How does Shawn Rhoden have some of the best legs in the IFBB whilst never squatting?

[jordanb1234]

Big Ramy is probably the only guy who currently beats Rhoden in terms of quads/hammy size but his frame is about twice as big. Relative to the rest of his body, Rhoden's quads probably beat Ramy.

Anyway, despite how big they are, I've watched almost every leg-training video Rhoden has on YouTube and he NEVER squats or deadlifts. He trains legs quite light; he will do leg extensions, leg press and then maybe some leg curls variation. Then you see Kai squatting five plates for 15 reps in some videos yet Rhoden's legs are still superior. Why is this? Does he just have good leg genetics? Or is leg press superior to every other exercise for quad development?

I've posted some pictures and leg-training videos of his.

[jordanb1234]

[Meshuggah]

One of the biggest bodybuilding myths ever is the idea that you need to squat in order to get good legs. Not true. Some of my biggest gains have come when I wasn't squatting at all but using leg press as my primary compound movement. Dorian didn't squat either. One of the biggest reasons to avoid squat especially at Rhoden's age is to save your knees.

[edge131]

You don't need to squat to have big legs, you just need to isolate them. The leg press is one of the best way to get big legs.

Also take a look at cyclists's legs (on the elite level).

Genetics and other 'products' greatly help.

[203mh]

As much as I love the feel of squatting, you don't need squats to have great legs. Dorian Yates is another great example

[PatchPatrol]

It's HOW you leg press that determines the effectiveness of it. Putting the back-board high & doing partial reps with your feet way up high on the platform is pretty lousy. But on the other hand putting the back-board as low as possible and putting your feet low & wide on the platform allows you to leg press very deeply without risking injury to your lower back, and allows you to fully work the quads, adductors, hamstrings, glutes, etc.

[Canuck77]

It's weird isn't it. I agree that these are misconceptions. Kevin Levrone never deadlifted either, not is his early or latter career.

The guys like Ronnie who deadlifted, squatted really heavy are a mess now. Most pros are cautious these days as longevity is a big thing in this sport.

[artDDP]

One of the biggest bodybuilding myths ever is the idea that you need to squat in order to get good legs. Not true. Some of my biggest gains have come when I wasn't squatting at all but using leg press as my primary compound movement. Dorian didn't squat either. One of the biggest reasons to avoid squat especially at Rhoden's age is to save your knees.

Flex Lewis doesn't squat, either.

[NaturalLoco]

Dorian Yates also comes to mind.. he had great legs for his time..

I spoke with Chris Cormier and he shared Dorians thoughts.. hack squats are a perfect exercise to replace bb squats with.. he isn't a fan of them

[ROMMYromboid]

One of the biggest bodybuilding myths ever is the idea that you need to squat in order to get good legs. Not true. Some of my biggest gains have come when I wasn't squatting at all but using leg press as my primary compound movement. Dorian didn't squat either. One of the biggest reasons to avoid squat especially at Rhoden's age is to save your knees.

Yates did squat in his earlier years. Squats and dead lifts are more important if you are a natural.

Squats are only bad for the knees if you cheat and go to less than parralell. I see many ego athletes in the gym trying to do 4 plates and going only 2/3's of the way down and stressing out their knees when they would be better droping down to 2 plates and going FullROM and working the quads and not the knees.

You don't need to squat to have big legs, you just need to isolate them. The leg press is one of the best way to get big legs.

Also take a look at cyclists's legs (on the elite level).

Genetics and other 'products' greatly help.

Correct cyclists are very big drug users. GOAT cyclist Lance Armstrong was no also not natural but did have good leg genetics.

As much as I love the feel of squatting, you don't need squats to have great legs. Dorian Yates is another great example

Dorian did squat and remember Dorian was on the sauce.

As a natural (yes I am natural in the AVI) I found squats far more effective than leg press and I always did them with a FullROM. Train the muscle and not the ego.

Always train with a FullROM.

[alex070707]

100% genetics, my quads grow like weed and I am natty...the moment I up the weights on leg day or even start playing soccer more , my legs go full Big Ramy on me. Dead srs and it's not like I have the best genetics in general because I do have problematic muscle groups which I struggle to improve. Rhoden is not natty and has great genetics.

[RobberBaron13]

1.His legs aren't THAT exceptional, his slightly undersized upper body just makes them appear bigger and freakier than they are. His very small waist also makes them look bigger than they are.
2.Good leg genetics-meaning he can get acquire great size without the 'main' mass-builder(back squats).His legs will grow on almost anything he'll do.
3.Back squats don't work all that well for everyone.There are plenty of bodybuilders who built their quads with hack squats, front squats and leg presses.

ps. LOL at Dorian's legs being great.His quads lacked sweep and separation , strange because he was generally the most shredded on stage.I always felt his quads and hams should have been bigger to match those insane calves and huge torso of his.

[LatinoMusculito]

The best pump and burn I've ever gotten for quads has always been from the leg-press. It seems it is simply better for isolation which is a necessity in bodybuilding, and the fact that it is safer and better for the back and knees (when going heavy) gives it a bit of an edge from a health/bodybuilding standpoint.

[PeterStark]

His legs have come a long way in size since 2013:



http://www.bodybuilders.gr/bodybuild...id=8&recid=432

[mot1ve]

One of the biggest bodybuilding myths ever is the idea that you need to squat in order to get good legs. Not true. Some of my biggest gains have come when I wasn't squatting at all but using leg press as my primary compound movement. Dorian didn't squat either. One of the biggest reasons to avoid squat especially at Rhoden's age is to save your knees.

This exactly. Why put stress on your knees for no reason? Squats are one of the most debilitating weight lifting excercises in the long run. Numerous injuries, joint problems, etc

Not saying it's bad but people brag about their squat weights yet have very lack luster legs and then start having issues in their 20's with joint pain.

[TropicalSunset]

One of the biggest bro-science myths in bodybuilding is that you have to do a certain exercise without fail to grow a certain muscle. You hear it mainly about the big movements, like shoulder press, bench, squats and deadlift, which all happen to be the most dangerous and damaging to your body in the long run.

Of course they will benefit your body growing, but it is a risk versus reward assessment which you have to take into account before blindly following advice of the 40 year old gym rat, whose body is already falling apart, but who brags about being able to out-bench or out-squat you.

Different people will respond to exercises in a different way. You can DEFINITELY build fantastic legs without squats. It all comes down to genetics in the long run. Plus, the pros are always a bad example of anything, as they run so much stuff that they will grow regardless.

I keep saying this, but is being a little bit bigger, or stronger worth much higher risk of injury and the damage you will definitely do to your body? For me it is not, but that is a personal choice everyone has to make.

[edge131]

One of the biggest bro-science myths in bodybuilding is that you have to do a certain exercise without fail to grow a certain muscle. You hear it mainly about the big movements, like shoulder press, bench, squats and deadlift, which all happen to be the most dangerous and damaging to your body in the long run.

Of course they will benefit your body growing, but it is a risk versus reward assessment which you have to take into account before blindly following advice of the 40 year old gym rat, whose body is already falling apart, but who brags about being able to out-bench or out-squat you.

Different people will respond to exercises in a different way. You can DEFINITELY build fantastic legs without squats. It all comes down to genetics in the long run. Plus, the pros are always a bad example of anything, as they run so much stuff that they will grow regardless.

I keep saying this, but is being a little bit bigger, or stronger worth much higher risk of injury and the damage you will definitely do to your body? For me it is not, but that is a personal choice everyone has to make.

Agreed.

[pyrolee]

If squats are hurting your knees in any way...you're doing them wrong. Proper squatting strengthens the knee, ankle, hip, back...pretty much everything.

[Salden]

If squats are hurting your knees in any way...you're doing them wrong. Proper squatting strengthens the knee, ankle, hip, back...pretty much everything.

Improper form , mostly caused by to heavy weights cause pain etc....

[TropicalSunset]

If squats are hurting your knees in any way...you're doing them wrong. Proper squatting strengthens the knee, ankle, hip, back...pretty much everything.

Everyone is built differently as well, so not everyone is going to be able to do squats with perfect form. In all my years of working out, I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I have seen someone do them with perfect form.

[RobberBaron13]

In all fairness most gym rats don't care that much about legs in the first place , only train them occasionally with bad form.Legs are the last muscle most people train.They are not a priority and with squats being quite demanding they just throw in some half assed leg presses / extensions and call it a day lol.So why bother learning proper technique?
It is true that not everybody is 'built to squat' but many are.Most men don't have model long legs, on the contrary quite short,ish and that is an advantage. The main issue I've noticed over the years is weak core( I had it too since I rarely trained lower back or abs) and lack of ankle flexibility. Both can be improved with relative ease.

[mot1ve]

This thread reminds me of what people were saying about Big Ramy vs Shawn at 2015 EVLS Prague Pro where Ramy came in shredded as the other top contenders and Big Ramy DWARFED Shawn Roden... and mind you, Shawn Roden looked impressive AF yet Ramy looked even more impressive.

Doesn't sound crazy right? What's crazy is it's the same Shawn Roden that made people question Phil Heath's physique..earlier this year

[Shredthetics]

Smh at the people saying squats are bad for your knees.

Squats are a natural, healthy, easy movement for every human being.
Our inability to do them properly is a consequence of our modern style of living.
Improper squats may be bad for your knees so if you them them just do them right.

Rhoden has big legs regardless of squats because he trains muscles not movements.. not that hard to understand.

[TropicalSunset]

Smh at the people saying squats are bad for your knees.

Squats are a natural, healthy, easy movement for every human being.
Our inability to do them properly is a consequence of our modern style of living.
Improper squats may be bad for your knees so if you them them just do them right.

Rhoden has big legs regardless of squats because he trains muscles not movements.. not that hard to understand.

Putting hundreds of pounds on hour back and squatting is very far from a natural movement. Though I see your point and squats can be great, but like any load bearing exercise, they do take a toll on the joints.

The main takeaway was that you don't NEED to squat to built great quads.

[Shredthetics]

Putting hundreds of pounds on hour back and squatting is very far from a natural movement. Though I see your point and squats can be great, but like any load bearing exercise, they do take a toll on the joints.

The main takeaway was that you don't NEED to squat to built great quads.

Obviously any excessively weighted movement will add wear and tear to joints; however, if one has no imbalances/injuries along with adequate flexibility, there should be nothing restricting a person's ability to squat naturally without causing any added trauma to his or her body.
I would argue that a fixed movement like leg press or extensions will cause more injuries and imbalances in the long run, compared to a movement like squats, when both are done properly with heavy weights.
It's just unfortunate not many people maintain lifestyles and/or training practices which allow that.

But yes squats are by no means a necessity.

[stealth_swimmer]

One of the biggest bodybuilding myths ever is the idea that you need to squat in order to get good legs. Not true. Some of my biggest gains have come when I wasn't squatting at all but using leg press as my primary compound movement. Dorian didn't squat either. One of the biggest reasons to avoid squat especially at Rhoden's age is to save your knees.

proper squats are actually supposed to be good for your knees. You can injure your back doing leg press if you let your back round. So in the end, i guess it depends on how you do them. but I agree overall that there isn't a single exercise that is something you "must" do.

Putting hundreds of pounds on hour back and squatting is very far from a natural movement. Though I see your point and squats can be great, but like any load bearing exercise, they do take a toll on the joints.

The main takeaway was that you don't NEED to squat to built great quads.

Pretty sure his point was that the actual motion of a squat is a natural movement that people are born being able to do. That's just a scientific fact. How do you think people pooped before toilets?

[JaxVilleNick]

if dexter had rhoden's legs he would be challenging for the olympia title every year. just my two cents. got to love shawn's legs

[Larfleeze]

OP seriously overrates Rhoden's legs, they're not even close to Kai's or Ramy's.

[tonyt82]

Dont need to compare rhoden to anyone else,,,,,but his waist line to leg ratio is matched only by few

[TexasMajor]

Putting hundreds of pounds on hour back and squatting is very far from a natural movement. Though I see your point and squats can be great, but like any load bearing exercise, they do take a toll on the joints.

The main takeaway was that you don't NEED to squat to built great quads.

"Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but....."