[quote]forbes wrote:
Serd wrote:
Hi all,
I mainly want to increase my strength especially in my squat and deadlift.
My legs are my weakest body part and I really need to get them stronger.
Are you more interested in powerlifting or bodybuilding?
Your first statement suggests the former, while the second suggests the latter.
If its powerlifting, then I really don’t know. BUT, if its bodybuilding (which I assume because you’re in the bodybuilding section) then why MUST you deadlift/squat? Maybe those exercises aren’t best suited for your body. Perhaps you should try another exercise, like front squats and Romanian deadlifts. They may work your quads and hams better than a traditional squat and deadlift. In bodybuilding, the goal is to choose the best exercises that stimulate your muscles, and get stronger at them. Just because people have espoused the benefits of a certain exercise, doesn’t mean its the best exercise for you. And from the sounds of it, those exercises don’t stimulate your target muscle’s very well.
Heck, you can keep Bill Starr’s template, just replace the squats/deadlifts with a different, more suitable exercise for you. For example, replace squats with front squats or leg press, and replace deadlifts with Romanian deadlifts or Good Mornings. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that.
Just my thoughts though.
[/quote]
Forbes thank you for your response.
I still want to focus on bodybuilding (hypertrophy), but I realize how important it is to gain strength in order to gain size.
I’ve been following a split routine for about 4 years with some upper body/lower body splits thrown in throughout because I like how my body reacts to a change in stimulus from big compound movements in upper/lower splits to more specialized isolation exercises in split routines.
I use a wide variety of exercises in my workouts such as the front squat (which i believe is a great quad builder) and RDLs.
I just think that my strength is really lacking, but I am not a beginner by any means.