Mike,
Originally Posted by
mikepwagner
(said many wise things)
You've clearly been around gyms for a while. And I agree about the squats working the stabilizers, while machine exercises (including - to some extent - the smith machine) do nothing for stabilizer muscles.
I gave up my BB routine when I started focusing on cycling and mountain hiking/climbing. But when I was at my peak, I could push over 800 lbs on a leg press but only 315 in proper squats. I did, however, find that those two exercises hit slightly different muscle groups. The leg press, for example, hit the glutes so hard that I couldn't sit without pain for 3 days afterward :lol
I'm still doing squats now, to help cycling and climbing, but I've change to 5 sets of 20 at 135. It seems to suit my current needs better.
But to (re) endorse what everyone has said here:
- Start
slowly
- Use
perfect form