Don't nobody wanna squat!

[Zack]

Anyone experience this with friends/workout partners? I work out with a couple people who will hammer their upper body, but come leg day, they wuss out and I'm doing it alone. I know leg days done right (squats. leg press, deadlift, etc) are the hardest days and hardest exercises to do. I just can't find any friends that will work their legs hard. Most people won't do their legs hard like their upper body. I don't mind this, I like working out alone usually. Just an observation.

 

Leg days done right are hell..I suppose not many wanna go through the pain and hard work?

[cubby2112]

I notice the same thing. My friend I have working out with me at at school is the first partner I have had who will to squats and everything with me. The squat racks are usually pretty easy to get to at the gym, because the only thing most people do with them are shrugs. So, I suppose it is a nice thing in a way.

[robert]

I love to squat, it's my favorite exercise, but I can't do them at the moment.

 

I've seen some people get scared of them in the past. I'd get nervous but not scared.

 

Chest and Legs were the scary ones but the most fun a well.

 

Ain't nuthin to it but to do it!

[Odidnetne]

I hate doing squats, but I've calf raised 600 lbs and do other stuff, but other than not doing squats, I still have a hard time walking when I'm done with legs.

[Zack]

Nothin beats squats for leg development.

[Troy]

LEGS!!! Mental games. One thing the Marines taught me is how to outsmart your bodies "limits". Squatting is like hitting the wall in a marathon, you push your body to limits it doesn't want to exceed, but with the right heart and intensity, you can and will, and will have nothing but gains to show for it. I always thought, if you're not gettin nauseated, you're not doin legs hard enough.

 

Starting to squat next week with my newbie partner, he has never squatted, but has been putting in some major tomato faced, vein popping efforts during our leg press and lunge workouts. People don't realize the whole overall effect of incorporating good leg workouts...

 

Go Hard or Go Home!

[Zack]

LEGS!!! Mental games. One thing the Marines taught me is how to outsmart your bodies "limits". Squatting is like hitting the wall in a marathon, you push your body to limits it doesn't want to exceed, but with the right heart and intensity, you can and will, and will have nothing but gains to show for it. I always thought, if you're not gettin nauseated, you're not doin legs hard enough.

 

Starting to squat next week with my newbie partner, he has never squatted, but has been putting in some major tomato faced, vein popping efforts during our leg press and lunge workouts. People don't realize the whole overall effect of incorporating good leg workouts...

 

Go Hard or Go Home!

 

Well said.

[robert]

My butt hurts just thinking about how much I miss squats!

 

I hope to be healthy enough with my back to squat with Team 200 during Vegan Vacation this year!!!!!

 

I used to toss em up all the time, 300+ pounds on the squat and I truly miss those days and know that nothing is as beneficial to gaining size and strength as squats are.

 

Sit deep my friends!

[Guest]

I think part of the reason people don't like doing squats is that you don't get to sit down. No matter how hard you push there is a sort of comfort and laziness that comes with being able to lie down on a bench or sit on a leg press machine. Also its not as rewarding since you can't see legs as obviously as the upper body. Anyhow I'm OK with people only doing upper body stuff so long as they don't mind looking ridiculous.

[Wobbly Lifter]

I don't consider my workouts, workouts if I don't squat. I go ass to ankles and am stronger for it.

[Ravi]

Article on T-Nation...."The Third World Squat". http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1856085

 

Some great tips to help you get proper technique, and balance the load more evenly across hams/glutes as well as quads.

 

I just did squats today, and did the ass to ankles variety, which was something I use to think was poor form. I used less weight than normal, but it felt much better than stopping my legs at 90 degree angles. Worked my glutes a lot more as well and took a load off my back.

[VeganDude]

Yeah, squats are great! I also prefer to go as deep as possible.

For a while I did not understand how you could lift until you puke, I mean I could go all out and never felt sick. Until I started squatting hard! I haven't puked working out but I understand now that you could..I've come close.

 

I die twice a week, at the end of every leg workout, and love it

[Zack]

I second the puking thing. I have come close several times during squats. Leg days done right are a killer.

[jonathan]

Squats are the cornerstone of your entire workout programme, not just the leg day. Best lift there is, and should be done at least once a week, ideally twice.

 

Rob, as I have said to you before, I think you would be able to squat if you started out with just the bar, nailed the form (I mean really nail it) and gradually worked up from there. I have trained with dozens of different people, and I have never met anyone who couldn't squat, just quite alot of folk who didn't want to squat.

 

Regarding nausea, I reckon squats are king for just totally killing you. I did 10x150kg (330lbs) this week and couldn't speak for a couple of minutes after I was so knackered!

[Daywalker]

I second Jono, squats are the foundation of the whole routine and every other exercise is built around them.

 

It's a mental game no doubt.

 

I've seen some people get scared of them in the past. I'd get nervous but not scared.

I get nervous even on the light days and i am scared shitless before heavy sets!

I love and hate squatting, but the rewards are worth the pain - the best is the feeling of triumph and pride when you really digged deep to go beyond your limits.

 

On a sidenote, i wouldn't recommend going balls to wall every squat session. The more advanced you are as a lifter, the less often you should go to failure on squats.

[SeaSiren]

I love 'em .... nothing better

 

The circle I work out with all do them, don't know about the guys I see workout periodically. And I have only seen 1 other female do them the enitire time I wo there ... most of them stick to the cardio room (and I never see them make any progress).

[beforewisdom]

I have trained with dozens of different people, and I have never met anyone who couldn't squat, just quite alot of folk who didn't want to squat.

 

Whenever I do any kind of pressing motion with my legs I get sharp pains on the outside side of my knees, as if someone just jabbed a knitting needle into it.

Once I make some goals I am going to try to find some kind of orthopedic specialist to tell me what it is about. My "web diagnosis" is IT band syndrome, but an ocean of stretching hasn't made it go away.

[beforewisdom]

I love 'em .... nothing better

 

How do you keep your legs from getting thick? I think many people, particularly women don't want their legs to get large, especially since most pants are made for spindly legged people.

[DV]

I still suck at squatting. I'm now doing it by standing on a stool and holding 45 lb. plates by my sides. And I can just about get to a 90 degree angle. My legs are coming along but something's got to improve drastically in the next few months.

[cubby2112]

I have trouble getting my squats very much below parallel, so I will try what that T-Nation article suggests. Thanks for posting that.

[VeganEssentials]

I think my past statements here have shown what I think about squatting quite well It's killing me more to have NOT been able to do them this past month, but that'll change next week when I finally get back to them again.

 

I hated squats for years for 2 main reasons -

 

1. I thought it was better to be able to put up sets of 1000+ lbs. on the leg press because I envisioned that more is better, in that more weight meant better gains regardless of the exercise. I was quite wrong.

 

2. Squats, done correctly and done to where you are seriously working them, ar HARD! Deadlifts come in a close second, but when you deadlift, you can drop that bar any time you feel you need to if you wanna quit early. When you've got weight on your back, it's not as easy to give up in the middle of a set. Nothing incorporates more body parts into working all at once than squatting, and that's not making it any easier.

 

Seriously, my training did NOT take off as well until I started squatting, and after getting hurt a few times and having to take some squat breaks, my training slowed down in overall progress. Thre REALLY make a difference in how far you're going to take your overall size and strength - if your mission is to get as large as you can, you won't make the most of your progress by avoiding squats. If you want to have the strongest legs possible, you're going to have to squat, period. Nothing else comes close. They can seem intimidating if you have injuries, but there have been many, many people who believed that they'd never be able to squat after a back injury, knee injury or something else, and through safe (safe being the key word here), have come back stronger and with less daily pain in the end. Perhaps there's a small fraction of people who will never be able to squat because of a pre-existing condition, but I'd safely assume 4 out of 5 people who have said they can't squat due to being hurt simply have not taken the time to ease back in again. It's an ego blow to have to start very light (which I will have to do next week), but if it means being able to squat correctly again one day, so be it. Two years ago I was told I should stop lifting entirely after I injured my back - I've had a few setbacks since then, but with squatting I KNOW I'm going to be stronger than ever in 2008!

 

Here's some inspiration to get everyone going!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=5KkvrVq_0CM

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=BV8sNlVkL9o

[Guest]

I used to love doing sets where people took plates off after I failed. Nothings better for getting a burn than lifting exactly as much as you can with the weight on the bar....dropping it a little...then trying again.

[SeaSiren]

I love 'em .... nothing better

 

How do you keep your legs from getting thick? I think many people, particularly women don't want their legs to get large, especially since most pants are made for spindly legged people.

 

Not enough testosterone in my system. An impossibility for me to get to big without doing something to change that. (unless I pack on a lot of fat)

[Guest]

Yeah very few women can actually get super bulky to the point of having unattractive muscular legs without the benefit if drugs. I say within reason in terms of what a woman can do naturally that even the biggest legs are pretty hot.

[beforewisdom]

Yeah very few women can actually get super bulky to the point of having unattractive muscular legs without the benefit if drugs. I say within reason in terms of what a woman can do naturally that even the biggest legs are pretty hot.

 

Well, some guys don't want thick legs either. I'm one of them. My legs get muscular very easily. Even if I didn't get mysterious pains when I squat I would be concerned with me legs getting wide to the point that pants would fit right and that my legs would rub together when I walk.