If you can’t squat

If you can’t squat, don’t lose hope. Try this leg workout, which focuses on different foot positions and is great for adding mass to your legs.

Anyone who has trained for more than one day has seen guys with a massive upper body but matchstick-thin legs. These guys have been mocked on forums, in magazines and in comics. When I started training, I saw four or five of them myself, and I swore I would never become a joke like that.

I’ve had knee injuries, ankle injuries and so on. I didn’t care. I’ve always wanted big legs. I’ve also always known that the squat is the key exercise for building them. Arnold squatted, Platz did squats, and we’ve all seen Ronnie do a double with 350 kg.

I used knee wraps, strapped my knees tight and decided to take the same path despite the injuries. I squatted a lot and often, so much that afterwards I could barely stand on my feet. Of course I did other exercises too, but squats were part of every one of my leg workouts. I used a narrow stance, a medium one and sumo. My squat record reached 180 kg, and I was very proud and happy about it, because the level I started from was very low.

By now I’ve been training for about ten years, the injuries still haven’t spared me, and as a result squatting has become rather arduous. Even though I can no longer squat, I would still like to focus more on the front of my thighs. I hate that I can’t squat, the mere thought irritates me, but there’s nothing to be done. I think that after giving up the squat I’ve found a good alternative that, despite everything, still lets me work my legs properly.

The following routine is aimed more at intermediate and rather advanced lifters who want some variety in their usual leg day or can’t squat. It will most likely have a higher volume than your usual workouts. For those who try it, I recommend a split in which the quads, hamstrings and calves are separated. In other words, you focus only on the quads. I strongly recommend that you don’t train calves and hamstrings in the same workout. After the workout, you should give your body 48 hours of rest.

In bodybuilding, a narrow stance develops the outer part of a body part, while a wider stance emphasizes the inner regions. In practice, this means that a wide stance works the inner thigh more, and a narrow stance recruits the outer thigh more. This phenomenon actually applies to body development in many cases.

But let’s get started. First, we warm up the quads and knees properly. We do leg extensions with one leg, 2 – 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Before a workout like this, it definitely makes sense to warm up properly. Keep this warm-up light and comfortable, and get your legs properly ready for what’s coming.

Exercise I if you can’t squat – leg press

The first exercise is the leg press. Load a weight, or work up to one in pyramids, that lets you do 20 repetitions. Place your feet narrow, shoulder-width or narrower. Do 10 repetitions, and when the 10 are done, place your feet wide, as wide as possible while still comfortable. Continue and do 10 x right away with the wide stance. When the 20 x are done, rest for a minute and add weight. Do the next set in the same way, but now 8 + 8 repetitions, 8 with a narrow stance and 8 with a wide stance. Rest after the 16-repetition set, add weight and do 12 repetitions (6 + 6) in the last set, six narrow and six wide.

Exercise II – hack squat

After the last press set, stretch your quads lightly and move on to the hack squat. For this exercise, choose a weight you can do about 30 repetitions with. Another difference is that this time you start with a wide stance. Do 15 repetitions wide and immediately 15 repetitions narrow. Rest, add weight and do a 24-repetition set (12 + 12) next, again wide first, then narrow. Rest, add weight and do 20 repetitions, again 10 + 10. By now you have done 6 working sets in total.

Exercise III – leg extension

Be sure to stretch your quads lightly between sets. We’ve reached the last exercise: leg extensions again. This time for real, and with both legs. Start with a narrow stance and choose a weight you can do about 40 repetitions with, 20 repetitions narrow and 20 repetitions wide. Rest 1 minute and do a second set with exactly the same weight, 20 + 20 repetitions, narrow first, then wide.

That’s all – spend a few minutes stretching and you’re done for the day.

While doing the exercises, change your stance, but also turn your toes slightly in and out. Don’t keep them perfectly straight the whole time. Believe me, this small detail has a noticeable effect on the direction of muscle development.

You’ll have noticed that with the leg press you start narrow, and the next time you start with a wide stance. Do the same with the hack squat and the leg extensions.

Summary of the routine:

1. Leg extension with one leg, 2 – 3 sets of 20 repetitions for each leg.
2. Leg press (narrow stance + wide stance) – 10 + 10/8 + 8/6 + 6
3. Hack squat (wide stance + narrow stance) – 15 + 15/12 + 12/10 + 10
4. Leg extension with both legs (wide stance + narrow stance) – 20 + 20/20 + 20

Essentially, combining the two stances (wide + narrow) makes this a superset. There is no rest between the two different stances.

Final word

True, I adore the squat, and there are few ways to replace this exercise completely, but there are some. And this alternative may be one of those that help you build a pair of legs to be proud of. If you also can’t squat for some reason but still want a powerful pair of legs, try this routine for 6 – 8 weeks. I think you’ll see satisfying leg development!

Author: Janar Rückenberg (translation)

Source:Turg.Fitness.ee

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