squats or front squats

[BeastCook]

im going for straight up mass right now and im wondering which one is better for building huge quads, regular squats or front squats or how bout both in the same workout?
like this

squats
leg presses
front squats

what would be the best way to build up huge quads?

[shizz702]

Squats are the best mass builder you can do, period. Don't overthink this shit bro, just squat hard, deep, and heavy, add weight on the bar every workout and your legs will grow. Front squats are also a great exercise in their own right, but I would develop solid base of strength on back squats first. If you already are reasonably experienced at squatting though, and mainy just want emphasis on the quads, the front squats do stress the quads more, and may be a better leg devloper, but back squats are best for overall mass.

[BeastCook]

Squats are the best mass builder you can do, period. Don't overthink this shit bro, just squat hard, deep, and heavy, add weight on the bar every workout and your legs will grow. Front squats are also a great exercise in their own right, but I would develop solid base of strength on back squats first. If you already are reasonably experienced at squatting though, and mainy just want emphasis on the quads, the front squats do stress the quads more, and may be a better leg devloper, but back squats are best for overall mass.

you think it would be benefit me if i did both? or just the squats n leg presses?

[shizz702]

you think it would be benefit me if i did both? or just the squats n leg presses?

I think doing both would be overdoing it. I also don't think the leg press is all that necessary either. I think squats, then something to target the hamstrings such as stiff leg deads or leg curls, and calf work is all you need.

Train your squats hard and heavy, do something to hit the hams good, and finish things off with the calfs and you're good to go.

Here's an example of what I'd do:

Squats 5x5, 1x10, work your way up to a top set of 5, then hit a back off set of 10
Leg curls 3x10
Calf raises 2x20

But that's just me, I'm a less is more kind of guy, I think you should do less, but work harder. By narrowing it down to a few exercises you can train the all out and with full intensity.

[Dingo]

i tend to be on the opposite end of shizz, a typical volume leg workout for me is.
3x20 of both seated leg curls and leg extensions, light weight all 3 sets are warmups
3x10 barbell lunges, again light as its still warm ups

back squats: 1x10, 1x6, 1x6, 1x4, 1x10
leg press: 1x20, 1x15, 1x8-10, 2x5-7
front squats: 3x6
(after every comma the weight increases)

leg extensions:1x15, 1x10, then a triple drop set
lying leg curls:1x15, 1x10, 1x10
seated leg curls:1x15, 1x10, triple drop set

my take on it is, the muscles of the legs are made to take a huge amount of beating, so why not wreck them as much as possible.

[Mizzarler]

House alternates between starting out with front squats/leg press/ and back squats from what I remember him hearing, they'll both make you huge

[MrMonday]

Both exercises are equally good in building up the thighs in my opinion, but back squats are more traditional because they allow you to use more weight.

It's an individual thing.


I personally would do back squats, and then EITHER front squats or leg press... then a couple hamstring exercises.

There is no one "best" way to build up the thighs, but there is a lot to be said for squatting heavy weight, and then frying the quads with a 20-rep widowmaker. However, I would say the effectiveness of that philosophy is contingent on your experience level and intensity.

[prowrestler]

as far as anything besides powerlifting where you actualy have to back squat, the front squat seems to be stealing the thunder.

for bodybuilders and alot of athletes that is. all the strength/conditioning coachs seem to be diggin the front squat and im sure there is reasoning behind this.

personly i despise them with a passion and would rather back squat on nails then front squat lol

[GJN5002]

From what I know, Front squat targets more quad, back squat (depending on depth) is more hams and glute. I used to hate front squats but after my knee surgery I found out that its actually easier on the knee to front squat whihc is very surprising.

[BeastCook]

hey i have a sharp lower back pain when ever i do back squats, should i wear a belt? if i wear a belt will it go away or should i see a doc or somethin? whenever i deadlift i never get that lower back pain, its always on back squats, my form with squats is great, and my back day is 3-5 days before my leg workout

[K Stro24]

your back pain could be because of the added weight and stress onto the lower back muscles, a belt may help stablize and support your lower back and help it out a bit, but the assumption with belts is, if u get hurt wearing a belt, it will be worse, or so ive heard. but what type of back pain is it? does it go away a few minutes after ur squats? or is it there throughout the day?

if its there for longer than a few minutes after ur squats, u may wanna see a doctor. but my buddy i squat with had lower back pain real bad, and when i was spotting him one day, i noticed that when he squats, he sorta shimmies his butt and torques his lower back which was causing his pain.

[rocky36]

Are you completly sure your form is good? A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they are doing something right but in reality its flawed... But as for the belt yes you can use one, in fact i would encourage you to use one esp. when you get to your heavier working sets.

[BeastCook]

your back pain could be because of the added weight and stress onto the lower back muscles, a belt may help stablize and support your lower back and help it out a bit, but the assumption with belts is, if u get hurt wearing a belt, it will be worse, or so ive heard. but what type of back pain is it? does it go away a few minutes after ur squats? or is it there throughout the day?

if its there for longer than a few minutes after ur squats, u may wanna see a doctor. but my buddy i squat with had lower back pain real bad, and when i was spotting him one day, i noticed that when he squats, he sorta shimmies his butt and torques his lower back which was causing his pain.

the pain happens during heavy squats and when i rack the bar the pain last for about 5 min or so, i mean its pain then it become very very stiff, sometimes i even feel it in my leg presses.....after squats of course

[FewL4no1]

hey i have a sharp lower back pain when ever i do back squats, should i wear a belt? if i wear a belt will it go away or should i see a doc or somethin? whenever i deadlift i never get that lower back pain, its always on back squats, my form with squats is great, and my back day is 3-5 days before my leg workout

It may very well be something a chiropractor can help you with. I do not know all of your symptoms, but it sounds similar to a chronic lower back problem I have as well, and a chiro fixed me up and I have never looked back.

Just in case, you may also have weaker abs, so your lower back doesn't have the support it needs for heavy squats, or as others have posted, your form may be a little off.

I would definitely check with a chiropractor, especially if your health insurance covers it.

[mritter3]

i would see a doc,make sure there is nothing else going on with your back, but i would lighten the load till you get your form 100% perfect, and for the heavier sets put a belt on.

[BeastCook]

hey i cant do back squats anymore because i have a lower back pain everytime i back squat.....i never tried a smith machine back squat but, has anyone here tried them and if so, does it take your lower back out of it? do you feel any kind of stress in that area?

[mritter3]

it may help keep your back straight, but you should still have a little stess on it, have you tried a belt, or starting at a very low weight and very slowly working your way up?

[BeastCook]

it may help keep your back straight, but you should still have a little stess on it, have you tried a belt, or starting at a very low weight and very slowly working your way up?

no i havent tried a belt yet, how much do they cost? yes i start at low weights for example like this

95x5
135x5
185x5
205x5
225x5
275x5
315x5

[mritter3]

belts run anywhere from 25-50 bucks, at what point or weight do you start to have the back pain? Have you watched any vids on you tube on squatting, for form reference? do you go ass to grass?

[BeastCook]

belts run anywhere from 25-50 bucks, at what point or weight do you start to have the back pain? Have you watched any vids on you tube on squatting, for form reference? do you go ass to grass?

yea i go ass to grass, accually i use to never feel pain until i started deadlifting about 7 months ago, and when i started deadlifting i was still imature and would follow my ego and use shitty form when i deadlifted so that got me screwed already. i start feeling the pain around 225, but thats why i changed from free weight squats to smith front squats, no back pain legs growing fine, but i miss doing heavy back squats

[shizz702]

Have you tried free weight front squats as an alternative instead? I think they would be more productive and they have much less torque on the lower back than back squats.

[BeastCook]

Have you tried free weight front squats as an alternative instead? I think they would be more productive and they have much less torque on the lower back than back squats.

i do em on a smith

[deadlifts]

Free weights usualy allow more natural, full range of motion than smith machines. Smith machines sometimes cause the stabilizer muscles to get less work.

How are you doing on your deadlifts and other back exercises (good mornings, etc)? Maybe you could try strengthening the back more to help you with your squats.

[BeastCook]

Free weights usualy allow more natural, full range of motion than smith machines. Smith machines sometimes cause the stabilizer muscles to get less work.

How are you doing on your deadlifts and other back exercises (good mornings, etc)? Maybe you could try strengthening the back more to help you with your squats.

my deadlift form is good, some powerlifter corrected it for me while i was in the gym, i dont do any good mornings, accually i havent had any back pain for a good month now, so i may try back squats tommrrow

[deadlifts]

Go for it Bro!

[Joey D]

When do you squat,and when do you deadlift? What days?

[BeastCook]

When do you squat,and when do you deadlift? What days?

my split use to look like this

chest
back
rest
legs
delts and arms

but i changed it up today

back biceps traps(no deadlift)
chest
legs (quads)
delts
lower back and hamstring (deadlift)
triceps

[BeastCook]

just got back from some heavy squats, accually i didnt feel anykind of stress in my lowerback, but once i was done with the squats as i was putting the weights away (meaning i have to bend down) thats when i started noticing some burning lower back pain, i think ill buy a belt

[BeastCook]

hey any good methods on getting good flexibility to squat with both heels on the ground, my heels cant stay on the ground, i usually have to put a 10lb plate on my heels but even with that it still hurts my lower back

[MrMonday]

SquatRX:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq8CWv8UPAI&feature=related

Watch the whole series.

[BigChrisF]

Try widening up your stance a little and squatting in stable, flat soled shoes.

When you begin to squat, push your hips back as the first movement before you start to descend.

[Muscleguy93]

I got the same prob!

[shizz702]

Don't put anything under your heels, that will fuck your knees up in the long run.

There are two good stretches that will really help with your depth, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUKWnGcu5Ss

and this http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=1736931

^Watch the vid on the second page called "prying."


Focus on shoving your knees out, that also helps a lot.

[Northman]

There are some very good tips here. I'd recommend stretching your calves regularly and don't do any bent knee calf raises for a bit. Also try to push through your heels and the outside of your foot during the positive portion of the rep. Another thing to try is to stretch out the plantar tendon. Take a golf ball and roll it under each foot for 30-60 sec every night before you go to bed.

[Big Wides]

Stretch out those hamstrings and find a stance that is comfortable for you to squat in. I would reccomend just working on your form with a broom stick on your back like a barbell and find your own sweet spot. Then progress to the bar and get the form down right with weight.

Also stretch out the groin, quads, abs, hips, back and practice pushing through your heels. Break at the hips on the decent and push the knees out while squeezing your ass on the way up

[BigChrisF]

I've haven't found that squatters can sit back far enough without some weight. Something that isn't too terribly heavy, but heavier than a broom stick or just the bar.