Tag Archives: leg training

Can Zercher Squats Replace Back Squats?

| by Truth Seeker |

Short answer: Zercher squats are a potent lower body exercise despite their lack of fame. In some cases, they could effectively replace the classic back squat. However, the two lifts are not entirely interchangeable because of their unique characteristics. What Are the Main Differences Between the Zercher Squat and the Back Squat? Back angle If […]

Bulgarian Split Squats: The Most Hypertrophy-Friendly Single Leg Lift

| by Truth Seeker |

The Bulgarian split squat (BSS) has the highest potential to produce hypertrophy of the lower body out of all single-leg lifts because: The difficulty of the exercise can be amplified to a very high level. The range of motion at the knee and hip joints is sufficiently long and can be increased even further by […]

Are Squats Enough for Quads?

| by Truth Seeker |

Short answer: In most cases, the classic barbell squat is a very adequate quadriceps builder that can get you to your maximal quad potential. The strongest points of the squat are its closed-chain nature and the convenience that it offers in terms of programming.  The squat allows you to overload the quads with very heavy […]

9 Legit Reasons to Skip Leg Day (mainstream bodybuilding dogma got it wrong)

| by Truth Seeker |

The worshipers of the muscle fiber take great pride in “trashing” their legs through various movements resembling light medieval barbarity. The mainstream bodybuilding axiom teaches that if you are not blasting your legs, you are not covering the requirements needed for the formation of a physique capable of triggering wicked levels of external admiration.  Some […]

Will Heavy Leg Presses Give You Big Legs?

| by Truth Seeker |

It was a leg day. I went to the gym, said a dead “hello” to the manager and paid for one workout. He stared at me with his hanging dog face and exclaimed, “You come here frequently. A membership would be a cheaper solution.” I didn’t make a sound and just looked at the refrigerator […]

GETTING PSYCHED BEFORE HEAVY SQUATS

| by Truth Seeker |

I woke up with the type of heavy pressure that only a brainwashed addict can feel on a squat day. I took one of my squat T-shirts, lifting chalk to prevent the bar from sliding, cotton shorts, my good old mp3 player, a digital camera and left the apartment. I needed the last one to […]

In Defense Of The Leg Press: Reasons NOT To Squat

| by Truth Seeker |

In Defense Of The Leg Press: Reasons NOT To Squat When I started visiting an actual gym, I was already under the heavy influence of the so-called functional lifting community. Most of the information that I found was promoting free weights as the best way to train. Exercises done on machines were described as a […]

Why Upper Body Workouts Are More Popular Than Leg Training

| by Truth Seeker |

It takes about one or two gym visits to meet a captain upper body – a lifter devoting most of his time and effort to the arms, chest, and back. The usual excuse of the biceps warriors for not training the legs is a history of volleyball or basketball. “I used to do a lot […]

Why Olympic Weightlifters Don’t Do Low Bar Squats

| by Truth Seeker |

The popularity of the low bar squat has reached epic proportions. In many commercial gyms, Starting Strength zealots occupy the squat rack for 45 minutes in order to do weird bar bends with the back almost horizontal to the ground. I am very familiar with similar training because once upon a time, I was one […]

Is The Back Squat Enough To Develop Big Hamstrings?

| by Truth Seeker |

The quadriceps and the glutes do most of the work during back squats, but if you squat below parallel, your hamstrings also have their fair share of fun. Are back squats enough to develop big hamstrings? Not really. If your goal is to build the best hamstrings you can have, exercises like deadlifts, good mornings […]