Hello guys👋
Just want to ask, specifically if we want to choose one machine for quad hypertrophy, would the leg press do the job ?
Leg extention is really uncomfortable for me and I’m tired of forcing the reps, I’m using bodyweight to target quads, but what I really want to know is if leg press and this alone would serve the best for my purpose, maximum hupertrophy. I’m thinking of doing leg press for quads as, because currently I’m focusing on other lifts, not load up the squat, its starting to create a lot of stress that I’m missing things, and I just want to find something almost equal to squat to reeally destroy quads.
What’s your best use or workout program (sets, reps, stance etc) you are doing as far as we’re talking about press and you’ve seen gains?
This answer is coming from another noob, so take it with a grain of salt. With my athletic background, last year I was sporting chicken legs relative to my upper body, which was still small…that’s how small my legs were!
Split squats and especially lunges did the trick for me. Granted, this was after I spent some time building some (seriously, some, not a lot at all) strength in the squat, so maybe that laid the foundation. My advice: pick up a heavy pair of dumbbells and do walking lunges. Don’t stop at the top, just do one stride into the next.
You can do a certain number of sets and reps, striving for more reps with higher weight and better form over time, or just do one all-out set that’ll make you sick. If you push the sets hard enough, when other things in life feel hard, you can picture those grueling sets of lunges and realize it’s not that bad. I stopped doing lunges after 12 weeks because my formerly puny quads were now looking too big in comparison, and I had to buy all new pants.
leg press will strengthen your quads, yes. It’s not ‘almost equal’ to squats though. Why are you trying to find something almost equal to squats, rather than just squatting?
The machine squats are a better simulation of squats than leg presses because they incorporate the hips and hamstrings more appropriately. I never do leg presses, but I do machine squats frequently.
If I had to pick one exercise it would be RFESS Rear foot elevated split squats or Bulgarian split squat as some people call them. Holding dumbbells in both hands (I dont have good enough balance to use a barbell). Keep the reps fairly high 8-10 and the rests between sets short.