spartacus
Well-known member
this question has long interested me given my weak legs. My thoughts have also been pricked by the recent thread concerning 'the appearance of strength'.
And don't get me wrong; I think the squat is one of the great exercises.
But from a non-lifting perspective, especially for individuals who are reasonably tall or who have a much stronger posterior chain and back (such as myself), I now prefer leg press over squats.
For the past 2-3 months I have given squats away and carried out leg presses, combined with lunges, stepups, leg extensions and leg curls.
As my leg press has gone up, so my deadlift shows signs of getting back to 2011 levels, even though I only started light deadlifts a few weeks ago (last did them last October).
So, my conclusion is leg press is more effective for myself in terms of intense lifting to build leg strength than a squat.
I also note that my best ever standing long jump (2.9m) was achieved after a winter of leg presses and leg extensions.
While I am not arguing that squats are not a great exercise, I am interested in your thoughts from a non-lifting sport perspective, in line with attached?
http://bretcontreras.com/leg-press-functional-strength/
And don't get me wrong; I think the squat is one of the great exercises.
But from a non-lifting perspective, especially for individuals who are reasonably tall or who have a much stronger posterior chain and back (such as myself), I now prefer leg press over squats.
For the past 2-3 months I have given squats away and carried out leg presses, combined with lunges, stepups, leg extensions and leg curls.
As my leg press has gone up, so my deadlift shows signs of getting back to 2011 levels, even though I only started light deadlifts a few weeks ago (last did them last October).
So, my conclusion is leg press is more effective for myself in terms of intense lifting to build leg strength than a squat.
I also note that my best ever standing long jump (2.9m) was achieved after a winter of leg presses and leg extensions.
While I am not arguing that squats are not a great exercise, I am interested in your thoughts from a non-lifting sport perspective, in line with attached?
http://bretcontreras.com/leg-press-functional-strength/