I wasn't watching just vaguely listening and when he started talking about how many inches he had, I just assumed this was one of those weird conversations that sometimes pops up in the intros of some normies videos.
I’ve been exclusively front squatting because my shoulders won’t let me hold a bar on my back. Honestly once you get used to it they feel great. I notice I get insane quad soreness (and glutes too). I’m rebuilding my squat strength with front squats and right now I’m basically doing 3x5 around 200lbs. So far linear progression is working, I think once I get closer to 315 for reps my quads will be noticeably bigger- they’re only average now
Do you have long arms? I used to have that problem myself. I was eventually able to do high bar, but I’ll never be able to comfortably get into low bar position. I still squat like a low bar squatter because I have long femurs as well. Anyway, I was available to get a bar on my back by doing some shoulder mobility and upper back work. Try it out if you plateau on front squats.
@@roebuckmckinney I’ve previously tried mobility work and even with tons of bands, foam rolling, stretching etc- my shoulder still hurts. Maybe I just need to do more though. Honestly I’m really enjoying front squats and I want to build a three plate front squat. At that point, I’ll reevaluate and experiment on grips with low bar- then I can really squat big weight again
SS bar is my go to for squats. Couple of reasons for me: 1. So much easier on the wrists/elbows/shoulders. Low bar is strongest for me but if I train it hard, heavy and often I tend to develop golfer's elbow. 2. It's a superior tool for building strength, whereas the straight bar is great for displaying it. 3. The t spine strengthening component cannot be overstated. It transfers well to the deadlift and makes regular low bar squats feel like you're cheating.
I used to have similar elbow issues with the low bar squat. Starting Strength's channel addresses this issue - I had to learn to retract my scapula so I could hold the bar on the "shelf" formed by my trapezius.
Buy a rubber car ramp from home depot and even put on some weightlifting shoes. With a controlled descend, it will almost feel like a hack squat. love it.
Love the SSB, dude. Got one recently and it's way more comfortable on my shoulders. Will always love the low bar back squat, though. Such a great exercise. 💪💯
@Jerome O'Neill Yeah I definitely find it easier to move more weight with the low bar. I'm running a 20 rep squat program though, and yeah it was killing my arms hahah. 💀💀💀💀
SSB master race for me personally. The handles up variation blasts the quads man. It puts the camber farther in front of you and feels like an actual squat instead of a deadlift like the handles down variation
Great points on heel elevation, you've inspired me to start using my squat shoes again after squatting exclusively barefoot/in socks over the last year to build foot strength and increase ankle mobility. Right now ATG Hack Squats, ATG Leg Press and the 1/2 Hatfield SSB Split Squat have been growing my quads nicely.
Belt squats for quads. Everything else is turning your core into a weak link (to different degrees depending on leverages) just because of the limitations of equipment. You can hit quads hard and buy some carryover squats gains cheaper than if you had to do the work with a bar on your shoulders.
Those elevated heel quad dominant squats will 100% f*ck you up! The burn and pump are insane. I've been doing them once a week in ladder sets of ~20 reps, since I don't have a leg extension in my home gym. Mass and definition gains are insane. Killer exercise!
Currently able to squat 160kg for reps and i can say I’m happy with my legs. They reached a good size. As he said, at that point it’s impossible to have small legs
@@iangraham-white5717 from where you’re at right now, 160kg for reps so let’s say 180kg single or 400 pounds, i don’t hear of too many guys getting to that level in less than 2 years, which would be really really good progress. It’ll likely take longer. Depends on a lot of factors like genetics and consistency. You’ll get there if you stay consistent, that’s what’s important.
Really awesome to see Alex embracing Coach Kassem’s style of training. The most optimal way to train for hypertrophy imo. Old school influencer🤝New science based training
I switched from primarily low bar to exclusively high bar a year ago to work on my general squat mechanics and it definitely brought my quads up proportionally to my glutes while only focusing on 1-6 rep strength. I used a narrow stance and 1 inch heel the whole time. I also really like strict paused leg extensions for 3×10-12 pushed HARD
I've been doing only Front squats and it's variations as my gym doesn't have a squat rack but I've found a way to do front squats. Loving the gains, legs are blowing up!
No, actually i empty the fixed barbell rack and place a regular barbell on it and do front squats there. Back squats are also doable but it's difficult to re-rack the weight.
Alex it's cool to see you rocking the shaved head + beard duo, it always suited you the most IMO + making you look even more yoked (I remember your old videos when you said shaving the head gives you the illusion of looking bigger which is true imo).Also, it's really cool that you have been referencing Kas from N1 has he def has been a positive influence on quite a few youtubers lately in regards to biomechanics and muscle biasing. I also follow him and have def learned some stuff too. Hope you're doing well Alex but god damn it's the return of the curfew in mtl f*k !
For the home gymers and leg development with limited weight: Unilateral work Front squats or Narrow squats Lunges (I've done reverse lunges from 6-8's down to 3/2rms for great results Landmine belt squats Landmine reverse hack sq. (heels elevated) Occlusion training (did these for high rep band leg extensions)
I would like to add one thing that is VERY beneficial when trying to target a specific muscle on a compound exercise. Naturally your point of failure is going to be the weakest link, and combined with a wide variety of skeletal structures it's rarely going to be the muscle you're actually trying to work, the solution is PRE-EXHAUSTING the target muscle and going immediately to a compound. So for quads, you would do a quad isolation like leg extensions or quad raises to failure and go straight to squats. I learned this from Mike Mentzer.
This goes against the basics of starting from a compound movement. If you pre-exhaust your quads than your load bearing and perfomance will decrease and everyone knows that the stronger you get, the bigger you get. That's basic.
@@Bane1Mirin I'm pretty well versed in my research. My method is not wrong and neither is yours. After more than 2 years, I still stand on to what I said. Maybe I was wrong about pre exhaust but I'm not wrong about strength and size and doing heavy compounds. Ofcourse i know more reps hypertrophy training is a thing.
@@6pac.you answered your own question like you said high reps increases muscle size sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and low reps heavy weight increases strength myofribrilar hypertrophy explains how theirs 150lbs guys lifting 500lbs + on squat and deadlift etc but are not big in size but strong as hell
I made a similar mistake, I though low bar squats was all I needed to train quads and focused mostly on good mornings, deadlifts, and leg curls. Come to find out you need to focus on training quads to get strong, I know SHOCKING
Especially for people with long femurs like myself then front squats are an outstanding exercise. (SSB as well). I found using oly shoes and attempting to improve ankle mobility by foam rolling worked wonders.
Brian Aslure always said with the SSB to drive the handles up out of the hole. Definitely helped me stay upright and also have me a pretty good trap pump.
I'm doing paused ATG squats atm for 3-4 sets of 12 with 6 minutes rest in between. Insane pump and I expect my TNG squat to improve as well. Never been a fan of low reps squatting, the lowest I would go is 8.
@@wally139 And that's the issue I see. People be squaring all kinds of weight, but for 2 and they wonder why the muscle ain't there. Higher reps are generally better for muscle
Ive just started high bar squatting again and the quad tension is great. I think front squats are also an amazing movement, but i think you ca get a lot of the benefits of front suqats from doing heavy front rack holds
I like feet elevated zercher squat for these purposes. Don't have an ssb bar and can't front squat due to long forearms. The pump is insane, and i like that they improved my ankle and knee mobility. Getting to 26 inch legs as an early intermediate
Hack squats with a 1.5 to 2 inch block underneath. It's easy for me to overload without a spotter. Do high reps 15 to 25 reps till either your legs collapse or you're out of breath. Dont like the whole big glute thing.
i stopped squats because of lower back pain. But yesterday I tried deadlift behind the back , masive pump in the quads and no back pain ! Though i felt my technique was not very on point , I had to do a weird movement for the lock out as the bar get stuck into my harmstrings , a technique video would be nice ;) Love from France
I might start to need this soon enough. I've done a ton of belt squats, and yeah they're wide and yeah my quads are pretty big, but I still think I am posteriour-dominant. I never fret having load on my hams or glutes. It's how I naturally do it. I squat upright. I prefer high bar, and can't even really DO low bar.
I've been using weightlifting shoes for the last couple of years. I got so bad leverages, long limbed, short torso and skinny, but it helped my squats. Had to relearn the squat (due to impropper form) and now I can ATG highbar. When I hit intermediate stage I will get a loading pin and squat belt and start with belt squats.
I finally got 505 on the high handle trap bar deadlift yesterday using the bulgarian light method you suggested a few years back. My trap bar deadlift went from 450 to 505 in less than a week. I didn't really think it was possible until it happened. Thanks for all the lifting advice, Alex. You have helped me on my journey more than anyone else, and I wouldn't have done it without you. Thanks for the work that you do.
I reached 25.5 inch legs (which is about 70/30 ratio of muscle/ fat) by just doing 3-5 second eccentric heavy leg presses and going balls to the wall with adequate recovery (active and passive). Did hamstring curls to try and balance it out since I can't RDL due to an elbow injury atm. But ye, leg press also superior in my opinion. Optimal for hypertrophy, not optimal for mobility.
@Rubi I feel the exact same. Every time I do leg press my knee pain comes back. But Bulgarian split squats, front squats, and deadlifts are completely fine
@@Jakob-nu2hc Yeah man that's fine. Some exercises just weren't meant for everyone. For me, leg press was always good as long as I had strict and intentional form, however, the bulgarian split squat obliterates my knees. So we all just got to play to what we can do for longevity. Still going to try to master the squat and bulgarian split squat though because these movements I feel are more translatable to our every day life, so congrats to you honestly haha.
@@matthewstein5424 Yeah we all gotta work with the arsenal we got. And i firmly agree that the leg press is one of the best mass builders for the legs. As they are isolated but still needing a lot of power to get through the movement. But the aspect of unilateral training for example the Bulgarian split squats will probably have more carryover to things like skating and even just walking. Though it requires a lot of focus and a decent amount of balance to perform the movement
For me i noticed the best quad and leg growth in general from treating the hack squat as my main leg lift anywhere from 6-10 rep range using the entire range that the machine allows as well as a low bar paused squat and deadlift and then bringing up the volume with leg extension and hamstring curl for reps of 15-20 hitting legs 4x per week since my split has come to a full body alternating push/pull routine due to my schedule growing more busy over the years
SSB fanatic here. Forced to switch to ssb because of shoulder pain. I'll never go back. It's the ultimate legs/core/back buster. I'm 43, train in my garage exclusively with ssb and my legs are bigger than ever. Bigger than when i used to do regular squat, press, leg extensions.
Ssb squats was absolutely liberating for me i have long femurs and short torso so when i do back squats i feel it more in my lower back more then legs but with the ssb i feel it all in my legs the quads glutes hamstrings.
Agreed with everything you said. The only thing I would add is Hatfield Squats. As a 6ft3 long leg/shorter torso lifter, I find any type of back squat places too much emphasis on my lower back. Hatfield squats allow me to sit as deep into the squat as possible with a upright torso. I can also add an extra 40kg to the bar as it's purely legs.
I do Barbell squat for strength purposes, and at the end of workout session I always do Sissy squat to hit my legs more for hypertrophy purposes without tiring out my whole posterior chain. It works like wonders for me
Hi Alex! I used to squat 3 times x week, with 2 low bars and 1 high bar with bands in recovery day, ended up fkin up my low back when I got to do a 4sx4 at 160 kgs, even if I managed to do a 7sx5 at 150, and still today, after 2 and a half years after injury, I have to be extremely careful with my squats. I remember that my legs were nice, but my ass became a hot air balloon, because I am tall with long legs and short torso. Recovery was long as fk, and when I closed, finally, a 5sx5 at 150 kgs, my low back started to feel awkard again, so with a new coach we switched to do more lunges, more bulgarian split squats, ONLY high bar twice a week, and some safety bar front squats. My low back now is fine, my quads now are balanced with my posterior chain, and I am getting close to a 150x5 in high bar that I couldn't even approach when I was so strong in low bar only. This gave me also a new motivation to see things to another prospective, more bb-oriented in order to build my "lost" strength, and I also hope to apply this in my bench press too, that is really close to 150 kgs paused on chest. Thank you for all the good information, keep it up!
This dude opened up my eyes on leg development, ive been stuck on my leg growth but my strength is semi decent for my weight... I've been doing a lot of 135lb squats for 20 reps each leg day come out fatigued as shit legs are sore but they don't grow, they just look lean/muscular but the growth doesn't happen. I will be changing the outlook on how i do Squats now and go for heavier loads.
What is your 1 rep squat max? How many squats were you able to do in a row with 135lbs? Do you think being able to do 135lbs squats 100x in a row without rest would help?
I just started the SSB last week because my quads are seriously lacking and sometimes doing regular squats feels awkward. The SSB is awesome! I feel it in my quads way more, and I can honestly already see some great quad growth. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever go back to back squats. I love the em.
7/8 squat with a pause in the hole, dont lock out at the top, keep constant tension on quads with heels elevated. Prime fitness makes great squat blocks. If you are not getting ready for a powerlifting comp, who cares how much is on the bar? You can grow with lighter loads if tension and leverages are applied correctly
I love front squats and they helped my leg size to a degree, but I'm front squatting 365 and my legs are only 25-26' at 22% bodyfat, 6'2 tall so while I'm very happy with the strength gains, the size wasn't amazing (I gained maybe an inch or 1.5 inches during this year of front squats
Damn that's way to weak bruh....squat atleast 315 for 5 reps or 370s as one rep max.....maybe you are just fat that's why your quads are 24,i can squat 315 for 7-8 reps and my quad is only 26.5
Gave up low bar for the SSB. My quads BLEW UP. Blew way past my LB maxes. Could be body mechanics or whatever, but it was a completely different ball game...
Alex im an old man by now 31yo to be exact. I just want to know what kind of dimensions you have on the room that is equipped with the lifting gear. The older one gets the more efficient in time and its value one will know. Maybe you should do a video were you film ALL your equipment and details about them. Also the minimum m^2 that is requierd for what you have. Its just easier to copy whats already working for you. Also I think this video ide is good for us subscribers and for your channel algorithmically wise.
I have noticed over time squatting high bar mostly that if i focus on pushing the ground away more through the balls of the feet, it feels way more in my quads, without it feeling that I am tipping forward or doing something otherwise unhealthy
i feel like my sfr in general is a lot better on elevated heel Squats. I feel it better in my quads, my spinal erectors arent overly beaten up, i get mor ROM and using the same Weight and Sets. Do you think altering the Squat can actually change the sfr for some people?
Yo Alex, you’ve spoken very highly about the front squat in the past as well as the Zercher squat in naturally enhanced. Are they not adequate for quad plus yoke gains?
Goblet squats are it for me, man. High volume, slow tempos, pause reps, down sets, etc. Been getting good results along with kettlebell swings for the posterior chain.
@Dean I currently do 70 lbs. I just do high volume reps like I mentioned up above. I don’t do 1RM with them or anything less than 10 reps. Just want big quads. That’s just what works for me right now. It just got easier loading up as I went up in weight.
I’m doing front squats with the titan fitness front squat harness. With that you can balance the weight on the harness,and use your hands to help you do forded reps,almost like frank zanes squat machine.
Just some backstory I have always had pretty weak legs. I started squatting like 2 years ago and my max was 185 and tbh it probably wasn't even fully to depth. Anyway, after about a year I was finally getting up 275lbs at 155bw, which for me was huge progress but I was still no where near "strong" on squat. Somewhere around 6 months ago I fell off and lost a ton of progress, and after having been so obsessed with trying to gain strength in my squat I decided to just put some more size on my legs and get some better endurance and functional strength, so I started doing 20 rep sets. I did that for around 3 or 4 weeks and a lot of my strength came back, but it was so cardio focused I couldn't figure out why I couldn't do more than 155lbs for 2 sets of 20 reps. Today I wanted to see where my max was and ended up getting 265, again still 155lbs bw, which is okayish. But when I put 185 on the bar I was able to do 15, and honestly still had some in the tank. So now I've realized those super high rep squats are too cardio focused, and probably the best way to see an increase in strength and size is to sit somewhere between that 8 - 15 rep range where you're grinding out those last couple of reps.
The Overhead Squat is great and is also used as functional movement screen too and if you can load it up it is pretty much the same as the part of the snatch. The Front Squat similarly is the rack position in the Clean (and Jerk) and if you can load it up is a great exercise. I really like the Box Squat though great for developing explosive power and ideal for most sports particularly track and field. Alex what's your opinion on complex pairs? Hope your well and have a Happy New Year.
I have long femurs, so for me it is really dificult to do proper squats, but I LOVE them. Throughout the years, I have developed a great amount of mobility to be able to do squats with my long legs!
I actually like smith machine squats. During lockdown i did a lot of free weight barbell squats in my basement but noticed more of my glutes and hams getting more sore. Smith machine i feel i target the quads a lot more. I know some people like it some dont but regardless free weight or machine, x amount of weight you lift is still the same x amount of weight free bar or machine.
One thing recently that pushed me to lactic acid threshold was stair lunging. There's a spot near me which has around 250 stairs bottom to top. So taking every other stair and focusing on ctrl and pace was quite brutal after doing repeats on that for 45-60 min. Both on my legs and work capacity. I've found that doing unconventional stuff like this or steep hill sprints for example often kick my ass and stimulate hypertrophy in my legs better than squats. Alex also makes a good point about being posterior chain dominant. I did recreational powerlifting for a lot of years. So that style of squatting always hits the hamstrings/glutes harder.
What about low-handle heel elevated trapbar deadlifts? SSB is not always accessible in gyms and a SSB takes up a lot of space in a homegym for limited usage.
I think I read AS suggest the raised heal decades ago. However, I've since then been warned about the dangers of knee damage from forward shins during squats.
this dude hung in there for years and never quit. gotta respect him for that.
Why is this in the normies shippuden Playlist
THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING
I knew I was going to find this comment
I assumed it was a glitch but I think one of them accidently put it in when tryna get gains.
I wasn't watching just vaguely listening and when he started talking about how many inches he had, I just assumed this was one of those weird conversations that sometimes pops up in the intros of some normies videos.
Is it still there
I’ve been exclusively front squatting because my shoulders won’t let me hold a bar on my back. Honestly once you get used to it they feel great. I notice I get insane quad soreness (and glutes too). I’m rebuilding my squat strength with front squats and right now I’m basically doing 3x5 around 200lbs. So far linear progression is working, I think once I get closer to 315 for reps my quads will be noticeably bigger- they’re only average now
with low bar, try varying grip width, as well as thumb over vursus thumb under grip. there will be a sweet spot ;)
I zercher squat for similar reasons. Elbows are an issue for me
Do you have long arms? I used to have that problem myself. I was eventually able to do high bar, but I’ll never be able to comfortably get into low bar position. I still squat like a low bar squatter because I have long femurs as well.
Anyway, I was available to get a bar on my back by doing some shoulder mobility and upper back work. Try it out if you plateau on front squats.
@@roebuckmckinney I’ve previously tried mobility work and even with tons of bands, foam rolling, stretching etc- my shoulder still hurts. Maybe I just need to do more though. Honestly I’m really enjoying front squats and I want to build a three plate front squat. At that point, I’ll reevaluate and experiment on grips with low bar- then I can really squat big weight again
@@jonm.678 For 99% of the population, 315 on a front squat is big weight. Get it, bro.
SS bar is my go to for squats. Couple of reasons for me:
1. So much easier on the wrists/elbows/shoulders. Low bar is strongest for me but if I train it hard, heavy and often I tend to develop golfer's elbow.
2. It's a superior tool for building strength, whereas the straight bar is great for displaying it.
3. The t spine strengthening component cannot be overstated. It transfers well to the deadlift and makes regular low bar squats feel like you're cheating.
There is literally no reason to use a straight bar. The ssb is superior in every way imaginable. I wish more gym had them
SSB all the way. Unable to do barbell squat because of shoulders, i bought a used ssb, it's the best investment I've ever made
I used to have similar elbow issues with the low bar squat. Starting Strength's channel addresses this issue - I had to learn to retract my scapula so I could hold the bar on the "shelf" formed by my trapezius.
Buy a rubber car ramp from home depot and even put on some weightlifting shoes. With a controlled descend, it will almost feel like a hack squat. love it.
You’ve grown and matured a lot throughout the years Alex.
Love the SSB, dude. Got one recently and it's way more comfortable on my shoulders. Will always love the low bar back squat, though. Such a great exercise. 💪💯
@Jerome O'Neill Yeah I definitely find it easier to move more weight with the low bar. I'm running a 20 rep squat program though, and yeah it was killing my arms hahah. 💀💀💀💀
SSB master race for me personally. The handles up variation blasts the quads man. It puts the camber farther in front of you and feels like an actual squat instead of a deadlift like the handles down variation
Whatsup Bald Omni man, you and alex inspired me to shave my head as well
@@ahmetberkayhan5498 good decision bro
Honestly one of the biggest game changers
@@AlexLeonidas absolutely. It’s been a secret key in my quest for a 650 dead
Heavy ass low rep split squats are my go too
Great points on heel elevation, you've inspired me to start using my squat shoes again after squatting exclusively barefoot/in socks over the last year to build foot strength and increase ankle mobility. Right now ATG Hack Squats, ATG Leg Press and the 1/2 Hatfield SSB Split Squat have been growing my quads nicely.
Belt squats for quads. Everything else is turning your core into a weak link (to different degrees depending on leverages) just because of the limitations of equipment. You can hit quads hard and buy some carryover squats gains cheaper than if you had to do the work with a bar on your shoulders.
High bar squats & front squats with some weightlifting shoes was a game changer for me. Blasted my quads to Narnia.
Those elevated heel quad dominant squats will 100% f*ck you up! The burn and pump are insane. I've been doing them once a week in ladder sets of ~20 reps, since I don't have a leg extension in my home gym. Mass and definition gains are insane. Killer exercise!
Currently able to squat 160kg for reps and i can say I’m happy with my legs. They reached a good size. As he said, at that point it’s impossible to have small legs
@@iangraham-white5717 from where you’re at right now, 160kg for reps so let’s say 180kg single or 400 pounds, i don’t hear of too many guys getting to that level in less than 2 years, which would be really really good progress. It’ll likely take longer. Depends on a lot of factors like genetics and consistency. You’ll get there if you stay consistent, that’s what’s important.
Strong mofo. My PR is 140 for a single.
@@TheBcoolGuywe all start somewhere
140 is a very good number bro, you will get 180 easy
Really awesome to see Alex embracing Coach Kassem’s style of training. The most optimal way to train for hypertrophy imo.
Old school influencer🤝New science based training
I switched from primarily low bar to exclusively high bar a year ago to work on my general squat mechanics and it definitely brought my quads up proportionally to my glutes while only focusing on 1-6 rep strength. I used a narrow stance and 1 inch heel the whole time. I also really like strict paused leg extensions for 3×10-12 pushed HARD
Ah yes. High bar is king. And leg extensions with slow eccentrics is the best way to get the quads working.
I've been doing only Front squats and it's variations as my gym doesn't have a squat rack but I've found a way to do front squats. Loving the gains, legs are blowing up!
You just power clean the bar up?
No, actually i empty the fixed barbell rack and place a regular barbell on it and do front squats there. Back squats are also doable but it's difficult to re-rack the weight.
you should try to use zerchers aswelll
I personally love zombie squats, found my form was awful on back squat. changed to zombie started with bar, it's really cleaned my technique up
Alex it's cool to see you rocking the shaved head + beard duo, it always suited you the most IMO + making you look even more yoked (I remember your old videos when you said shaving the head gives you the illusion of looking bigger which is true imo).Also, it's really cool that you have been referencing Kas from N1 has he def has been a positive influence on quite a few youtubers lately in regards to biomechanics and muscle biasing. I also follow him and have def learned some stuff too. Hope you're doing well Alex but god damn it's the return of the curfew in mtl f*k !
For the home gymers and leg development with limited weight:
Unilateral work
Front squats or Narrow squats
Lunges (I've done reverse lunges from 6-8's down to 3/2rms for great results
Landmine belt squats
Landmine reverse hack sq. (heels elevated)
Occlusion training (did these for high rep band leg extensions)
Front squat superiority complex checking in👀
Front Squat is better for upper back, 10/10.
A lot of people don’t have the mobility etc to train them well vs back squats. Front squats are just so much harder to master.
When i stopped the shit with squating by "going back"and started training with knees going forward i actually got great gains.
I would like to add one thing that is VERY beneficial when trying to target a specific muscle on a compound exercise. Naturally your point of failure is going to be the weakest link, and combined with a wide variety of skeletal structures it's rarely going to be the muscle you're actually trying to work, the solution is PRE-EXHAUSTING the target muscle and going immediately to a compound. So for quads, you would do a quad isolation like leg extensions or quad raises to failure and go straight to squats. I learned this from Mike Mentzer.
This goes against the basics of starting from a compound movement. If you pre-exhaust your quads than your load bearing and perfomance will decrease and everyone knows that the stronger you get, the bigger you get. That's basic.
@@6pac.that’s the whole point of pre exhaust so you don’t have to use heavy load on compound exercise
@@6pac.and no not the stronger you get bigger that’s wrong there are plenty of people who are strong but are still small
Do your research
@@Bane1Mirin I'm pretty well versed in my research. My method is not wrong and neither is yours. After more than 2 years, I still stand on to what I said. Maybe I was wrong about pre exhaust but I'm not wrong about strength and size and doing heavy compounds. Ofcourse i know more reps hypertrophy training is a thing.
@@6pac.you answered your own question like you said high reps increases muscle size sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and low reps heavy weight increases strength myofribrilar hypertrophy explains how theirs 150lbs guys lifting 500lbs + on squat and deadlift etc but are not big in size but strong as hell
My quads became my weak link after ignoring them for 2 years exclusively focusing on the posterior chain, so this video comes in hand!
Why did you not hit quads?
@@RDS_Armwrestling Girls care more about a thicc booty
I made a similar mistake, I though low bar squats was all I needed to train quads and focused mostly on good mornings, deadlifts, and leg curls. Come to find out you need to focus on training quads to get strong, I know SHOCKING
Especially for people with long femurs like myself then front squats are an outstanding exercise. (SSB as well). I found using oly shoes and attempting to improve ankle mobility by foam rolling worked wonders.
Same here.
My front squat is pretty much ''as strong'' as my back squat... How is yours comparison?
They're hard on your arms when holding it
@@Beats-By-Anthony I’m seeing progress. My squat used to be 140kg back squat and 90 front. Now it 180kg back 145 front in about 6 months.
@@Beats-By-Anthony that is nice
@@gangstaelegantproductions2780 yh they can be difficult sometimes I can’t lie
Brian Aslure always said with the SSB to drive the handles up out of the hole. Definitely helped me stay upright and also have me a pretty good trap pump.
I'm doing paused ATG squats atm for 3-4 sets of 12 with 6 minutes rest in between. Insane pump and I expect my TNG squat to improve as well. Never been a fan of low reps squatting, the lowest I would go is 8.
How much weight are you squating?
When I go for 8 or more reps on squats I feel like i’m dying
i do a lot of paused ATG squats too but most of the times my cores already fatigued while my legs are still able to do more reps
@thespiritbomb 225 atm. My legs are weaker rhan upper body and have been neglecting them for years, but will catch
@@wally139 And that's the issue I see. People be squaring all kinds of weight, but for 2 and they wonder why the muscle ain't there. Higher reps are generally better for muscle
Solid drop. Quadfather tips in this.
You could make a video about all your special bars and their benefits, it would be cool to see.
Glad to see you squatting again bro, getting those bone density and hormonal benefits!!
Ive just started high bar squatting again and the quad tension is great. I think front squats are also an amazing movement, but i think you ca get a lot of the benefits of front suqats from doing heavy front rack holds
I like feet elevated zercher squat for these purposes. Don't have an ssb bar and can't front squat due to long forearms. The pump is insane, and i like that they improved my ankle and knee mobility. Getting to 26 inch legs as an early intermediate
bro that measurement is insane, how do you percher squat without insane pain in your biceps?
That first second of the video where Alex is pushing through a hard rep has me excited. I can see a squat pr video coming up soon, let’s go Alex!
Hack squats with a 1.5 to 2 inch block underneath. It's easy for me to overload without a spotter. Do high reps 15 to 25 reps till either your legs collapse or you're out of breath. Dont like the whole big glute thing.
i stopped squats because of lower back pain. But yesterday I tried deadlift behind the back , masive pump in the quads and no back pain ! Though i felt my technique was not very on point , I had to do a weird movement for the lock out as the bar get stuck into my harmstrings , a technique video would be nice ;)
Love from France
Hi! Try slant board squats!!! It will help you. And Do soms reverse hyper extensions
A combination of low bar and front squats work well for my quads based on my leverages.
I might start to need this soon enough. I've done a ton of belt squats, and yeah they're wide and yeah my quads are pretty big, but I still think I am posteriour-dominant. I never fret having load on my hams or glutes. It's how I naturally do it. I squat upright. I prefer high bar, and can't even really DO low bar.
I've been using weightlifting shoes for the last couple of years. I got so bad leverages, long limbed, short torso and skinny, but it helped my squats. Had to relearn the squat (due to impropper form) and now I can ATG highbar. When I hit intermediate stage I will get a loading pin and squat belt and start with belt squats.
Commercial gyms need to start buying these SSB bars
I finally got 505 on the high handle trap bar deadlift yesterday using the bulgarian light method you suggested a few years back. My trap bar deadlift went from 450 to 505 in less than a week. I didn't really think it was possible until it happened. Thanks for all the lifting advice, Alex. You have helped me on my journey more than anyone else, and I wouldn't have done it without you. Thanks for the work that you do.
What is the bulgarian light method for the trap bar deadlift?
1:50 I squat like that and I've always been told I do it wrong.
Been waiting for you to drop a video for some time man, you're always producing informative quality content
I reached 25.5 inch legs (which is about 70/30 ratio of muscle/ fat) by just doing 3-5 second eccentric heavy leg presses and going balls to the wall with adequate recovery (active and passive). Did hamstring curls to try and balance it out since I can't RDL due to an elbow injury atm. But ye, leg press also superior in my opinion.
Optimal for hypertrophy, not optimal for mobility.
0% bone? Sorry bro
@@beesmongeese2978 w0t
@Rubi I feel the exact same. Every time I do leg press my knee pain comes back. But Bulgarian split squats, front squats, and deadlifts are completely fine
@@Jakob-nu2hc Yeah man that's fine. Some exercises just weren't meant for everyone. For me, leg press was always good as long as I had strict and intentional form, however, the bulgarian split squat obliterates my knees. So we all just got to play to what we can do for longevity. Still going to try to master the squat and bulgarian split squat though because these movements I feel are more translatable to our every day life, so congrats to you honestly haha.
@@matthewstein5424 Yeah we all gotta work with the arsenal we got. And i firmly agree that the leg press is one of the best mass builders for the legs. As they are isolated but still needing a lot of power to get through the movement. But the aspect of unilateral training for example the Bulgarian split squats will probably have more carryover to things like skating and even just walking. Though it requires a lot of focus and a decent amount of balance to perform the movement
For me i noticed the best quad and leg growth in general from treating the hack squat as my main leg lift anywhere from 6-10 rep range using the entire range that the machine allows as well as a low bar paused squat and deadlift and then bringing up the volume with leg extension and hamstring curl for reps of 15-20 hitting legs 4x per week since my split has come to a full body alternating push/pull routine due to my schedule growing more busy over the years
Heel elevation is great. I usually use a 30 degree slantboard though, cuz I’m running the ATG system for my legs
SSB fanatic here. Forced to switch to ssb because of shoulder pain. I'll never go back. It's the ultimate legs/core/back buster. I'm 43, train in my garage exclusively with ssb and my legs are bigger than ever. Bigger than when i used to do regular squat, press, leg extensions.
Ssb squats was absolutely liberating for me i have long femurs and short torso so when i do back squats i feel it more in my lower back more then legs but with the ssb i feel it all in my legs the quads glutes hamstrings.
@@ineedcomforthelpme3160 same for me. Long femur so barbell squat have always been a kind of good morning. First ssb session was a revelation.
Holy shit, always wanted to see Alex squat lol. Coming back from covid to get stronger right now…
We got this brother
Agreed with everything you said. The only thing I would add is Hatfield Squats. As a 6ft3 long leg/shorter torso lifter, I find any type of back squat places too much emphasis on my lower back. Hatfield squats allow me to sit as deep into the squat as possible with a upright torso. I can also add an extra 40kg to the bar as it's purely legs.
I do Barbell squat for strength purposes, and at the end of workout session I always do Sissy squat to hit my legs more for hypertrophy purposes without tiring out my whole posterior chain.
It works like wonders for me
Even in a quad video, this man serves 🎂
great content, sub from first view of channel
This is just a shout for your thorough content. Appreciate your thought process
Hi Alex! I used to squat 3 times x week, with 2 low bars and 1 high bar with bands in recovery day, ended up fkin up my low back when I got to do a 4sx4 at 160 kgs, even if I managed to do a 7sx5 at 150, and still today, after 2 and a half years after injury, I have to be extremely careful with my squats.
I remember that my legs were nice, but my ass became a hot air balloon, because I am tall with long legs and short torso.
Recovery was long as fk, and when I closed, finally, a 5sx5 at 150 kgs, my low back started to feel awkard again, so with a new coach we switched to do more lunges, more bulgarian split squats, ONLY high bar twice a week, and some safety bar front squats.
My low back now is fine, my quads now are balanced with my posterior chain, and I am getting close to a 150x5 in high bar that I couldn't even approach when I was so strong in low bar only.
This gave me also a new motivation to see things to another prospective, more bb-oriented in order to build my "lost" strength, and I also hope to apply this in my bench press too, that is really close to 150 kgs paused on chest.
Thank you for all the good information, keep it up!
This dude opened up my eyes on leg development, ive been stuck on my leg growth but my strength is semi decent for my weight...
I've been doing a lot of 135lb squats for 20 reps each leg day come out fatigued as shit legs are sore but they don't grow, they just look lean/muscular but the growth doesn't happen. I will be changing the outlook on how i do Squats now and go for heavier loads.
What is your 1 rep squat max?
How many squats were you able to do in a row with 135lbs?
Do you think being able to do 135lbs squats 100x in a row without rest would help?
I just started the SSB last week because my quads are seriously lacking and sometimes doing regular squats feels awkward. The SSB is awesome! I feel it in my quads way more, and I can honestly already see some great quad growth. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever go back to back squats. I love the em.
7/8 squat with a pause in the hole, dont lock out at the top, keep constant tension on quads with heels elevated. Prime fitness makes great squat blocks. If you are not getting ready for a powerlifting comp, who cares how much is on the bar? You can grow with lighter loads if tension and leverages are applied correctly
I love front squats and they helped my leg size to a degree, but I'm front squatting 365 and my legs are only 25-26' at 22% bodyfat, 6'2 tall so while I'm very happy with the strength gains, the size wasn't amazing (I gained maybe an inch or 1.5 inches during this year of front squats
Keep the leg day videos coming man , good stuff 💪🏽
I’ve always squatted high bar like the way you showed. I can barely squat 260 but my quads are 24”, so I would say this works.
My quads are 23 inches with 225x1. Same i do ATG close stance.
Damn that's way to weak bruh....squat atleast 315 for 5 reps or 370s as one rep max.....maybe you are just fat that's why your quads are 24,i can squat 315 for 7-8 reps and my quad is only 26.5
bro how y'all so massive?? I squat 280 at 145lbs bodyweight but my quads are only 21inches!
High volume high bar while keeping the torso upright works best for me.
this was exactly the info i needed. new sub.
Are you and Phil ever gonna collab again? Or maybe do a collab with Kinobody
Thank you bro I needed this is info so badly
Great video Alex! Keep up the good work and thank you for the good advice. You’re the man.
Yo WTF Alex squatting? I can die in piece.
I'm back bro!! Going for lifetime PRs this time.
Gave up low bar for the SSB. My quads BLEW UP. Blew way past my LB maxes. Could be body mechanics or whatever, but it was a completely different ball game...
The clean shave fits you 100%
Alex im an old man by now 31yo to be exact.
I just want to know what kind of dimensions you have on the room that is equipped with the lifting gear.
The older one gets the more efficient in time and its value one will know.
Maybe you should do a video were you film ALL your equipment and details about them.
Also the minimum m^2 that is requierd for what you have.
Its just easier to copy whats already working for you. Also I think this video ide is good for us subscribers and for your channel algorithmically wise.
@Nehra ohh thanx bro
I have noticed over time squatting high bar mostly that if i focus on pushing the ground away more through the balls of the feet, it feels way more in my quads, without it feeling that I am tipping forward or doing something otherwise unhealthy
I have a 77,5 kg standing strict Press and a 105 kg flat bench. Do I have an imbalance? And how can I fix it? I weigh 80kg and 183cm tall
ma man be looking good with the new cut 😏 becoming more and more like kratos !
Great advice and nice haircut. Now you only need a neck tatto and a golden desert eagle.
Love all the videos on variations of exercises!
I only do front squat ATG for main exercise and zercher for assistance and i fookin love it because with only 80kg I feel like a fookin warrior
why is this in the normies naruto playlist 😭
Love just doing heavy front squats all the time
Outside the remit of this vid but I fucking love hack squats with a reverse band set up it's been the best thing for my quads
Hack squats are OP
i feel like my sfr in general is a lot better on elevated heel Squats. I feel it better in my quads, my spinal erectors arent overly beaten up, i get mor ROM and using the same Weight and Sets. Do you think altering the Squat can actually change the sfr for some people?
Front squat with a pause above parallel on the way down will make a man out of you. My best for quads
Yo Alex, you’ve spoken very highly about the front squat in the past as well as the Zercher squat in naturally enhanced. Are they not adequate for quad plus yoke gains?
Goblet squats are it for me, man. High volume, slow tempos, pause reps, down sets, etc. Been getting good results along with kettlebell swings for the posterior chain.
@Dean I currently do 70 lbs. I just do high volume reps like I mentioned up above. I don’t do 1RM with them or anything less than 10 reps. Just want big quads. That’s just what works for me right now. It just got easier loading up as I went up in weight.
I’m doing front squats with the titan fitness front squat harness.
With that you can balance the weight on the harness,and use your hands to help you do forded reps,almost like frank zanes squat machine.
QUADGANG CHECKIN IN
Smith squats with feet slightly forward is amazing as well!
Dig the cut bro! Makes the traps look meaner 💪🏽
Always bringing the 👍
I love high bar back squats but front squats are king!
Rocking the bald look brother
Just some backstory I have always had pretty weak legs. I started squatting like 2 years ago and my max was 185 and tbh it probably wasn't even fully to depth. Anyway, after about a year I was finally getting up 275lbs at 155bw, which for me was huge progress but I was still no where near "strong" on squat. Somewhere around 6 months ago I fell off and lost a ton of progress, and after having been so obsessed with trying to gain strength in my squat I decided to just put some more size on my legs and get some better endurance and functional strength, so I started doing 20 rep sets. I did that for around 3 or 4 weeks and a lot of my strength came back, but it was so cardio focused I couldn't figure out why I couldn't do more than 155lbs for 2 sets of 20 reps. Today I wanted to see where my max was and ended up getting 265, again still 155lbs bw, which is okayish. But when I put 185 on the bar I was able to do 15, and honestly still had some in the tank. So now I've realized those super high rep squats are too cardio focused, and probably the best way to see an increase in strength and size is to sit somewhere between that 8 - 15 rep range where you're grinding out those last couple of reps.
For the past year I've been doing Olympic lifting and seen huge quad growth doing only high bar atg and front squats in heels
Wow so early was waiting for you to upload
The Overhead Squat is great and is also used as functional movement screen too and if you can load it up it is pretty much the same as the part of the snatch. The Front Squat similarly is the rack position in the Clean (and Jerk) and if you can load it up is a great exercise. I really like the Box Squat though great for developing explosive power and ideal for most sports particularly track and field. Alex what's your opinion on complex pairs? Hope your well and have a Happy New Year.
I have long femurs, so for me it is really dificult to do proper squats, but I LOVE them. Throughout the years, I have developed a great amount of mobility to be able to do squats with my long legs!
I actually like smith machine squats. During lockdown i did a lot of free weight barbell squats in my basement but noticed more of my glutes and hams getting more sore. Smith machine i feel i target the quads a lot more. I know some people like it some dont but regardless free weight or machine, x amount of weight you lift is still the same x amount of weight free bar or machine.
One thing recently that pushed me to lactic acid threshold was stair lunging.
There's a spot near me which has around 250 stairs bottom to top. So taking every other stair and focusing on ctrl and pace was quite brutal after doing repeats on that for 45-60 min. Both on my legs and work capacity.
I've found that doing unconventional stuff like this or steep hill sprints for example often kick my ass and stimulate hypertrophy in my legs better than squats. Alex also makes a good point about being posterior chain dominant. I did recreational powerlifting for a lot of years. So that style of squatting always hits the hamstrings/glutes harder.
Shut up
Amazing video from an amazing person
always highbar pause squatting + elevated knees but my quads never got activated until I stoppped pointing the knees outwards but instead more forward
What about low-handle heel elevated trapbar deadlifts? SSB is not always accessible in gyms and a SSB takes up a lot of space in a homegym for limited usage.
That's another great option, definitely go for it brother.
Facts bro
I was squatting high bar yet no quads activation. I put some 10 lbs under my heels and it's like damn it's a whole new world.
I'm surprised the zombie front squat didn't make the list! Huge upper back gains as well as quads all day !!
I think I read AS suggest the raised heal decades ago. However, I've since then been warned about the dangers of knee damage from forward shins during squats.