Nice try, but I'm not training legs

There's something really satisfying in doing a full range of motion barbell squat with good form and decent weights. All those painkiller endorphins just feel great. As a bonus, you can get even more of said painkiller endorphins if the gym is on the third floor and your legs give-out on the way down the stairs.

Bro... I'm not fighting a fucking Zebra lol... he got this

Fighting a Zebra, while tempting, might get me canceled

Dr. Mike, ur my genuine favorite youtuber atm. I look forward to new uploads everyday and respect you a lot for the value as well as entertainment you provide. If you manage to see this, thank you for being a dependable and trustable source of information as well as for being one of the funniest persons in this genre.

The hack squat, when going as deep as I possibly can, absolutely destroys me like nothing else. I used to load it more heavily and didn't go as deeply and while it was decent, it was nothing like when I started going all the way down with much lighter loads. So even though the hack squat is a machine, technique makes a huge difference.

Man, you guys are already racing to 2 million subs! I'm so happy to see the growth of the channel. THE best fitness content on KZfaq for my money. Thank you Dr. Mike and the whole RP team for the content.

Is Dr Mike some kind of Bojack Horseman character? That Zebra story seemed particularly detailed.

Speaking of Koreans, where's Charlie been at? I'd like to see one of those punishing training days with him. For the OGs

I was up against this question this week. Your content is a great help.

This is such useful and applicable information. Thank you, Uncle Mike et al

I didn't watch the video yet but I can tell you what Mike will say. The only way to build big quats is the heavy duty system of Mike mentzer 1 set of the barbellsquats once a year and your gainz will be phenomenal after that you will stand on the Olympia stage. Every probodybuilder trains with mentzers system so it definitely works.

Fantastic video. Thank you!

The Hammer Strength hack squat has multiple pin outs all the way to the floor, so regardless of height, you can bottom out just like barbell squat

I was literally searching for this type of video yesterday. Thanks a lot, Dr. Mike! Thank you for reading my mind

Love hack squats. I add a 6 inch foam roller between my shoulders and the pads so I can get A2G without bottoming out the sled. Really gets my quads and glutes.

Been thinking about this recently, thanks for the good info once again

Thank you for thinking about us home gym people. I really appreciate it!

You Really Hit the Nail on the Head with This One! Great Breakdown 👍🏼

Great stuff, as always.

Dr Mike, thank u for this. Can u also make a video on Barbell squats vs Vertical Leg Press.

Hello from south africa 🇿🇦 love your channel as I'm starting my journey of building muscle Amazing content

Thanks for posting this video.

The great thumb thumb is back to provide is with succulent knowledge in a completely pg manner🤙🏽

Good stuff. I train with a combo every week of hack squats one day and smith machine high bar squats on my other leg day, because I am an intermediate short trainer guy.

Thank for breaking this down. I'm one of those individuals with long femurs and a short torso. I squat minimum twice a week and only my glutes grow and I don't see much change in quad size. Will definitely be hitting the hack squat more frequently. Hopefully there is something like this for calves.

Just wanted to contribute this for anyone who doesn't have a hack squat in their gym like me: I like to switch between free weight and machine squats every few mesos to get the benefits of both. We have a Smith machine that has a pretty sharp angle. I stand in it backwards so the trajectory is somewhat parallel to my spine, and put my feet extra forward. It's not exactly like a hack but it comes closer to that movement than anything else in my gym. I wish all of you many gains

We need a series about specific training (weight lifting and maybe some specific drills as well) for different sports! Football, soccer, tennis, boxing, etc! Pretty please

After several back injuries while squatting, I formed the opinion that depending on how high your hips are proportionate to your height, determines whether squats are beneficial for you. I had to switch to hack squats back in '06 due to this. The best squatters I've seen have their hips at about 50-55% of their total height. Mine are above 60% at 6'2" with long legs so lower back issues are almost guaranteed after squatting for a few years even with good technique. Not everybody is meant to barbell squat. Think about your proportions and do what works best for your body....a slipped disc will haunt you for decades.

I was always chicken to add squats. They hurt so bad. Once I did though, my entire body grew. It was crazy how much difference they made

Thanks for this. I've been doing seated leg extension for pre-exhausting my quads, but I max out the machine. Will give hack squats a go.

Hey Dr. Mike, I'd love a video or even a YT-short on what exactly a ballistic movement is supposed to be. I guess it's not the same as a power exercise like a clean or a jerk.

I prefer belt squats to hack squats. They have even less axial load and the depth is potentially better. Unfortunately my gym just replaced the belt on the belt squat machine and it doesn't have the variable loops that the old one had. I'm gonna have to buy one now, but it's hack squat and lunges until then.

*@drmike* I would like to see a video in the near future about the ''hamstrings and other leg-stuff before quads'' whether it is benificial to do or not. And so it might be better (or not) in the case of being a limited factor in a ''quad ''focussed'' workout'' For example: 1st a standing calf exercise, 2nd a typical adductor exercise, followed by lying/seated Ham Curls, followed by Romanian Deadlifts, than Leg Extensions, Barbell Squats and another quad focussed (compound) exercise to finish off!

Today is leg day, and I specifically was looking for THIS type of video. Thank you!

Dr. Mike, new sub here. What about Barbell hack squats? For those of us without a squat rack or hack squats machine? I'd love to see a video about it. I struggled with the form for about a week. On the way up, the bar kept hitting the back of my hamstrings. I fixed that by widening my stance and grip. But I'd really appreciate a video on proper form or your opinion on barbell hack squats. Appreciate your channel and recently subbed to the rp hypertrophy app and it's transformed my progress. Very happy. Thank you.

I love slant board squats, especially for quad development. My quads never were the limiting factor (on barbell squats) till I tried em out.

That Zebra better know that if you miss with one Alabama brother, you get the whole brotherhood

@renaissanceperiodisation - Love the content so much 🙏 I think I remember a mention of an RP course being developed some time ago (might just be wishful thinking on my part!) But... is there be a structured course like an RP university (think J3 University) coming???

When you no longer have discs in your lumbar spine, barbell squats are the fast lane to incontinence. And excruciating pain. This is why my old ass hack squats.

For some people doing a pre-exhaust before doing heavy barbell squats on machine movements also tends to warm up the knees enough to where they won't develop knee pain whereas other wise the would

Hi RP, do you have any good videos on how to breath during workouts, techniques, when to inhale, exhale, when to hold in breat, in connection with tempered working out, etc.

I noticed Sam Sulek often does what you mentioned here, pre-exhausting quads with leg extension, then doing barbell squat after

The important distinction (if done the regular placement) I'd say is that back squats hit more glutes and erectors, while hack squats are mostly quads and(to a similar degree as free squats) adductors. Also for me hack squats absolutely demolish my VMOs, more than almost anything else while still hitting the rest of the quads super well. All the benefits of squats over hack squats can also be acheived with reverse hack squats. The axial fatigue really isn't that big a deal IMO if done super strict ass to grass though

Thanks

Would love to see a side by side comparison between hack squats and leg press!

As a short queen (I prefer Hench Hobbit) I found little workarounds for many a machine. Adding some strategic yoga blocks or firm pads to a hack squat gives you the ROM you want pretty easily. Was surprised to not hear that mentioned, pretty sure Dr. Mike is doing that himself? Alas, my new gym doesn't have one. I'm doing Smith machine Squats as a compromise, find they work quite well and marry a lot of the benefits of both.

Hello sirs, why are the comments disabled on your most recent vid; get bigger and leaner video?

What are your thoughts on unilateral movements? Especially unilateral cable flys. I feel a better chest activation when doing them as opposed to bilateral movements

After 2 shoulder injuries and a shoulder surgery, I simply don't have the shoulder mobility to get in position for high bar back squats anymore (even before the injuries/surgery, my shoulder mobility was limited and my grip had to go super wide). Can squat just fine though with a safety squat bar. Can still do hack squats too, come all the way down, touch the bottom, pause a second or two, then drive back up, full ROM. After 3 sets of that, my quads are roast as fuck, far more than any back squat. When reverse-dieting/bulking, the 3rd set will be a drop set, and I can barely walk for 10-15 mins afterwards, and it takes 2-3 days for them to fully recover. 3-4 days to fully recover when cutting.

Haven’t watched the video yet but i have my bottle of jack ready. Taking a shot every time SFR is mentioned.

I wonder where Scott The Video Guy lands on the scale between laughing his ass off and losing sanity lol

0:34 ok I suscribed, you convinced me

Hey Mike, I see a lot of your videos mention the division of lifters by their experience (beginner, intermediates, advanced) and I was curious how do you define if a lifter is at which specific level. Do you have the same criterias of Jeff with his video detailing lift experience depending on the compound movement and the multiple by bodyweight a lifter is able to move? Thanks for the content!

The cons mentioned were spot on.

Please talk about pros and cons of unilateral leg movements for leg development. Lunges vs split squats vs single leg leg press . Im having trouble deciding which ones to program. Should they also be done in higher rep ranges with lower loads and Vice versa ?

Hi Mike would you do a comparison between the barbell deficit hack-squat & the hack-squat machine

Comments are turned off in the new video

Could you provide a similar overview of Pendulum Squats? I've found they feel by far the best across bilateral squat variations on my lower back and similarly really hit my quads super well. Otherwise, I tend to do barbell squats with my heels elevated to bias the quads more and demand less work from my lumbar spine. I've found pendulums to feel a bit better than hack squats historically. My experience is particularly with Arsenal Strength's pendulum squat.

Hey is anyone here to find out why the latest video has comments disabled?

Hey Dr. Mike. Can you talk about getting sick during a bulk/cut and how you’d go about that for minimum muscle loss? Through training and or diet as well? Love the videos

Why is new video comment section blocked ?

Comments deactivated on the newest vid. What happened?

Please do a video on Front Squats vs Bulgarian Split Squats or Goblet Squats? I have a herniated disc and I am unable to do Barbell Squats and Leg Presses without excruciating pain.

One machine that offers a lot of the benefits of a standard barbell squat and takes out some of the negatives such as stability requirements, a great machine is the Rogers Squat Pro. My gym has one and it's fucking amazing. For me, I've been struggling with low-back pain for over a decade and have extreme difficulty doing regular barbell squats, but squats with the Rogers Squat Pro machine doesn't cause back pain. Not sure of the issue, but it definitely allows me to do barbell-esque squats where I couldn't before without lots of pain.

Brain injury made me misread title, "what music is best for squats?". So disappointed! Current tune would be - Camo & Krooked & Mefjus - Nebula - that is if the physio allowed me to do them. Hopefully I can recover and get back into it soon!

This has more nuance and context then that front squat video

I squatted for decades because i was constantly told you HAVE to squat to build legs . My glutes got enormous cause in order for me to get low i had to do a good morning at the bottom . Wasn’t until i switched to Bulgarians and hacks or horizontal leg press as my main quad builder that i saw major improvements in my leg size .

As someone with a herniated disc who never hacked squatted and has barbell squatted 500 hack squats feel great and really have been a game changer and being 6’6 helps a lot because I can get a great ROM on the machine I’d recommend them if you have a legit back injury but if you have just have back pain do the barbell squat and learn how to fix the back pain but for me it’s chronic now even after PT I tried barbell squatting and just isn’t the same

Doctor Mike, does the Belt Squat fall in between the Back Squat and Hack Squat in terms of fatigue and quad growth? Is it a good supplement for Back Squats?

Great training &hard too superb thankq so much sir my favourite day is legday 😅💪❤️⭐👌👌👍👍👍🙏🙏

I gotta throw down on my squats today! 💪🏼 Me and that zebras go-in round and round out behind the building.

Ayyyy, Mikey!!! Can you do a video on women training chest. What's the science as it relates to breast size? I'm a dude, but am curious as to when giving pointers to ladies in the gym. Thanks!🤝

Hey Mike, really hoping you answer this, it would mean a lot. Ive been working out for years but a while back, years ago, i pinched something right above my tailbone and I had to stop squatting. Years have passed and Ive been getting back into my old routines and am back completely to all my old PRs. This time around, I replaced squats with Bulgarian split squats. Problem is, my dumbbells go up to 90lbs. I decided it was time to go back to the gym and id be fine with squats. After 3 weeks, it was clear my legs were getting far stronger much faster than with the split squats. Yesterday, I was squatting and that same sharp pain shot down and down to my foot. Today Im fine again, but its clear I shouldnt squat anymore. Whats the best way for me to continue increasing my strength and size? Should I buy more dumbbells and keep doing split squats?

Yea, I feel my cardiovascular system is the limiting factor when I do a lower body compound move. I am not sure if it's generally accepted, but I often do an isolated quad or glute move prior to a compound move to remove cardio as the limiting factor. The quads or glutes, depending on what I want to exhaust, becomes exhausted. Right or wrong, I do what works for me.

I have a question Dr. Mike. How do smith machine squats go in to this equation ? Do the pros and cons still apply to it as normal free weight ? I'm seriously training for 8 months now and I have switched to smith machine squating couple weeks back and its been amazing. I feel more of the quads, lesser stimulus to fatigue ratio and I can go deeper unlike with free waight barbell squats due to my poor mobility. Should I go with smith machine squats or should I try to go back and learn to do free weight barbell squats properly ?

9:38 My back is wrecked permanently, and i can't do barbell squats because of the weight compressing the spine just below my neck. Really painful. And so i built a hack squat machine using some linear guide rails they use on CNC routers on a very heavy, sturdy wooden frame. It works really well, very smooth motion. Because i had only seen pictures of hack squats, i sort of eyeballed the measurements. As a result it didn't quite slide down far enough for me to get a deep squat, even though i am fairly tall. I solved that problem by making 2 wooden boxes that sit on the foot platform, essentially raising the surface area. I made 2 separate boxes because you can remove them and use them to stand on when doing belt squats using a landmine. Allows you to stand on the boxes, have a space in between for the bar to travel between and get a deeper squat. But i suppose you couldnt just walk into a commercial gym with some home made wooden boxes on their expensive hack squat machine haha

Squatted like 6 sets over an hour yesterday. It compromised my pullups today. This helped me understand why that might be.

I thought about question that you might make a video about if you haven't already (I couldn't find out one about this topic). The question is "what is the minimum effort/volume/percentage of your normal training regimen for muscle maintance" Let's say you do chest 2 times per week (each trening 2 exercises 6-8 reps, 3 sets each 1-3 RIR, pace 4010). If you are pleased with your muscle hypertrophy and just want to maintain it let's say to no less than 85% but don't have as much time for training as you did before - how much of the traning can you cut out? Will staying with one exercise will be enough or would it be better to do 2 sets of each, or maybe you can lower the weight and do these exercises faster (pace 2010) and with lower overall volume, or one training per week will be better option. Finally should it be time limited i.e. no more than 8 weeks because after that muscle will nonetheless shrink compared to the before training schedule.

Dr Mike, Do a video on exercises that are best for leg development for those that can't do squats. I've had 5 surgeries on my knees from sports and can't squat without crazy knee pain Love your content and humor... Does that make me a bit sick 😅😅😅😂

We have a really awesome heck squat machine in our gym, you can do all the variety of motions there either facing it, and putting it onto your shoulders, or by putting your back in there

After a long period of doing barbell squat's and only ever feeling stimulus in my lower back, I gave them up and switched to Hack/Leg Press. Sometimes you just have to admit you don't have the flexibility or range of motion to do the exercise correctly!

As an experiment, I've swapped in smith machine squats for barbell squats the past 3 months or so. The axial loading is somewhat reduced which has made a noticeable improvement to my other training. I've also seen immediate quad and glute gains since I can achieve a greater ROM with controlled eccentrics and a brief pause. I have difficulty using that level of control during barbell squats.

I wish Mike would do a video on V-Squat machine. Benefits of doing using the machine facing forward vs. reverse V Squat. I also use the machine for step up's and calf raises. I have youtubed the V Squat quite a bit and there is some information on KZfaq, but a lot of its contradictory.

Is the RP hypertrophy app also viable for training for vertical jumps? Could you guys make a video on training for athletic performance? specifically vertical jump. Also, when training for vertical jump getting stronger helps, but at the same time "fat don't fly". At what point is it better to bulk to gain strength or cut to get lean if training for a higher vertical jump?

Dr Mike, could you talk about safety bar squats?

In honor of Dr. Mike, I started reporting VShred ads as scams on instagram

Dr Mike is the only exercise science specialist that makes me get my cardio in from laughing so damn hard while watching his videos. What a short god.

Nice. I've been alternating between hack squat and leverage squat. The hack squat fries my quads nicely, the leverage squat puts a bit more onto the glutes and Hams due to the deep ass to grass you can do on it safely. I don't do much barbell squat, at my age (46) I find that I can go way more intense safely on a machine with far less risk of injury.

I used to do barbell squats like crazy when i was a 4 time a week lifter. Now since i have limited time, i hack squat as i dont need to rest near as much and it doesnt effect other lifts as much.

Why are comments turned off on some videos?? Like I don’t understand what people could be saying that makes you want them off? Is it cause they’re disagreeing with you or something? Cause it seems like ur better than that and wouldn’t turn off comments for that. So it’s just quite strange

Hey Dr.Mike, I’ve been doing myoreps and wondering when to progressively overload in myoreps?

I like strict slow high bar squats for higher reps like 15-20 and it genuinely jacks my quads up.. then it doesn't jack up my nervous system

thanks for the new video, babygirl. always appreciated

I must admit, i have some anxiety over injury, when i try to progressively overload my squat. I might try hack squats.

I use the hack squat for pistol squats after barbell squats. Epic

I like to listen to your videos before a workout to help drill in my workout. I finished my leg workout minutes before you published this. Smh so close yet so far lol

Dr. Mike. I have pretty flat feet and it effects my stability/technique with barbell squat. I tend to bend my knees inwards or try to overcompensate on the movement resulting in bad technique and working more my hamstrings. Hack squat is great for me. However, I would love to do barbell squats more. Any tips for people with flat feet?

Dr. Mike, where would you put the Smith and Belt squat in your analysis?

The hack squat at the gym I go to will go all the way to the floor with no safety pins, the only limiting factor is the height of the back plate which I think is maybe 24" so pretty much anyone over 3 feet tall can use it. My girlfriend is 5'2" and it gives her full range of motion without issues. (I think it's a Cybex?)