I find in the gym many clients who persist with performing squats with limited core strength and they wonder why they really struggle with the exercise, don’t seem to get any growth out of their legs and often have issues with their lower back during and after training.
To better understand what is going on with the squat exercise, we need to look at what musculature is involved in performing the squat and for comparison, we can look at the Leg Press or Incline Leg Press and see what the differences are both in terms of muscle groups being used and the weight that can be lifted.
What muscles does a squat use?
When you perform a squat, whilst you might think that it is a leg exercise, it is primarily a core exercise because you are having to hold a weight (bar) on your shoulders and in the process of squatting, you will lean forward which will increase the load being placed on the core and in particular the lower back.
If you do not have adequate core strength to maintain a neutral spine during the squat movement, then you will not be able to lift much weight without the core giving way resulting in poor technique and increasing the shearing forces on your lower back.
Whilst the image on the right is an extreme example, I often see clients reaching the bottom of the squat movement, then when they start to try to stand back up, their core is unable to maintain the appropriate angle and their butt rises first (increasing the angle of load on the lower back) followed by the upper body (either with a relatively straight back or a rounded back similar to the image shown here).
The squat is mainly a CORE EXERCISE, not a leg exercise.
Why can I leg press more than I can squat?
To further explain, most people (including beginners) will be able toleg press 2-3 times what they can squat – this indicates that theirleg strength is far superior to any load they place on their backwhen they attempt to squat.
Ifyou are after either increasing leg strength or size, then you willnot be able to achieve this with squatting a weight that is wellbelow what the leg muscles can handle.
The squat is a great exercise to improve Intra-abdominal Pressure and over time it will lead to your core improving in strength allowing greater loads being added to the squat exercise.
But if you want to maximise the growth of your legs (and don’t want to wait a couple of years to get your core up to strength), then I suggest you add a leg pressing activity to your routine so that you can successfully load your legs with enough load, or train to failure without the core limiting this training stimulus.
Are you experiencing lower back pain after you perform incline leg press? Check out why, here.
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To further explain, most people (including beginners) will be able to leg press 2-3 times what they can squat – this indicates that their leg strength is far superior to any load they place on their back when they attempt to squat.
Related to the above point, because there is no need to balance with a leg press machine, it's much easier to lift a lot more weight. It's not uncommon for someone to be able to lift two or even three times the amount of weight on a leg press machine as when squatting.
The reason for this is because, with a leg press, our body is on a slope. The back of the bench takes on some of our weight, so we don't have to lift that weight as well. That's why it's typical to increase the leg press weight up to three times more than what we can do in a squat.
Why can I leg press more than deadlift? The leg press places far less stabilisation demands on your body in comparison to the deadlift. The leg press also uses different muscles, so it may be that your quads are stronger in comparison with your hamstrings and glutes.
As a rule of thumb, novices should start out using half their body weight. People with more experience can start at three quarters of their body weight. Wherever you start, getting the full range of motion out of your reps on the machine should be your goal. Don't just focus on pressing the most weight you can!
The ideal leg press weight for adult males varies depending on factors such as fitness level and age. For an intermediate male lifter (50th percentile), a comfortable leg press weight is around 191 kg (425 lb). Beginners should start with a weight that's 50 to 75 percent of their total body weight.
The average Horizontal Leg Press weight for a male lifter is 425 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Horizontal Leg Press? Male beginners should aim to lift 156 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.
And that's precisely why you can't ditch the squat. Because the leg press provides back support that the free weight squat doesn't, you aren't getting the same core activation when you ditch the barbell for the machine.
Multiply the total weight on the press (plates plus sled) by sin45° (which is about 0.707). ...
Now multiply by about 85%. ...
Finally, subtract about 80% of your body weight because, as well as the barbell, you have to lift roughly that percentage of your body weight when you squat.
And because you're braced against a pad, you don't have to focus on stabilizing the load, just pressing it as hard and for as many reps as possible. In short: The leg press lets you press more weight with more control.
The squat is considered harder than the leg press due to its free-weight nature, which requires the user to maintain proper balance and control throughout the movement. Additionally, the squat requires the engagement of the core and stabilizer muscles, which may not be as activated during the leg press.
Remember, there's no such thing as a "good" or "bad" leg press weight. For many beginners, leg pressing 100 pounds is an excellent achievement. For more experienced lifters, a 500-pound leg press may be considered ideal.
According to strength standards, a healthy male should be able to leg press: Beginner - 1 x bodyweight. Novice - 1.75 x bodyweight. Intermediate - 2.75 x bodyweight.
More weight plus more reps equal more growth. And because you're braced against a pad, you don't have to focus on stabilizing the load, just pressing it as hard and for as many reps as possible. In short: The leg press lets you press more weight with more control.
With the leg press, your entire body is under the weight pushing upwards against gravity, even though your legs are the focus. With the hack squat, your leg pushes your whole body and the weight on your shoulders against gravity, placing a greater strain on the knees.
In the US they use 45 lb bars and plates. So one plate (per side) is 135 lbs, two plates is 225 lbs, three plates is 315 lbs, four plates is 405 lbs, five is 495 lbs, six is 585, seven is 675 and so forth. We don't use that terminology much here in Europe.
Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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