Substitute for Squats

[sancho]

This question is for Cathe, and/or anyone that wants to respond.

I HATE squats. I can't stand holding weight on my shoulders, it makes them very sore (even with a pad). When I do Gym Style legs, I have been doing 2 sets of 24 rep leg presses instead. I know that makes for a lot of leg presses, but I can't think of a better substitute.

Cathe (or anyone) do you have any suggestions of another substitute? By skipping the squats, am I not working an important part of my leg or will I get the whole leg with the rest of the workout?

 

[saia11]

Have you tried holding dumbbells instead of a barbell? You can hold them in any position that is comfortable and still perform a weighted squat if that is the only reason they are uncomfortable for you. You might also try not going down quite so far into the squat at first, but working up to a deeper squat.
Better than a zillion leg presses
Mattea

 

[klirosi]

You could also try holding the barbell in front, like Cathe does sometimes with plie squats. You basically rest it across your upper chest, hands placed close together in the center and elbows straight out to help balance the bar. Sounds more complicated than it is. I find this position much more comfortable, especially with heavier weight.

Kerrie

 

[kathryn]

>You could also try holding the barbell in front, like Cathe
>does sometimes with plie squats.


I wouldn't recommend that position for regular squats, as it would throw off your balance and make the move risky (danger of pitching forward, or at the very least, weight going more over the front of the foot and possibly into the knee). In order to counterbalance the weight in that position, you end up sitting farther back, but also leaning more forward. It's a good position for plié squats because the position of the legs makes it stable. NOT for regular squats.

I agree with Mattea that you should try dumbbells. I like to curl them up into a bicep curl, then keep going until they are right in front of my shoulders, where I hold them throughout the set.

You could also hold the dumbbells down at your side (though sometimes this may make you tend to round your shoulders, which isn't good).

Another option is to wear a weighted belt (some ankle weights can hook together to make a belt) to take some of the weight, and use a lighter barbell.

It's hard to find a good substitute for squats. They are called the "king of leg exercises" for a reason. They not only work all theh lower body, including stabilizing muscles, but holding a barbell on your shoulders puts stress on the spine that can help develop bone density.

 

[smoogy]

If you hate squats that much, maybe you should look into doing more lunges & various types of them. Either that, or going to a gym & using the leg press. I don't like squats too, but not enough to give them up.

Marla

 

[materialsgirl]

It is certainly safe to do squats holding the bar in front - it's called a Front Squat and weight lifters use this move all the time. It does put the weight at a slightly different angle during the squat, but it's still effective and safe to do it this way. Check out http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html to learn correct form for a front squat - it's in the section on Training, From Gym Dork to Gym Diva, Squats. When doing a front squat, you will want to use lighter weight than you would normally use for a back squat (what we think of as a regular squat with a barbell across the back of the shoulders).

 

[kathryn]

>It is certainly safe to do squats holding the bar in front -
>it's called a Front Squat and weight lifters use this move all
>the time. It does put the weight at a slightly different
>angle during the squat, but it's still effective and safe to
>do it this way. Check out
>http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

I still hold that it is not safe for the general population. And if the photo that is included in your link is an example of a "front squat," it's definitely a knee problem waiting to happen.

Just because weight lifters do a move doesn't mean it's necessarily safe for the majority of people. Most times, quite the contrary. They often can choose moves that have high risk and high benefit. Weight lifters have blown out their knees or lower backs from risky moves. Weight lifters also do full squats, with knees bent at an extreme angle. While possibly 20% of the population (I'm just picking a number out of the air, could be more, could be less, but not the majority, IMO) could do these two moves with no problem because of the way they are built, most people couldn't. And since knees are a more sensitive area in women than in men (because of the Q angle--the angle at which the legs join the hips), I wouldn't recommend them. Buy YMMV.