[C2W]

I'm currently on a 3-day split (chest/shoulders, back/abs, legs). My leg routine is killer: squats, lunges, calf raises, deadlifts, and sprint intervals. I wobble out of the gym.

Problem is I don't see squats helping me with my goals and I'm only doing them because that's what coach always said. My goal is to get a better shoulder-waist ratio (1:1.2 ATM) for sex appeal. My quads are massive (24") and my butt is fine I guess so I don't think I'll turn heads by working them.

What's your wisdom, do I get anything from squats/lunges? What if I just did deadlifts and sprints? Also, as soon as it warms up I'm be outside training for some serious runs.

[lowbudgetballer]

I personally avoid heavyweight squats because I grow out of my pants in, like, 3-4 sessions. It started in middle school, but is far worse now. I like the strength, but if anything my thighs are too big.

I do do low-weight or no-weight squats. I have yet to resolve this problem myself.

[Ensam]

Squats will work your lats if you do them right. They also burn a shitload of calories and boost your testosterone production which will help your gains on other lifts.

[polymath]

Eh, at least you're deadlifting. You'll be fine without squats although there is a certain je ne sais quoi that you're missing out on.

[Vroom]

If I was going to drop any of those leg exercises, it'd be the lunges.

[samsamsam]

Ensam could you elaborate on the lats part? Thanks.

[Ensam]

You should be engaging your lats throughout the whole exercise, from the moment you touch the bar to the moment you set it back in the rack. Think about how your back is at the top of a pull up, that's what you want to feel like through the squat. Another way to think about it is to try and break the bar across your back. Fully engaging your lats will stabilize your spine and make the weight feel much lighter. Same goes for deadlift. I saw my biggest gain in lat size during a period of time where I was only doing squats and deadlifts - no targeted upper body work at all.

[SpecialEd]

(01-04-2014 07:40 PM)Ensam Wrote:  

Squats will work your lats if you do them right.

Well you sqeeze your lats to steady the bar. That aint exactly taking them through any significant range of motion though.

OP, no other leg exercise can compete with the squat. It is the king. That said, if you want to focus on bring on your upper body for a while than no harm done.

[Shooter]

Chest out and back straight at ALL times. Heels shoulder width apart. As you squat down push your butt back and continue maintaining that back. Push your knees out, weight on your heels. Crease of your butt BELLOW your knees and you stand back up.

[Ensam]

(01-04-2014 08:26 PM)SpecialEd Wrote:  

(01-04-2014 07:40 PM)Ensam Wrote:  

Squats will work your lats if you do them right.

Well you sqeeze your lats to steady the bar. That aint exactly taking them through any significant range of motion though.

OP, no other leg exercise can compete with the squat. It is the king. That said, if you want to focus on bring on your upper body for a while than no harm done.

Of course. Squats and deadlifts are no substitute for proper lat exercises but contracting your muscles intensely is enough to promote hypertrophy (which is what the OP ultimately wants).

[Teutatis]

You don't need squats but you should work your legs and squats are one of the best exercises for that. Again, if you don't want to do squats for whatever reason you certainly can work and develop your legs very well with other exercises but this

(01-04-2014 07:30 PM)C2W Wrote:  

My goal is to get a better shoulder-waist ratio (1:1.2 ATM) for sex appeal.

(01-04-2014 07:30 PM)C2W Wrote:  

What's your wisdom, do I get anything from squats/lunges?

tells me not only you're most likely lazy because working legs hurt and are just looking for confirmation that you don't have to do legs but also that you're a kid that's only interested in beach muscles and will end up ridiculous with a huge upper body and chicken legs like so many I see at the gym.

[dog24]

Eventually you're gonna grow out of the "i only lift for girls" mentality, and you're gonna wish you had done squats. Most guys who have 5+ years in the gym get bored and want to try other stuff like powerlifting or oly lifting. Once you get past a 1100 lbs total its gets harder and harder to add pounds and takes lost of time.
Think ahead a couple of years this is a marathon not a race.

[PompeyChris]

Switch on to a powerlifting split.

Not necessarily in powerlifting rep ranges.

Bench Press - chest exercises, shoulder presses and triceps.

Squat - lunges, squat variations etc.

Deadlift - Back exercises, and biceps.

[betterthanyou]

If you're doing deadlifts and sprints in the same session you don't need squats that day. It taxes the CNS too much.

Also I agree - a few months of squats will make you need to buy new slacks...my shits almost ripped on me.

[WesternCancer]

Cut out all leg shit but deadilifts and squats. You don't even have to go that heavy, just do them.

They work a lot more than just your legs, hell they work a lot more than just your muscles. You build that mental toughness grinding out reps of squats.

If you deadlift/squat right you won't need to do most of the time consuming accessory lifts you probably do.

[Hades]

Sure, squats make "everything" grow but if you're getting lat increases from squatting, your lats are probably detrained. I'm not saying it can't happen, I am saying that it's because you're neglecting chins. Deadlifts, on the other hand, seem to stimulate the lats.

C2W, your only workout goal is to get a better V-taper and you're spending serious time working lower body?

Why don't you just try doing nothing but deadlifts and sprints and see where that gets you? I haven't back squatted in months (no squat rack) and my legs are about the same size as they always were. I don't do much outside of deadlifts, pistol squats, and the occasional weighted carry.

A decent lower body program could be nothing but heavy farmer's walks, deadlifts, and (hill) sprints.

[SpecialEd]

(01-05-2014 07:07 AM)Teutatis Wrote:  

tells me not only you're most likely lazy because working legs hurt and are just looking for confirmation that you don't have to do legs but also that you're a kid that's only interested in beach muscles and will end up ridiculous with a huge upper body and chicken legs like so many I see at the gym.

Chicken legs are an exaggerated problem. The legs hypertrophy much easier than the upper body due to the presence of largely slow twitch muscle fibers. Just bicycling can build beastly legs. What most guys lack is a well-developed upper body and that is what women notice. It is simply the undeniable truth. A broad back and shoulders with big arms and a narrow waist will get you eye fucked everywhere you go. It is an evolutionary indicator of health and therefore demonstrates your higher value.

The idea that squats will also help your upper body is an unsubstantiated myth. Hypertrophy is caused by increases in localized muscle tension. It is the complete opposite of fat loss which is a whole body process.

[Rocklion2000]

If I were you I'd be less concerned about getting rid of the squats and concentrate more on getting rid of the sprints. Why are you running on a leg day? Concentrate on the weights, not the run. IMO. I see nothing in doing sprints that promotes muscle growth. The fact is, we know nothing about your current weight, goals, body physique or anything to give you an honest opinion.

You can throw out squats if you want. But I ask you this. Are you on a program? If you're not on a program and tracking everything then you're at standstill just going in the gym throwing iron around. Some guys like staying on the same program and see results. Other guys change their programs every three months, like me, for change of pace and to try to search for better results.

You really seem to be on nothing if you're coming on a gaming Web site and asking people if you should just throw out squats willy nilly.

[Rocklion2000]

(01-05-2014 03:22 PM)SpecialEd Wrote:  

(01-05-2014 07:07 AM)Teutatis Wrote:  

tells me not only you're most likely lazy because working legs hurt and are just looking for confirmation that you don't have to do legs but also that you're a kid that's only interested in beach muscles and will end up ridiculous with a huge upper body and chicken legs like so many I see at the gym.

Chicken legs are an exaggerated problem. The legs hypertrophy much easier than the upper body due to the presence of largely slow twitch muscle fibers. Just bicycling can build beastly legs. What most guys lack is a well-developed upper body and that is what women notice. It is simply the undeniable truth. A broad back and shoulders with big arms and a narrow waist will get you eye fucked everywhere you go. It is an evolutionary indicator of health and therefore demonstrates your higher value.

The idea that squats will also help your upper body is an unsubstantiated myth. Hypertrophy is caused by increases in localized muscle tension. It is the complete opposite of fat loss which is a whole body process.

This is filled with so much false info I don't know where to begin.

One, no bicycling will not build you "beastly" legs. I know many bicyclists was a mountain biker myself for years and the fact is that anyone who bicycles also does so for long rides, which is the enemy for muscle growth. Most of those I know who bicycle are toned sticks. It's the lifestyle they choose, so it's cool, but if you burn more calories than you can take in then you're going to burn anything that leads to muscle growth. And riding a bike alone for about 30 minutes then stopping may give you massive quads, but you'll end up having no calves or anything else.

Two, yes it's medically proven that squats do help other areas. Indirectly. The intensity of squats help release testosterone and HGH, which later on down the road when you're hitting the upper body does help in muscle development.

Three, this is completely on a medical and physical standpoint. You're sitting here talking about vanity and getting laid and saying hey if I look in the mirror I look good. The women will love me. Having a strong lower body doesn't have a damn thing to do with getting laid. It has everything to do with making sure you have strength in your legs so that later down the road when you do have 30 pounds of muscle on your frame you have enough to lift it so it doesn't overburden your heart and you end up having a heart attack at 45.

Won't be gaming much if you're dead will you?

[SpecialEd]

(01-05-2014 03:41 PM)Rocklion2000 Wrote:  

This is filled with so much false info I don't know where to begin.

One, no bicycling will not build you "beastly" legs. I know many bicyclists was a mountain biker myself for years and the fact is that anyone who bicycles also does so for long rides, which is the enemy for muscle growth. Most of those I know who bicycle are toned sticks. It's the lifestyle they choose, so it's cool, but if you burn more calories than you can take in then you're going to burn anything that leads to muscle growth. And riding a bike alone for about 30 minutes then stopping may give you massive quads, but you'll end up having no calves or anything else.

Two, yes it's medically proven that squats do help other areas. Indirectly. The intensity of squats help release testosterone and HGH, which later on down the road when you're hitting the upper body does help in muscle development.

Three, this is completely on a medical and physical standpoint. You're sitting here talking about vanity and getting laid and saying hey if I look in the mirror I look good. The women will love me. Having a strong lower body doesn't have a damn thing to do with getting laid. It has everything to do with making sure you have strength in your legs so that later down the road when you do have 30 pounds of muscle on your frame you have enough to lift it so it doesn't overburden your heart and you end up having a heart attack at 45.

Won't be gaming much if you're dead will you?

1.) Just look at the legs of professional cyclers.

2.) The increased release of endogenous test and hgh from squats is so trivial and momentary that it will not have any significant overall impact. Resistance training in general increase hormone production.

3.) The OP did not ask about general health. He wanted to know whether dropping squats would impact his goal of achieving a better shoulder-waist ratio and attracting women. It wont. You criticize vanity training, fair enough. But this is a game web site not WebMD. And since you brought it up, what the hell does leg strength have to do with heart health. I would love to hear a more detailed explanation of that one....

[Hades]

Rocklion, do you even lift?

[Rocklion2000]

Yeah I fucking lift. Did you not read where I change my program every three months moron?

[AntiTrace]

(01-05-2014 05:53 PM)Rocklion2000 Wrote:  

Yeah I fucking lift. Did you not read where I change my program every three months moron?

[The Lizard of Oz]

(01-05-2014 05:53 PM)Rocklion2000 Wrote:  

Yeah I fucking lift. Did you not read where I change my program every three months moron?

LOL Rocklion

DO YOU EVEN LIFT?

[jimukr104]

(01-05-2014 03:22 PM)SpecialEd Wrote:  

(01-05-2014 07:07 AM)Teutatis Wrote:  

tells me not only you're most likely lazy because working legs hurt and are just looking for confirmation that you don't have to do legs but also that you're a kid that's only interested in beach muscles and will end up ridiculous with a huge upper body and chicken legs like so many I see at the gym.

Chicken legs are an exaggerated problem. The legs hypertrophy much easier than the upper body due to the presence of largely slow twitch muscle fibers. Just bicycling can build beastly legs. What most guys lack is a well-developed upper body and that is what women notice. It is simply the undeniable truth. A broad back and shoulders with big arms and a narrow waist will get you eye fucked everywhere you go. It is an evolutionary indicator of health and therefore demonstrates your higher value.

The idea that squats will also help your upper body is an unsubstantiated myth. Hypertrophy is caused by increases in localized muscle tension. It is the complete opposite of fat loss which is a whole body process.

your right. I am naturally slim but my waist to shoulder ratio(1.56 on adonis index) is extreme. My arms unfortunately like most lanky frames are chicken arms .

That being said.....girls go for face more unfortunatley. On bodybuilding.com hear al lthe built guys mentioning how some pretty boy who is scrawny gets the girl while they get squat
HAHAHA get it...squat? lol
That being said I got my first kidney stone..doctor says most likely due to WHEY.go figure ;(