When it comes to the bodybuilding solar system, there are only two planets. On the first, bodybuilders love to squat. On the other planet, there is no squatting. Bodybuilders often begin their journey on the non-squatting planet. Over time, as they learn about the benefits, they may visit the planet. However, many of them don’t like the place, and return to their home planet with their tails between their legs. The few that do stay will use squats regularly, and will grow as a result. You can always tell what planet a person is from based upon the look of their upper thighs through their spacesuit! That being said, there are both pluses and minuses to using squats on a regular basis.
The good points
At the very least, you’re going to add a few years to your knees. Instead of needing surgery to replace cartilage at age 36, you’ll able to wait until you’re 42 or 43. That alone might be enough reason for many older trainers to avoid the squat rack. Additionally, squats are quite tough. It’s much easier to move from machine to machine on leg day, never being forced to truly feel nauseous, or risk that feeling that the weight may just come crashing down on your head! It’s still possible to achieve a great pair of legs without squats, but it won’t come nearly as easy.
The bad points
All other training, diet, and rest factors equal, your legs are going to be smaller without the use of squats than with them. It’s a simple fact that without heavy AAS use, it’s extremely hard to add thickness and visible mass to the quadriceps without using squats on a regular basis. The use of this movement causes a chemical reaction in the brain which releases growth hormone in a way that no other leg movement can mimic. If you want to grow every body part and muscle group, you should be using squats.
The conclusion?
You want to live in a world with squats. Sure, there will be times when you’ll have to leave this world. You might get injured or just plain need a break. It is possible to build a great set of legs without squats. The only difference is that you lose a lot of room for error when you take this path. When you squat, you can make a lot of mistakes in terms of training, nutrition, and rest, but you’ll still grow. You’ll have no choice! The body grows when it’s subjected to such a strenuous workout. Using exercises such as leg press and hack squats will still allow you to stimulate legs, but you’ll have to work to find the same level of intensity and muscle fiber stimulation that squats deliver. If you complete squats to 80% of your capacity, you’re still going to grow. However, only taking your legs to 80% with other movements isn’t going to lead to growth. If you can, squat. If you cannot, you need to work ten times harder on every other leg workout you complete.