Squats vs. Lunges.....

[sami1122]

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[DougHolland]

This video helps you to see you can go very heavy on lunges. Certainly not for beginners.

[icanucan2]

I do hak squat.. from being obese for so long that helps with my back

Then I so double leg press going heavy until fail

Then I do walking lunges superset with aingle leg press

Then I do laying hamstring curls superset with seated calf extensions..

Im going good and getting results

[raynerd]

Personally I can tell you this much. I trained legs very hard for 3years, leg press, lunges and extensions. I had minimal gains other than upping my strength and cutting up my quads, I started doing ATG squats 8 weeks ago and have already put on over 1/4 inch on my quads. IMO there is no comparison between the 2. I now do squats, deep hacks and then barbell lunges. Lunges have their place but will never compare to what I have experienced with squats so far.

[Soundengineer1]

I need to find someone to workout with me who can help me with my form. I watch myself in the mirror, and I'll be damned if I can tell what I am doing wrong.

If you watch in the mirror you will probably not be aligned correctly film yourself on your phone or get someone else to.

[RT1957]

For those who feel there back gives out when squatting...do your lunges after squats to further leg development. Lunges have a great place in the leg routine but not as the major mass builder. As an exercise to do when already taxed it can take it to another level. I've done some high rep squats then a couple sets of walking lunges and my quads feel hard for days after. The DOMs is usually pretty heavy.

Both are great for what their intent is. Lunges can be used as a warm up for squats. I think of it as a great assistance move and it also is a great cardio move.

[tkdnj]

I have lower back and neck compression issues that prohibit me from squatting. What I do to get around it is heavy leg presses (4 sets in the 7-10 rep range) and heavy machine hack squats (4 sets in the 7-10 rep range). I also do 4 sets of leg extensions. I am hoping the leg presses and hack squats take the place of squatting (to some extent)

[Tmax55]

If you have problems squatting heavy due to back issues I found doing squats with a three second pause in the hole allows you to use much less weight and still get a great workout. I used to do 60 reps in as many sets as that took followed by 40 reps of walking lunges in as many sets as that took. When you get either in 4 or less sets add weight.

My legs were huge (relatively speaking) when I did that and I am sure I could not handle it now but I plan on trying it again when I am in better shape.

Another thing I have tried is two leg workouts per week with one consisting of heavy squatting as the primary and the other heavy walking lunges as the primary.

For the lunge day I would warmup grab heavy DBS lunge on the 200 meter indoor track until I could do no more drop them then walk around back to them and repeat for five sets. It was a killer, but I must admit squatting was still harder, although it did have the positive side effect of building traps and grip strength...so all in all I'd rate lunges high.

[drudixon]

If your butt winks on leg press, it's far worse than squats. Only way to be safe really is keep one leg straight out and do single leg leg presses. As for neck, the bar shouldn't be on your neck at all.

[greenleaf]

I've heard squat is a quad dominant exercise. Will it fix the posterior chain imbalance (hips and hams) if I keep doing it religiously? I suck at lunges because it aggravates my knees.

[ThundaHorz]

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completely random thought: Does Rob Orlando's strength make him run like chit? Like, does anyone have a vid of him running?

[jdwi]

Get in the hole. Squats rule.

[JRT6]

There's a complicated explanation but reverse lunges are more knee friendly.

[67fastback]

As a relative newcomer to learning to do squats correctly; These are totally different exercises.

I used to hate squats because I didn't know how to do them. I like them. I like feeling the power.

I do lunges. I kind of despise them though.

[PhilSlater]

Squats are undeniably the king of lower body exercises.
In particular the Low-Bar squat with a barbell. The low-bar squat allows you to lift the most amount of weight with the most amount of muscle mass through a large range of motion.

Lunges on the other hand are also good for Lower body. Whether it's walking lunges, lunge pulses, jump lunges, air squats, etc., having the added weight in each hand really maxes out the effort your legs can give, and the lunge movement works not only your quads, but glutes and hamstrings, too.

[jgreystoke]

Squats Vs Lunges? No comparison at all.

Absolutely this.

Squats(and deads):

Big basic barbell exercises based on natural human movements that use the most muscle mass through a repeatable range of motion which is large enough to make a difference.

Lunges, Bulgarian split squats, one legged squats, step-ups etc:

Assistance movements that can't be programmed and improved for years like the big basics. Useful after your squats or deads, if you have time/energy left, along with other assistance work like hyperextensions/glute ham raises etc.

Not a substitute for squats.

[writefast]

Ok, first of all, I'm not training to become huge(not possible genetically anyway). I would like some additional muscle and definition in my legs and lunges have always been part of my training. I've never been real comfortable with doing squats, although lately I have considered using the Smith machine for starters.

It appears that squats are king when it comes to getting good results for your legs but my question is this: Can lunges do the job as well as squats? I would be interested to hear everyone's opinion on these two exercises and hear what everyone thinks.

Thanks in advance...
Greg

Hate squats. Hate lunges even more. Answer is, broadly speaking, no. Squats will allow you to resist and stabilize far far more weight than lunges. But, that's broadly speaking. How much do you squat? Have you considered something like a Bulgarian squat? That's a sort of single leg dominant squat.

[bill57]

It really depends on your goals, are you trying to add muscle or define and sculp out an existing muscle. ?? Lunges are usually as a refining exercise movement. Both squats and lunges at the same time are counter productive, working against each other. Stay with simple bulking exercises to start with like squats and deadlift. Cycle your trading after that start out light and high reps for a 6 week period then switchto medium heavy for 6 to 8 weeks then switch again switch to heavy and after a cycle of 6 or 8 weeks evaluate your legs, if you like the gains on you lean muscle then switch to incorporate some lunges and maybe a few other defining exercise movements. Good luck and enjoy my fellow lifter.

[blue9steel]

It appears that squats are king when it comes to getting good results for your legs but my question is this: Can lunges do the job as well as squats? I would be interested to hear everyone's opinion on these two exercises and hear what everyone thinks.

I like lunges and have them in my routine, mostly for knee health, however they are NOT a replacement for squats.

[blue9steel]

If I had to guess, and that's all I can do from here, I'd say that your hamstrings are tight and causing you to round your lower back when your at the bottom of the movement. Hamstring stretches and lower back work will fix this problem.

I was thinking that too. I do a set of five second pause squats during my warmup that really helps stretch things out before my work sets.

[blue9steel]

Testosterone raising after squating has been found to be very brief.

Squat more often?

[pondman]

I was thinking that too. I do a set of five second pause squats during my warmup that really helps stretch things out before my work sets.

I would agree with this line of reasoning. I'd say that 3/4 of the people who walk into the local pizza-in-a-cup gym have extremely bad posture, due to lack of flexibility in their quads and hips. I'd say quads are more of an issue if you are trying to do a deeper Olympic type squat. In today's world everyone thinks they are going to get in shape in 3 weeks. And the result is they blow out something when the try and lift anything heavy. Doing a hundred yards of lunges every day will aid in developing better form, if they concentrate on keeping the upper torso perpendicular to the ground. I would argue the lunge is an excellent stretch and has a purpose. But it will never replace the squat when it comes to the strength of the entire leg. There really isn't any replacement for having a well formed squat.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I would agree with this line of reasoning. I'd say that 3/4 of the people who walk into the local pizza-in-a-cup gym have extremely bad posture, due to lack of flexibility in their quads and hips. I'd say quads are more of an issue if you are trying to do a deeper Olympic type squat. In today's world everyone thinks they are going to get in shape in 3 weeks. And the result is they blow out something when the try and lift anything heavy. Doing a hundred yards of lunges every day will aid in developing better form, if they concentrate on keeping the upper torso perpendicular to the ground. I would argue the lunge is an excellent stretch and has a purpose. [b]But it will never replace the squat when it comes to the strength of the entire leg.['b] There really isn't any replacement for having a well formed squat.

And squatting is placed on a leg training pedestal. You know squats are great but I think folks get carried away with how nothing can replace squatting for training the leg.











And let's not forget this gem from 2007

IMO Squats are a Mass Builder where the Lunges are Shape builder.

There is no better leg buiding exercise other than squats, being a compound exercise the primary target is the Quads but the secondary benefits are astronomical. (lower back, gluts, hams, core,..ect) The advantage with squats vs lunges with building muscle is that you just can't move enough weight with lunges.

The quad knows to make itself shapely with one type of resistance, but to grow with another? Sounds like some crap from a 70's muscle mag. Lunges do not work the hamstrings, back, glutes, and core?

Single leg work cannot be loaded heavy enough to illicit a training effect? Hmmm Look squats are great no argument, but lettuce be cereal. I know it's a post from 2007...It's a shame they don't study things like this...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27182408
http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/vi...7&context=ijes
Int J Exerc Sci. 2014 Oct 1;7(4):302-310.
Muscle Activity in Single- vs. Double-Leg Squats
BRADLEY A. DeFOREST†
1,2, GREGORY S. CANTRELL†
1,3, and BRIAN K.
SCHILLINGǂ1


Cliffs:

Study compared back squats, split squats, and rear foot elevated split squats for recruitment of muscles of the leg, and glutes.

Trained men participated in the study working at 85% of 1RM on the back squat and 50% of that load on the SS and RFESS

EMG data support the contention that similar stimulus can be achieved with single leg squats of several types and BS.

Rear foot elevated split squats out performed everything for recruitment of the Biceps Femoris. I could be wrong but last time I checked that is the largest of the hamstrings muscles.

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I think it should be obvious that squats are going to tax the core and back differently than single leg work. Squats are a better exercise overall for folks who can do them effectively. Many folks who think they can't do them probably just have not put in the effort to see that they can. But not every person fits this mold. I don't think that relegates single leg work to toning and shaping status though. And for anyone limited by some issue the benefits of training the legs effectively with single leg work should not get lost just because they are likely inferior to squats for upper body strength and conditioning.







Hypothetical: So if this guy can't squat 2x what he can RFESS due to a pre-exisitng back condition should he train light on squats to fit in with internet lore, or get maximal weight and tension on the leg muscles going heavy with the RFESS?