My Rock Lee Workout plan

[DeweyisOverrated]

You basically said it yourself, Zeality.  Squat is more difficult because its not on a track, like a leg press machine would be.  On top of that, with a leg press machine, you can use a lot of your body mass to do the pushing. (Think of how your back is up against a seat, a lot of the pressin force will come from that).  Squat won't have that, and oyu'll have to use power and balance at the same time.

[Radical_Dreamer]

You basically said it yourself, Zeality.  Squat is more difficult because its not on a track, like a leg press machine would be.  On top of that, with a leg press machine, you can use a lot of your body mass to do the pushing. (Think of how your back is up against a seat, a lot of the pressin force will come from that).  Squat won't have that, and oyu'll have to use power and balance at the same time.

Although there is less risk of hernia, or such is my understanding, when one uses leg press instead.

[DeweyisOverrated]

I'm not so sure that's true.  Because you tend to put even more weight on a leg press, thus exerting more force on more parts of the body, more strain, etc.

[Argetlahm]

How much better a squat will apply to you as opposed to a leg press depends on how strict you keep your form during a squat... Don't bother doing that 405 lb 1/2 squat BS that you see most people doing in the gym. Try to get to parallel or lower, and concentrate on the quad/glute contraction, and try varying your foot width every now and then to switch the focus on each muscle group.

I just switched my leg workout Wednesday night... Started with heavy leg extensions 245x10 for 3 sets to get blood flowing (otherwise leg pressing or squatting would be uncomfortable and harder for my to get deep), and then proceed to do some plate loaded leg presses... I did 6 pyramidding sets... I don't remember how much I started with, I just know I went up to 700x5 for my 5th set, and finished with 400 for 12 or so... Then some dumbbell lunges, and finished with 1 legged squats on a non-counterweighted smith machine.

I couldn't walk right yesterday, and it's even worse today   Gotta love leg training like that.

Anyways, I'm an ex-powerlifter. I powerlifted for 1 year, but quit because of joint problems. I'm making the slow as hell transition to bodybuilding now... and let me tell you, it's hard to keep a strict diet   I'm 5'11", 215-220 lbs right now... My highest maxes were a 275 lb bench, 345 lb squat, and 425 lb deadlift a little bit before I turned 17. I was a bit heavier then though, close to 230 lbs. I no longer give a damn about my maxes, and enjoy working towards hypertrophy much more now.

[Radical_Dreamer]

I couldn't walk right yesterday, and it's even worse today   Gotta love leg training like that.

Heh. I know how you feel. I started using the leg press seriously during my senior year in high school. That year, my first class of the day was at the top of 3 stories of stairs. It was rough whenever I'd up the weight. Really rough.

[Argetlahm]

Haha... I usually have to walk up 3 flights, then back to the other side of the school, then back up them, etc at least 3 times a day during school... it blows hard after a heavy leg day.