HighIntensity.net View Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Topic

hey guys,

i train alone which eans i have no spotter and i′ve been doing my squats in a smith machine. the thing is as i′m increasing the weight each workout, i′m beginning to think that a smith machine is not the safest way of doing them.

what do you guys think of barbell hack squats? i was thinking that if i couldn′t get as much out of my legs with a set of hack squats then maybe i could follow it up with a 15-20 second static hold on the leg press.

any comments?

I would personally not do hack squats because of the increased forces on the knees. They are VERY bad on the knees.

Darrell

i′ve never done hack squats but i supposed there is alot of pressure on the knees.
what do you feel are the best alternatives to regular squats.
i thought about leg presses but i think i′ll be losing the benefit of working the traps, shoulders and back without doing squats.

Do you have access to a trap bar? If so, trap bar deadlifts are FANTASTIC. They really work the legs a lot AND the other muscles you mentioned. I don′t even do squats or any direct leg exercises anymore since doing those.

Darrell

Just wanted to add to the good responses Darrell made. I believe Trap Bar Deadlifts are a great substitute for those who can′t or don′t want to squat due to back or personal preference. Stuart McRobert states that if you Trap Bar Deadlift while standing on two 15-kg plates you will greatly increase quadriceps involvement. I tried this a few weeks ago, and my quads really got hit extra hard. Stay away from Hack Squats, they will surely create problems for your knees sooner or later.

Darrell, guys who work at my gym tell me that me and one other person are the only ones who use the Trap Bar. It amazes me that such a great tool is being ignored by so many people!