Squat Exercise: Big Starts Here!

If you want to gain a great overall physique, then there's no other way than to also focus on training the legs. How better to achieve that than to use the king of leg exercises - squats. In order to accomplish your goals, use any of the following methods.

Want Big Quads? Then Go For Squats.

If you've been reading good resources on the subject, you've probably already figured out that to achieve a muscular, powerful, and lean physique, you have to train your legs! Training them hard and with consistency is the name of the game here. Without that, you'll never gain the physique of your dreams that you, and everyone else will admire.

Fortunately, there are ways to train the legs in such a manner that it will aid your strength gain, size and the muscularity that you've already seen regularly on this website, and no doubt on many others. There's one exercise above all others that will help you to gain success.

The Squat

The squat is, with all intents and purposes, the ultimate exercise for the lower body. So, if you are looking for those massive, powerful quads, then the squat is a must-do exercise within your workout program.

There's no question that it's a tough exercise, and if you really push hard, then it may result in DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), but it will prove to be worth it in the mid- to longer term.

How do You Perform The Squat?

Although this exercise may appear to be pretty basic, it's still extremely important that it's performed correctly. It's best carried out within a squat rack for safety reasons. To start, place the bar upon a rack at just below the level of your shoulders. Load up the bar and step under it. Get the back of your shoulders, just below the lower part of your neck, across the bar.

Grab hold of the bar, with both arms stretching out towards each side, and lift up by pushing with your legs and straightening up the torso. Now, step away from the rack and position your feet at shoulder-width apart, and toes pointing slightly outwards.

Maintain a straight back and keep your head up throughout the move.

Now, bend the knees while keeping a straight posture and head still up. Inhale, and then move downwards while continuing to inhale, until the angle between the calves and upper legs is at a little less than 90-degrees. At this point, the front of the knees should be in line with the front of your toes, in the perpendicular.

Should your knees be past your toes then an undue amount of stress will be placed on the knees, which is also a sign that the exercise has not been performed correctly.

Begin to exhale as you raise the bar by pushing the heels of your feet into the floor in order to straighten up the legs and return to the starting position. Simply repeat this process for the desired amount of repetitions.

Added Tips

It's not entirely necessary to maintain your feet at a medium width position. This really depends on your own comfort and you may wish to place your feet either a little closer or wider apart. The important thing is that your knees do not go past a perpendicular line with your toes as you move downwards.

If you are intent on going heavy, then it's wise to protect your knees by wearing knee wraps, as well as a lifting belt in order to afford a level of protection for your back.

You may also do bench squats, box squats, use dumbbells, or utilize a Smith Machine, although in this article we explore only the basic barbell squat.

What's more, make sure you use the full range of motion. If you want to achieve all the benefits of this exercise, then it's essential to go all the way down so that the quadriceps are being thoroughly worked. If you only go a third of the way down, then you are simply enhancing the chances for a nasty injury.

Squatting In The Gym

If you are looking to gain the best shape possible by building leg strength and laying a solid foundation for a great physique, then the following routines will help you to achieve exactly that.

German Volume Training Routines:

Top level, as well as recreational athletes, use the classic 10 sets of 10 reps in order to gain leg power. Pick a weight you feel comfortable with and set to it, with a rest period of 90 seconds to two minutes between sets.

If you fail to achieve your goal, then just try again the next time with the same level of weight. However, if you gain success, then simply add a little more weight for your next workout and continue progressing that way.

Advanced German Volume Training:

Let's imagine that you have not managed to increase the number of reps or the weight and you are completing 12 reps of 100 pounds. Then here's a sample routine that should help you to overcome that sticking point:

Workout 1: 10 sets of 6 reps, at 110 lbs

Workout 2: 10 sets of 5 reps, at 115 lbs

Workout 3: 10 sets of 4 reps, at 120 lbs

Workout 4: 10 sets of 6 reps, at 115 lbs

Workout 5: 10 sets of 5 reps, at 120 lbs

Workout 6: 10 sets of 4 reps, at 125 lbs

Workout 7: Test Day

By workout 7 you should be squatting 10 sets of 125 pounds, which means that within a mere six workouts, you've added 10% strength to the bottom line on your squat. No mean achievement!

54321:

The 54321 routine is another relatively simple routine and it will aid you in achieving the next level of thigh strength.

Choose what for you is a challenging weight and opt to do five reps. Then, go for four reps but with a heavier weight. Repeat this until you reach the final set and perform one single rep with the heaviest weight you can manage. Rest for two minutes between each set. You can of course change the routine around and work the other way from a single heavy rep right up to five reps on a lighter weight.

5 Sets Of 5:

Taking a different version of the above exercise, in this case you perform five sets each with five reps. It's like a mini GVT, and is effective because you are opting for a maximum of five reps instead of 10, with a heavier weight selection.

High Intensity Training (HIT):

The master of HIIT is Dorian Yates, and using HIIT and squats is a good combination. Perform a warm-up set using a light to medium weight, then rest for a minute. Add more weight and do a second set which should not be overly difficult. The final stage should involve a single set of six to eight reps but it's all-out, hard going.

You may be wondering about the one set of 6-8 reps?

The idea is to go as heavy as you can and aim for failure. And the idea is also to reach a point where you need some help in going back up, so make sure you have someone beside you for this particular set. HIIT is really good for those who are looking to add strength and size because you can go in hard and fast, and then rest.

Squat: 2 warm up sets of 10-12 reps, 1 working set of 6-8 reps, 1-minute rest

Leg Movement 2: 2 warm up sets of 10-12 reps. 1 work set of 6-8 reps, 1 minute rest

Leg Movement 3: 2 warm up sets of 10-12 reps. 1 work set of 6-8 reps, 1 minute rest

In Conclusion

The squat is what makes the great actually great, and what also separates those who maintain a gym-rat frame of mind in comparison to those who are the hardcore elite. If you are looking to get big thighs, as well as a large and strong physique, then squats is the name of the game. If you haven't already learned to love the squat, then it's time that you did.

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