Hi Elaine!
Yup, I just love S&H, can't get enough of it.
Oddly enough, I hardly ever do S&H legs. When I do, I load my barbell up to 60 for squats, 50 for lunges, and I think 40 for plies because I have trouble with those! My body, even after years of ballet as a child, just doesn't like to bend real low for those.
You are right, the w/o doesn't really test you/me at 40 pounds. Heck, I can squat 40 pounds on endurance w/o's.
What I suggest is combining for the lower body. You might, for example, do the S&H legs as is, going as heavy as poss, and add on the floor work from GS legs or PS legs or PUB. Then on another day of that week you might do PS legs or GS legs or Leaner Legs, whatever takes your fancy.
The S&H legs does indeed produce strength results, it did for me, and no real bulk either. That was nice! But, when I went back to more endurance work for the legs afterwards, wow! I was in trouble because I had gotten so used to the nice, sloooooooow count, all the time in the world to finish that squat!! So, another suggestion is to do the S&H legs once per week and amore endurance focussed leg workout (leaner Legs is my fave) once per week also, so you keep your hand in with both types of exercise.
Does this help at all?
Of course, once I also did a maad, crazy thing, but curiously I enjoyed it and it was the most fatigued my legs ever got. I did a PLB and S&H legs combo. At the time I had them both on VHS so it was easy to do. I did the S&H squats, followed immediately by the PLB squat sequence. DID the S&H lunges, followed immediately by the PLB lunges, etc. Of course, this removed the meed to do the pre-fatiguing exercises on S&H legs!!
YOu know, I'd be tempted, if I were you, to supplement the S&H legs with GS floor work, which is thorough and superb. That will tire your legs nicely!
Clare