "total reset" where i just did lower weight squats for higher volume being super strict on form (and a real, deep squat) thinking this might strengthen whatever the fuck goes out in my back, worked my way back up but it didn't help. I can have a day feeling totally good/strong, do a good amount of warm-ups and be several sets in, feeling good, and bam! My back goes.
I added a leg press to my home gym but it just pales in comparison to squats. I can do 500lbs presses 10 sets of 20 reps and it doesn't seem to do anything compared to like 4-5 sets of squats w 315lbs for 10-12 reps.
I can still do walking lunges but deads are generally out of my rotation for same reason as squats.
Anyone able to build decent wheels w/o squats?
Sorry for the long post, didn't want to just pose my question then people be like "bitch do squats"

*most of my 45s are bumper plates so 500lbs is the most i can put on the leg press unless i buy more metal plates

*and when i say my back goes out, i can barely walk, cant stand up straight, hurts like hell, total motherfucker

 

[bg65]

Seeing my legs fading away kills my motivation to train my upper body. I just can't look like one of those guys that skip leg day, i would rather be smaller all around than have a jacked upper body and small legs

 

[Aikman56]

Mine don't suck.
Hack squats
Leg presses
Leg Extensions

I use a varying rep ranges and everything from drop sets to ascending sets to banded sets to muscle rounds. My back just won't support heavy squatting and I haven't squatted with any regularity since 2016.

 

[Sacario]

Squats are not needed. I only do 2 heavy leg press sets. The rest is high rep volume training. 3 quad exercises and 3 hams twice a week. 2 sets each. A few RP with a quad and ham cluster set.

 

[hevi-head]

Not that I’m all that but not too horrible either I guess.
I haven’t squatted in years.
Leg extensions first to pre exhaust then leg presses. It’s not my back that’s the problem, it’s old ass achy knees.

 

[bg65]

Yeah, my knees don't like the hack squat very much, plus I'd have to go to a commercial gym to do it. I'll try the pre-exhaustion approach next lef workout. Is that the bulk of your work for quads?
Both you guys that posted pics have great leg development. Hevi, your vascularity is insane

 

[BLang]

Make RFESS your new Boo. Never look back. Profit.

 

[TrippplePPP]

If you cannot put your socks on without potentially throwing out your back it sounds like you are horribly tight in your hips and definitely have a dysfunction with your biomechanics. I would not push weight or your asking for something to get injured for sure. I would consider working with a physical therapist on your body mechanics and weak links in your chain.

I have similar stats and find you can definitely keep nice legs without squats. Each exercise has a fingerprint and that cannot be completely replicated by another but you can come very close. Dorian Yates did not do squats during the majority of years he was huge and progressing despite ceasing squats. He did more leg press.

 

[buck]

Seeing my legs fading away kills my motivation to train my upper body. I just can't look like one of those guys that skip leg day, i would rather be smaller all around than have a jacked upper body and small legs

You wont like getting old as that happens no matter what you want. Ah to be 40 again and in my prime!
I find a leg press builds better quads then squats do. But it doesn't do much in the way of hamstrings or glutes from my experience as the range of motion for those groups is very limited as the hip never comes close to a full contraction.
When i got my first gym membership my legs were better then most that had been there for years as i had done many leg presses as my high school had one. And all the miles i logger on a bicycle especially uphill really causes a hell of a pump in the legs.

 

[lookslikesausage]

Hacks and/or Pendulums if you have access and use as full a range of motion as possible if you're prioritizing quads.

 

[bg65]

If you cannot put your socks on without potentially throwing out your back it sounds like you are horribly tight in your hips and definitely have a dysfunction with your biomechanics. I would not push weight or your asking for something to get injured for sure. I would consider working with a physical therapist on your body mechanics and weak links in your chain.

I have similar stats and find you can definitely keep nice legs without squats. Each exercise has a fingerprint and that cannot be completely replicated by another but you can come very close. Dorian Yates did not do squats during the majority of years he was huge and progressing despite ceasing squats. He did more leg press.

Yeah, I've done the PT consult part. Have some friends that are PTs. Got some stretches I've been working on and one of them really critiqued my sitting posture haha but that was more causing problems with my neck.
The problem actually seems to be my sacrum, like it will just shift slightly and that's it. I've had it manipulated before by a chiro and it was insane, immediately relieving but i cant be doing that all the time.
I appreciate all the feedback. I'm going to try the pre-exhaustion and go for even more volume on the leg press. I added in step-ups last week and that wrecked my legs (was refreshing actually) but my knee was pissed off abt it for a few days.

 

[Shockrock3]

Yeah, my knees don't like the hack squat very much, plus I'd have to go to a commercial gym to do it. I'll try the pre-exhaustion approach next lef workout. Is that the bulk of your work for quads?
Both you guys that posted pics have great leg development. Hevi, your vascularity is insane

That's how my kneecaps feel trying to do front squats lol....can never get the right motion to do them

 

[Biggerp73]

In this picture I had not trained legs seriously or done squats for nearly a decade. I still don't. Lol. At the time I was only doing a few sets of light weight leg extensions and body weight lunges. That's it for quads. They aren't massive, but they had good shape and cuts for never training them.

 

[qbkilla]

When I tore my knee I couldn't train legs for months. The non injured leg I was able to use normally, just walk not using a crutch, lost a little size but nothing to worry about or alarming. Now the injured one I couldn't put weight on and had to compensate for? Shrunk like hell.

 

[alfresco]

Great thread!

Gives me hope

 

[danieltx]

I don't understand why members are recommending Hacks and pendulums - those are squats and he specifically said without doing squats regularly.

Barbell squats are not a magic exercise and other forms that don't involve a barbell are just as much squats. In fact, barbell squats are one of the worst hypertrophy movements for most guys. I have one of the best sets of quads on this board and I built them on a plate-loaded Free Motion Hack squat.

To answer the original question, I don't feel you need to squat regularly to build good legs. Your muscles don't know what movement you're doing, what implement you're doing it with, or how much weight you're using - they only know how hard they work. With all the leg press variations out today a good set of legs should be very doable without squatting.

2 more points on the original post:

• If 10 sets of 20 reps with 500lbs. isn't fatiguing your legs to a good degree then you likely don't know how to leg press with your leg muscles
• You need a lot more weight if you want to build your legs with a leg press - for perspective, my heaviest sets of leg press each week are 1,000+lbs. for 10+ reps.

 

[Gunsmith]

Absolutely , personally I think you tax your leg directly better with leg press than you can with squats.
Scott Stevenson comment on this a while back (don't remember where) about how squats fatigue your central nervous system and cardiovascular system before you can maximal fatigue your legs.

 

[bg65]

I don't understand why members are recommending Hacks and pendulums - those are squats and he specifically said without doing squats regularly.

Barbell squats are not a magic exercise and other forms that don't involve a barbell are just as much squats. In fact, barbell squats are one of the worst hypertrophy movements for most guys. I have one of the best sets of quads on this board and I built them on a plate-loaded Free Motion Hack squat.

To answer the original question, I don't feel you need to squat regularly to build good legs. Your muscles don't know what movement you're doing, what implement you're doing it with, or how much weight you're using - they only know how hard they work. With all the leg press variations out today a good set of legs should be very doable without squatting.

2 more points on the original post:

• If 10 sets of 20 reps with 500lbs. isn't fatiguing your legs to a good degree then you likely don't know how to leg press with your leg muscles
• You need a lot more weight if you want to build your legs with a leg press - for perspective, my heaviest sets of leg press each week are 1,000+lbs. for 10+ reps.

no no the 10 x 20 reps totally fatigues my legs, my quads will be screaming and i have to do a stupid walk back into the house afterward, there's three steps to come into the house and its been sketchy a few times haha. It's just that my legs don't seem to respond to it like i would expect. I am all about the mind-muscle connection, i always make sure i am really feeling the muscle working that i am trying to work but regardless of that focus i'm not sure what muscles one would use on a leg press besides their legs. I think you're right though, i probably need more weight, i just have mostly bumper plates so its all i can fit. I'll look into getting more metal ones so i can up the weight. Its a nice leg press but its purposefully built w a small foot print for home gyms and i think only rated to 700lbs, still I'll go there. I've gotta get this situation turned around. It'll hold 12 45lb bumper plates. Idk why i have so many damn bumper plates haha but shit the metal ones are half the thickness so a few more of those and i could fit 700 on there easily. With that weight though I'll still have to keep volume pretty high
Thanks guys, feeling motivated and hopeful

 

[alfresco]

I don't understand why members are recommending Hacks and pendulums - those are squats and he specifically said without doing squats regularly.

Barbell squats are not a magic exercise and other forms that don't involve a barbell are just as much squats. In fact, barbell squats are one of the worst hypertrophy movements for most guys. I have one of the best sets of quads on this board and I built them on a plate-loaded Free Motion Hack squat.

To answer the original question, I don't feel you need to squat regularly to build good legs. Your muscles don't know what movement you're doing, what implement you're doing it with, or how much weight you're using - they only know how hard they work. With all the leg press variations out today a good set of legs should be very doable without squatting.

2 more points on the original post:

• If 10 sets of 20 reps with 500lbs. isn't fatiguing your legs to a good degree then you likely don't know how to leg press with your leg muscles
• You need a lot more weight if you want to build your legs with a leg press - for perspective, my heaviest sets of leg press each week are 1,000+lbs. for 10+ reps.

My gym finally got a hack machine. Now, hack squats are not new to me, the last gym I trained at had a good one and I have used many other good ones over the years. So I can say this with complete confidence . . . the machine is not ‘biomechanicaly’ correct, it will completely destroy your knees. The one my gym just bought is the Nautilus brand and it must have been designed by somebody who knows nothing about training and probably never even tried the machine because if he / she did it would not have been built the way it is.

I tried it with every foot position, had my training partner use it, again every conceivable foot position and several other people watching did the same. They all said it hurt their knees. Really sad. A few design tweaks and it could be golden. Great quality, poor design.

Am not saying hacks are bad, they are not and are a very result producing exercise as are leg presses, on a correctly designed machine.

Rant mode off.

I wish my gym had one

 

[alfresco]

no no the 10 x 20 reps totally fatigues my legs, my quads will be screaming and i have to do a stupid walk back into the house afterward, there's three steps to come into the house and its been sketchy a few times haha. It's just that my legs don't seem to respond to it like i would expect. I am all about the mind-muscle connection, i always make sure i am really feeling the muscle working that i am trying to work but regardless of that focus i'm not sure what muscles one would use on a leg press besides their legs. I think you're right though, i probably need more weight, i just have mostly bumper plates so its all i can fit. I'll look into getting more metal ones so i can up the weight. Its a nice leg press but its purposefully built w a small foot print for home gyms and i think only rated to 700lbs, still I'll go there. I've gotta get this situation turned around. It'll hold 12 45lb bumper plates. Idk why i have so many damn bumper plates haha but shit the metal ones are half the thickness so a few more of those and i could fit 700 on there easily. With that weight though I'll still have to keep volume pretty high
Thanks guys, feeling motivated and hopeful

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