Is Barbell Squatting Really Worth It?

No body squats because it's hard. You could do leg press but why? Why do an inferior movement.

Most compound free-weight exercises including the deadlift and bench are “easy to get wrong, especially when done heavy”. Having safeties clamped up is best when squatting heavy. It’s just not important to see your own back in a squat. You could also squat in front of a mirror if it feels better, but it’s slightly suboptimal form to be craning your neck to do so. You can’t easily see if your form is breaking on the last heavy lift in most free weight exercises because you’d be breaking form in the process of seeing it (unless you record yourself).

Squats are indeed the best lower body exercise. Deadlifts are a close second and better for the posterior chain as a whole.

If you think the leg press is an inferior movement to the squat, you have no room for an opinion here. There is no difference in closed chain vs open chain exercises in the context for regular runners trying to get stronger.

If they are equal how is it that people can leg press 4x as much as they can squat?

My 5'1 sister can leg press over 300 pounds. If you put her under a 315 pound barbell she would die.

Leg press is a great exercise. If your goal is just to work your legs.

If you want to work your legs, your core, and your upper body do the squat.

The reason you can't squat what you can leg press is because you're using more than your legs.

50 years ago not too many runners squatted. It wouldn't make much sense for a masters athlete who never squatted when they were young to put a bar on their back.

The leg press is a closed chain exercise. The leg extension is an open kinetic chain exercise.

The squat has been bastardized. Leg press looks good but produces minimal results.

I can definitely go along with the notion that the squat trains far more of the overall musculature of the body. I sure feel it after I’m done. Out of breath and very tired

You really needed to preface this. Those are barely “squats”. More like 1/8th squats. Sure it’ll have good carry over for distance running. But you’re not going to find any distance runners doing “big weight” with full ROM squats.

But I already have big quads. Why should I squat?

I've posted it before so I won't waste my time doing it again. Heavy resistance training and explosive training improves both running economy and performance. There are countless research studies out there. Research Google Scholar.

I don't think runners should do back squats or straight bar deadlifts. They are too taxing. Instead do Front Squats and Trap Bar Deadlifts.

Alan

How do front squats make more sense for runners than back squats? Front squats are more taxing than back for the same weight. Back squats can always be made no more taxing than front by reducing it to the same weight as front and doing more reps. Front squats just engage and tire the shoulders and upper back more and need a bit more mobility, none of which is particularly relevant for running.

Alan believes in the old saying "neither a lifter, nor a runner, be".

Risk vs reward is the reason most athletes don't need to load their spine with a bar.

Alternate between machine squats and barbell.

Thanks, Alan.

Would you... and any coaches reading this... critique my leg workout, please?

I have chronic back problems... tentatively diagnosed by a PT as lumbar spinal compression... and back squats cause problems, even with a lifting belt. Some mornings, I can't walk down the stairs for the first hour or so.

After warmup, I do a leg press ladder with 10 reps each at 260, 240, 190, 140, 90 nonstop as quickly as my partner can change the weights and the last 90lb set to exhaustion. Two sets of 5 box jumps. One leg squats standing on a box and dropping the free leg until the other thigh is nearly parallel to the ground. I do some knee extensions, ham curls, soleus raises, and gastroc raises, skater squats, Bulgarian squats, light RDLs, and one leg hops.

I have access to a trap bar and a plate machine that mimics the movement of a trap bar lift. Should I try to add those lifts? I have a weightlifting belt.

I also do a tire-tow at home... about 30m (12 seconds) with a weight that's heavy enough to use a sprint movement once I get it moving.

Squats made me strong, got my highest vertical, but I had asymmetrical issues, was prone to muscle pulls, and also got sore a lot. So I'm not too sure.

Your impressive results show you’re doing something right, Fisky.

That said: be careful with knee extensions and ham curls. Jeff Cavaliere (check his awesome Youtube channel) says knee extensions are bad for the knees, and ham curl machines are bad because they isolate the hams. He says glutes and hams should always be working together. He recommends alternative exercises for hams such as doing ham curls with an exercise ball while lying on your back.

You are not going to use the same weight at the same % 1RM. The front squat will use lower weight because there is a shorter moment arm at the hip joint.

It is easier to perform a back squat incorrectly yet still perform it such as 'stripper squats'. This places undue stress on the lower back. If you do the same with the front squat the bar will roll off your shoulders.

Crossed-Arm Front Squats remove the wrist mobility problems associated with a clean-grip front squat.

Similar comparisons can be made between the straight bar and trap bar. Do the easier to perform option.

The problem with runners lifting is they tend to throw the same mindset at lifting as they do their running and wonder why they are so sore and tired. You have to think like a strength and power athlete while lifting. This means don't try to run through your sets as fast as possible. If you lifting sets of 5 then take at least 120s rest. If you are building up to a single max set of 2-3 then take 3+ min rest before that last set. Don't perform plyometrics trying to hammer reps out like a drunk bunny.

Alan