Got Elite FTS Heavy Rev but they were too stiff. Then I got Iron Z and they’re really flimsy.
I tried on a pair of Grippers but I really dont want to buy another pair. Im still squatting 70ish percent, so maybe when I get towards 80ish I’ll try the heavy revs again. My teammates were saying my knees wont bend till I have at least 400 on the bar
I know u said you don’t wanna buy another but I’d recommend the Lilliebridge Wraps or Pioneer Phantoms (both made by pioneer) because I know that they are next level compared to the Iron Zs.
Also I have hit depth in them with mid 300s though to be fair depth with or without knee wraps isn’t really an issue for me.
Split squats, lunges and goblet squats.
I might try my teammates lilliebridge wraps
Yeah, my program still has me in high 200s for reps, so this may not be the best time for wraps
How did you position your feet on the sled?
Close and low ?
I like leg press. I can do 3x10 @ 500+ lbs in 10 minutes. That is pretty efficient volume. The leg press at my gym is at a steep angle, and the pad at the bottom is horizontal. This allows a lot of hip flexion compared to other leg press machines I have used. TBH, most of them are pretty poorly designed. Remember, to load it up too. If your machine is at 45 degrees, multiply the weight by about 0.7, and remember that you are not lifting your body weight either.
I also do Bulgarian split squats. I hate them though. Did you get that SSB padding fixed? You can do Bulgarian split squats with an SSB in a squat rack, and if you start to tip over you can just grab the rack. I have done them outside of a rack, and tipped over once. Made a lot of noise, so now I do them with safeties and something to grab.
The belt squat is another excellent option if your gym has one.
If you can try other people’s wraps that might be the best option to figure out what works for you. I have figured out that stiff wraps with not too much stretch work best for me, and not wrapped insanely tight. Part of that is because they are also less uncomfortable than stretchy wraps wrapped super tight, but that’s just an added bonus. Basically, with stiffer wraps you don’t need them to be too tight to get some good rebound. Stretchy wraps will have to be tighter to do anything. Also, the thicker they are and the more wrap you have behind the knee, the harder it will be to hit depth if that is an issue for you.
Apparently EliteFTS heavies are very similar to the red slingshots. I’m not a huge fan of the slingshots because I find I don’t much rebound unless I wrap real tight and then it’s hard to hit depth. I’m currently using Titan Signature Golds. A large part of what works for you will depend on your technique, mostly how wide, how much knee flexion, and how fast you descend.
Take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK74rJZj2z0
I got a leg press that the seat and everything is such that it goes deep without my lower back moving about but last sesh was the first time I tried it so dunno how it goes with heavier weights.
Split squats really do seem like an attractive option right now even if I haven’t tested them out yet. Like lunges on the spot but I can go deeper and pump out reps faster
The first time I tried it by my bed I fell over lol but hopefully with practice and DBs by my sides I can at least just support myself instead of flopping
Really high rep goblet squats, maybe with your heels elevated on a small weight plate, and then high rep walking lunges. Don’t worry about adding weight, just do one set of 30-50 reps (depends on where you’re at) and add 10 reps or so weekly.
Front squats did the best for me. Just sets of 5 made my quads fairly big. But my legs grow fairly easily. I think the above will maybe suit you better though.
Belt squat is another good option. I just started doing these and I really like them. I just do a poverty setup. Dip belt, a loading pin, two boxes and a power rack. I leave out the lockout ROM and it is brutal.
Has anyone suggested high rep trap bar?
Low.
I change it up on how wide I put my feet out. Narrower is more VMO and wider is the outer quad sweep.
The combination of the band and low foot position keep my quads pretty isolated even with the wide stance.
Another option I just thought of which is the first weighted lower body exercise I did after injuring my SI joint are smith machine lunges with the bar in the front squat rack position. Because the load is so much lower than with a front squat the upper back’s ability to hold the bar never becomes an issue.
Tried that once decided it was brutally awkward never tried it again lol. Is a loading pin one of those where you can stack the plates flat onto it and clip it at the top?
12 reps of bulgarian split squats with some decent dumbells on each hand. Good isolation work for each leg too.
Yes. I haven’t brought myself to try it on a cable machine. Nothing stopping me aside from looking like an ass haha
That’s why I hold onto the power rack when I do them, don’t try to cheat but just use one hand to keep balance and hold a dumbbell on the opposite side. Otherwise if you don’t have good balance then it will be like squatting on a bosu ball.
This is a thread specific to the quads so I do think your spot on in your assessment regarding holding onto something for balance.
I just want to point out that doing this will lower glute medius and adductor activation. That’s one of the reasons single leg work is often recommended when people have wobbly knees during squats.
Is it better to fall over or wobble around? How much more glute medius and adductor activation to you get when you are off balance? If you can do them without holding anything then it would probably be better but that’s not an option for everyone.
I don’t think there’s anything better for bringing up lagging quads than the hack squat. People who squat tons of weight can be seriously humbled by a few plates on the hack squat machine. I’ve seen all sorts of new, flashy hack squat machines, but the old school ones are the best, IMO.