At my gym I'm not supposed to do any squatting, but I really want to know how much I can squat. While leg pressing I max the machine out at 190kg/418lbs, and reckon I could gas it to maybe 220kg/484lbs. From this could I guess my squat. As it is a different movement I presume not, however could I get a rough estimate at the lowest I could squat? Such as 200lbs which is well under half of my leg press?
If I can legpress 418lbs/190kg, then in theory can I estimate my squat?
- Thread starter Woodt
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its impossible to say. If you have been leg pressing all your life then your stabilizers probobly arent develouped, so the squat would be alot lower.
You cant squat at your gym? is that a rule. man, go to another gym. Is it allowed to do single leg stuff? like bulgarian squats, one legged squats, etc. If so, focus on those rather than leg press, unless your goal is purely size. (even if it is, you should definitly put some of those in addition to the leg press)
You cant squat at your gym? is that a rule. man, go to another gym. Is it allowed to do single leg stuff? like bulgarian squats, one legged squats, etc. If so, focus on those rather than leg press, unless your goal is purely size. (even if it is, you should definitly put some of those in addition to the leg press)
And it depends on what type of leg press machine you are using. I have seen dozens of different varieties and they all "feel" different and alow you to use a different amount of weight. My gym has a couple of selectorized machines, one I can barely do 140 pounds on, another I can do the entire stack of 500 pounds and a couple of plate loaded ones I can do over 1,000 pounds on. It also depends on what ROM you are using. I saw a skinny little guy at the gym the other day and he put 1500 pounds on one of the plate loaded leg press machines, but never released the catches so he was lifting from the catches to lock out, only about a 2" ROM! I always try to get the maximum ROM I can on any leg press machine and when I squat.
An interesting anechdote for what it is worth. Many years ago I also went to a gym where there wa no squat rack. They had a nautilus brand leg press machine. I used that heavily for a couple of years. Then they remodeled and added a squat rack. So I decide to try squating again. Started with 145, 12 reps no problem. When up to 195, again 12 reps no problem. Loaded up 225. At the bottom of the first rep something in my back popped. It hurt a little so I hit the showers. The next morning the back spasms started and I could not get out of bed for 3 days! Fortunately I had only strained a muscle and there was no permanant damage. The moral of the story is, even though your quads might be strong enough to squat more, your supporting muscles may NOT be ready to assist, so go slow when you start squating.
An interesting anechdote for what it is worth. Many years ago I also went to a gym where there wa no squat rack. They had a nautilus brand leg press machine. I used that heavily for a couple of years. Then they remodeled and added a squat rack. So I decide to try squating again. Started with 145, 12 reps no problem. When up to 195, again 12 reps no problem. Loaded up 225. At the bottom of the first rep something in my back popped. It hurt a little so I hit the showers. The next morning the back spasms started and I could not get out of bed for 3 days! Fortunately I had only strained a muscle and there was no permanant damage. The moral of the story is, even though your quads might be strong enough to squat more, your supporting muscles may NOT be ready to assist, so go slow when you start squating.
What I mean by 'not allowed' is that there is a 16 year old age limit for the gym. For weights this is taken seriously and people are on awares for people if they are under 18 or look young. I'm 14 (nearly 15) and the gym instructors turn a blind eye, however if I were to start using the weights they might not be so unaware - even if I was 16. Just how it works. Other gyms are the same.
Yeah, good lesson btw
Yeah, good lesson btw
This is my stupid leg press story.
So I'm in the gym and I am loading the leg press, which I hate because you have to find like 40 plates and load them all and it is a pain in the butt.
So there I am wondering if there is a bum or something outside that I could hire to load the weights for me for like a Big Mac or something when it hits me.
Why am I doing leg press? I could not come up with a good reason. So I never did the exercise again, and my workouts were shortened by about 20 min since I did not have to load and unload a stupid number of plates.
That was in 1997.
So I'm in the gym and I am loading the leg press, which I hate because you have to find like 40 plates and load them all and it is a pain in the butt.
So there I am wondering if there is a bum or something outside that I could hire to load the weights for me for like a Big Mac or something when it hits me.
Why am I doing leg press? I could not come up with a good reason. So I never did the exercise again, and my workouts were shortened by about 20 min since I did not have to load and unload a stupid number of plates.
That was in 1997.
Ha, nice story. But my leg press machine at my club is like state of the art. All the weights are already loaded onto it. I'm just worried about my legs because they seem very thin. I really want to squat, but realistically all I have is about 30kg of barbell at home (or as dumbells which is terrific for upper body) a rowing machine, then the machines at david lloyd (my fitness club). Squats would ideally be the best thing for me to develop power in my legs. I want to get faster, but atm I am resulting to high reps + jumping a lot in an attempt to create power. But then there is the leg press and all the other leg machines which target every part of your legs. Really I need to work on my hamstrings and quads.
In all seriousness, squatting, regardless of how much weight you use is a good idea.
You can use dumbbells when training legs as well. Lunges are a great exercise for quads and hamstrings.
All types of deadlifts can be done with a bar or dumbbells. This will help train your hamstrings more.
Leg press will always be a supplemental exercise, never a primary exercise, when it comes to leg training. If you feet are higher and wider you will train more hamstrings. If they are closer and lower you will train more quads.
You are young so you will have results if you are doing any exercises properly. If you are doing a lot of leg press, make sure that you are training your core well. That way when you start squatting more you will find stabilizing the weight easier and more comfortable.
A little advice, when you can drive, get a job, get a gym membership at a gym that has proper equipment and a staff that can help.
Hope that helps.
You can use dumbbells when training legs as well. Lunges are a great exercise for quads and hamstrings.
All types of deadlifts can be done with a bar or dumbbells. This will help train your hamstrings more.
Leg press will always be a supplemental exercise, never a primary exercise, when it comes to leg training. If you feet are higher and wider you will train more hamstrings. If they are closer and lower you will train more quads.
You are young so you will have results if you are doing any exercises properly. If you are doing a lot of leg press, make sure that you are training your core well. That way when you start squatting more you will find stabilizing the weight easier and more comfortable.
A little advice, when you can drive, get a job, get a gym membership at a gym that has proper equipment and a staff that can help.
Hope that helps.