Anyone not do squats/deadlifts?

[Gravyv]

If so, what kind of exercises/routine do you do for legs and back thickness?

I have a bad lower back therefore I don't do deadlifts anymore, but I still do a very light set of squats at the end of my leg workout. The most frustrating thing is keeping the intensity there without heavy compound lifts. I try to focus more on supersets, and time under tension to keep some sort of intensity there.

 

[flogzero]

I took squats out of my leg routine for a couple months due to back problems. Relied a lot on leg press. For a while I tried Cedric McMillans routine of supersetting extensions->leg press->unweighted lunges. I liked it but you just don't get the same feeling as you do with squats.

Have you tried using a smith machine for squats? Seems to take pressure off the back.

 

[yazzfloot]

If so, what kind of exercises/routine do you do for legs and back thickness?

I have a bad lower back therefore I don't do deadlifts anymore, but I still do a very light set of squats at the end of my leg workout. The most frustrating thing is keeping the intensity there without heavy compound lifts. I try to focus more on supersets, and time under tension to keep some sort of intensity there.

I've got spondylosis and bulged discs in my low back so I haven't been able to deadlift or squat for a bit now.

My leg routine involves heavy leg presses with foot placement being key, where I push with my quads so my feet are more set to the middle of the foot pad, the higher your feet are, the more hamstrings will be involved.
Hacks with wide footing and also narrow footing are a must, but with light weight because i've noticed that hack squats can put a good amount of strain on my back.
Leg extensions with a lot of time under tension, squeezing hard up top of every rep and pointing toes in/out and also pointed up/down.

As for back, I do about 30 sets for my back days, for thickness, low cable v-handle rows can be nice, especially if you squeeze real hard at the peak of the movement. I like to involve a lot of hammer machines on my back days as well.

 

[zgipson91]

I took squats out of my leg routine for a couple months due to back problems. Relied a lot on leg press. For a while I tried Cedric McMillans routine of supersetting extensions->leg press->unweighted lunges. I liked it but you just don't get the same feeling as you do with squats.

Have you tried using a smith machine for squats? Seems to take pressure off the back.

Smith machine is hard on your knees isn't it?

 

[Gravyv]

I can't do leg presses either because the one at my gym is really rigid it actually hurts my lower back quite a bit. As for back, I can't do any heavy cable rows/db rows etc. I use a lot of varied pulling movements. I just have a hard time finding a good movement for my mid-back/upper back area.

 

[raw33man]

IN MY OPINION Deadlifts and Squats are OVERRATED the same way as eating 10 times a day !

I know they are very good workouts for mass for back and legs, but you don't need them to be grow as long as you hit the muscles right

I know some bodybuilders that didn't do dead lifts or squats and had awesome physique

 

[E.J.]

Anyone not do squats/dead lifts?

I agree that these are overrated. U can develop great legs and back without them. I do squat light at times to mix it up. Never do deadlifts. I have enough joint problems without squating and deadlifting huge weight. Geesh sounds like I've become a pussy. Scratch all that, I'm squatting huge today.

 

[nickels]

I'd be willing to bet both the Smith and leg press are worse for your lower back than squatting with proper form.

 

[thumper08]

No sqauts or deads for me. Back problems forced this. I agree with the guy above who talked about supersetting. I do almost the same thing and have found I'm getting more definition in my legs but size and strength are coming along a good bit slower than when I was able to squat.

 

[Darkpassenger]

For awhile my lower back was hurting me. I started doing a lot of one leg squats without weights. Helped me with my balance and is actually extremely difficult at the end of a workout. Another good thing if you are looking to work on stability is to stand on one leg and touch various points around your body on the ground while staying balanced on that one leg. Takes a lot of focus and balance but has been very helpful to me while dealing with injuries.

 

[Tanker]

Haven't done squats or full deads in years. My knees are bad and I've injured my back also. I LOVE rack pulls though. And smith squats are great! If you position yourself correctly, it's not hard on the back or the knees. These are the only way I can squat anymore. I pre-fatigue my legs with something first though, that way a lighter weight feels much heavier when I get to the smith squats. Rack pulls make my whole back sore!

 

[Gaintrain]

**broken link removed**

 

[hulkboy]

find a bodybuilder with a thick, dense back that doesnt dead lift, YOU WONT!! sure it might look pretty, but to get that freaky thickness, deadlifts should be a staple in your routine. Go light if you have to, b/c that movement is THE best overall lift to get your back HUGE!!

 

[Gravyv]

My overall flexibility has improved quite a bit since I stopped doing deadlifts/squats because i'm not sore all the time. I agree on the back thickness with deads; it is extremely hard to get that look without them.

With that said, I've been trying to do some rack dead variations that places less stress on my lower back. I've been doing partial deads with a slight row coming up, I only use a slight bend and let the bar rub along my thighs on the way up(always wear pants). For some reason, keeping the bar close to me is less stressful.

 

[mikennrg]

People struggle with these and get hurt, because they usually add them after years of lifting. By that time they have a weak ass posterior chain from mostly training "mirror muscles" and can't do either properly.

 

[Gaintrain]

I do both love both! lately i been squating more and taken break from deads to let my low back recover better goin heavy on both in the same week some times trashes my low back for a while.....i also how ever would rather squat 700lbs then deadlift it....another reason why i focus on heavy squats more now then heavy ass deads....

 

[Bigboycpt21]

find a bodybuilder with a thick, dense back that doesnt dead lift, YOU WONT!! sure it might look pretty, but to get that freaky thickness, deadlifts should be a staple in your routine. Go light if you have to, b/c that movement is THE best overall lift to get your back HUGE!!

Yes,

BUT the WORST movement on your lower back.

Its the spine dr's favorite exercise, gets him all his patients.

 

[tmuscle]

since i'm a low dose warrior i still rely on them to pack on mass, but i will never consider doing them on a day where i feel my lower back or abs are in any way shape or form not feeling it.

but i think that in the future i will be using higher dvds and just work on crushing the legs with volume and machines, and leave the lower back alone

 

[Gaintrain]

Yes,

BUT the WORST movement on your lower back.

Its the spine dr's favorite exercise, gets him all his patients.

hahaahah spine dr's fav excersise thats a good one

 

[concreter]

By using deads to get your back stronger actually will prevent injury. Buy building the muscles around the spine, stabilizing the vertabre.
Of course you must use it with good form and not maxing out without proper preparation.
With 20yrs of concrete under my belt the only time I had back problems was in the winter, when I was'nt working and took a break from training. [10 yrs]
Been to the chiro more than I want to remember, It also Builds way more than just lower back BigBoy.