Even though I have had back and knee issues in the past…everything I read says I need to put squats into my workouts. All roads point here.
That said, the place where I work out does not have a squat rack. They do have a Smith Press but many people in the know say to stay far away from the Smith Press and I have read the reasons why (…and they make sense).
Since we don’t have a squat rack…can I substitute dumb bells and get a decent “bang for my buck” that way?
While we’re on this subject…could I also use dumb bells for bench press if I don’t have a spotter? Quite often, I am working out alone.
I am also going to take the advice of Will and others here and ditch some of the isolated lifts. I think my muscles are “getting used” to them and they are not doing me any good anymore. Also ditching the idea of doing 4 sets of 12 reps or anything like that and going towards one of the 5x5 plans.
Any advice would be helpful. Again, my goal is still to stay lean and not get fat or flabby as I get closer to 50. If I gain some mass because of it…great but getting huge and ripped is not the main goal.
You don’t necessarily need a squat rack to do squats, if they have a power rack that would suffice. Dumbell squats would be ok, but you could also do barbell squats using a weight that you can pick up off of the floor and put on your back.
I also have had back and knee problems being a former football player. I’ve never personally seen the need for squats. The exact proper form necessary to be able to do them and do them successfully without hurting yourself is not worth it in my opinion. There are many other exercises which you can do which will simulate and work the exact same muscles as a squat would.
Some type of squatting is better than no squatting at all. There are always “as good as squat” lifts but they never worked for me. In my opinion it’s probably the most important lift that one can do. Start light, and go from there. People want to stack plates on each side but you must start somewhere. I can’t really think of another lift that works your whole body, besides cleans or deadlifts.
Squatting on the smith machine may work for some people, but the movement felt very unnatural to me. The smith machine seemed to bother my knees more. Stablizers didn’t seem to come into play either.
There is nothing wrong with dumbell bench press. I try to do one chest exercise with dumbells weekly. I wouldn’t phase the barbell completely out though.
5x5 workout plans are great. You can build a ton of muscle and strength with that program.
dumbbells or kettlebells will work … I go this route when I make the mistake of going on a day people decide to do legs. Which I’m shocked is regularly
Barbell Hack Squats if you can get the hang of them won’t require a rack
Ever look into the 5-3-1 Program?? If you are going for strength gains
Yes…I tried the Smith Press and it felt very odd. I never liked that piece of equipment in my teens…at age 48 it still feels odd.
I think I will try them with dumb bells for now. There are dumb bell dead lifts too…I noticed…looks interesting.
Will look into Barbell Hack Squats as well. We have plenty of barbells…just no power rack. Everybody here uses barbells mostly on the flat bench. Odd.
They are remodeling our club and asking for suggestions…I will suggest a real squat rack. We have a good assortment of dumb bells, a good cable fly system and flat and incline benches. Also equipment to do dips and chin ups.
I like front squats when I don’t have access to a squat rack. Every gym has a bench that the bar can be pulled off of for these since the weight used is much lower than conventional squats. A great workout is still possible when utilizing proper form with this lift. Hang/power cleans go along with this as well for building explosive strength.
They didn’t have squat racks in the old days. Clean that sucker, jerk it and get to putting in some work. YouTube “Mark Rippetoe” for some How-To. Quality > Quantity. Proper form is the secret to long term injury prevention.
ETA - I have a buddy that is a recovering fat person. He made a decision that every time he went to the Box, regardless of why, he would knock out a few sets of light squats. So he basically hits the rack 4-6 times a week. After a few weeks he called me excited. Apparently his knees stopped hurting and his energy levels increased considerably.
I’ve done a bar complex workouts going from power clean to jerk to back squat. You would obviously have to go lower in weight but it shows one can achieve an effective back squat without a rack.
Squatting is definitely essential. I have a ruptured disk in my lower back and I still squat even if it’s light. The reason people swear by it is because it’s a exercise that works your body from your feet all the way up. It’s a great core exercise too because you should be using your core muscle for stabilization. I’ve used squat racks, dumbbell squats (just hold them like your going to do a shoulder press) hell I’ve even went into the cario room with just a bar and plates to squat. The only reason for a squat rack is obviously to hold the bar at the right position to load up and set the weight on your upper back and also to help with heavy weight incase you lose the squat ie drop the weight. As long as your going light or have a partner squat racks are not a must have just like another poster said they haven’t always had squat racks.
Also you might want to ask the gym owner about getting a squat rack. You do pay to use the equipment so you should be able to workout the way you want.
I tend to feel squats working my quads the most. Other areas…not so much.
My knees don’t hurt a bit…even with heavier loads…I guess that means my form is not too sloppy. It does seem to get sloppy on the last set as I wear out.
Since I already have large quads from 20 plus years of serious mt. biking…I don’t know if I am really getting tons out of these squats. I’d rather see other areas bulk up than my already big quads! LOL
Without a squat rack I would do walking lunges if you have the room. Dumbbell squats will work and plus you’ll get that added Benefit of working your grip. If your strong enough I would just muscle up that bar over your head, shoulder it and go to work!
5x5 definitely works, I can go heavier even if I don’t have a spotter. Dumbbells are great for if you don’t have a spotter. I did only incline for about 6 weeks a few months back. It definitely helped my flat bench and my shoulder presses when I went back to them.
I notice a board under his heels…what’s that about?
Personally, I always liked dumbell split squats. Specifically, as it addresses any muscle imbalances in the legs, which surprisingly a lot of people have.
Some people use a board or a plate for squatting due to poor ankle flexibility. It’s kind of like weightlifting shoes with the raised heel. I have heard that having a raised heel can make you go deeper into your squat as well. I personally do not care for a raised heel; I wear flat shoes when I squat (Chuck Taylor’s) because it feels more natural to me. I tend to stay back on my heels.
I can’t comment on the dumbell split squats. I don’t have much experience with them.
