Bodybuilders: Do any of you ONLY do squats for leg day?

[Degaussed]

Say once a week, is it possible to only do squats and achieve a good enough workout for your legs overall? I'd like to hear from those that have used this method and have seen acceptable results. I'm talking a 40-60 minute workout, give it all ya got, once a week. If so, do you see any gains in size or is this only sufficient enough for maintenance. Thanks for your input.

[Destaric]

Squats is all you really need IMO. Ill sometimes do Leg presses instead of squats to change it up a bit but other then that my leg workout consist of all squats and calf raises.

[brudman]

It really depends on your volume and what type of squatting you are doing. I don't buy that squats work your posterior chain enough to stimulate real growth, so I don't think you can get by doing only squats.

[Ironwake]

Say once a week, is it possible to only do squats and achieve a good enough workout for your legs overall? I'd like to hear from those that have used this method and have seen acceptable results. I'm talking a 40-60 minute workout, give it all ya got, once a week. If so, do you see any gains in size or is this only sufficient enough for maintenance. Thanks for your input.

40-60 minutes of squatting? No thanks! :P

But, could you see gains? Sure, if you went from squatting 250 to 350 over a period of months and were sufficiently gaining weight your legs would undoubtedly get bigger. For what it's worth, I went from 135ish x 5 to 315x5 in 6 months and gained around 4'' on each quad with my only leg work being 3x a week squats.

It's an odd question though, squats are one of the lifts most people DON'T want to do on leg day. What's your thoughts/reasoning for wanting to only squat?

[ZoranM]

Say once a week, is it possible to only do squats and achieve a good enough workout for your legs overall? I'd like to hear from those that have used this method and have seen acceptable results. I'm talking a 40-60 minute workout, give it all ya got, once a week. If so, do you see any gains in size or is this only sufficient enough for maintenance. Thanks for your input.

I did it many times.It was always for a few months,and i was always very happy with the results.
With squats,i always used sort of advanced GVT way of training for those periods-15 sets-50 minutes,slow eccentric phase.
I was lucky to see progress in muscle mass,and especially in strenght,which helps very much when returning to conventional way of training legs.
I also like to use only leg press occasionally-minus 2 plates of my normal 10 RM,20 sets of 10,full rom,45 seconds rest between sets.
Both are killers,both are very hard to say the least,but both always did good for me.

[user258]

please dont ONLY do squats for your leg day.

I would NOT do only squats for an hour. This seems like an overwroking and may lead to problems. i mean it all depends on the weight and reps and your rest time of course, but I would not just do squats.
another reason is because you might not achieve a proportional muscle distribution on your legs. You need to work all muscles in your legs equally and I believe that squats only work one or two muscles and then the rest are supplementary muscles that just get worn out and dont achieve atrophy(growth).
A third reason is that monotomy is bad for your muscles, so doing the same movement/ exercise the whole time is negative impact.

I would do 3 sets of squats. 3 sets of calf raises, 3 sets of leg curls, 3 sets of leg extensions also 2 sets of leg presses to finish off your workout(and no its not the same as squats if you do your squats properly). So that should give you a good workout in 60 minutes instead of just doing squats.

ps. what are your goals? hypertrophy, shaping, trimming?

[dopamine72]

please dont ONLY do squats for your leg day.

I would NOT do only squats for an hour. This seems like an overwroking and may lead to problems. i mean it all depends on the weight and reps and your rest time of course, but I would not just do squats.
another reason is because you might not achieve a proportional muscle distribution on your legs. You need to work all muscles in your legs equally and I believe that squats only work one or two muscles and then the rest are supplementary muscles that just get worn out and dont achieve atrophy(growth).
A third reason is that monotomy is bad for your muscles, so doing the same movement/ exercise the whole time is negative impact.

I would do 3 sets of squats. 3 sets of calf raises, 3 sets of leg curls, 3 sets of leg extensions also 2 sets of leg presses to finish off your workout(and no its not the same as squats if you do your squats properly). So that should give you a good workout in 60 minutes instead of just doing squats.

ps. what are your goals? hypertrophy, shaping, trimming?

Stats 5'10 at 140 lbs.....And atrophy means shrink. A lot of other things you said are wrong also.


Yes I only do squats/front squats, for my legs and they are nearing 27" and they used to be around 19", lol. I have grown out of all my jeens and had to buy new ones. You don't need 10 different exercises per muscle group to get growth out of it. All you need is one and food. I do hit my calf's separately with calf raises and what not, I also deadlift if that makes a difference.

Edit- I squat anywhere from 2-4 times a week, heavy. I do the Chaos and Pain program if you know what that is. Basically you do singles and triples with short rest periods and moderate volume.

[user258]

u know what i meant to say.. (hypertrophy).

the stats? 5'10 and 145 excuse you and im gaining consistently. also if you want to compare, i probably have just as much muscle or maybe a few lbs less then you do without your adipose. what were bruce lee's stats, did he not know how to do his business?

what things did i say wrong?


and ps. if you want to do just your squats, do just your squats, only dont do a full hour of squats bc thats just crazy.

[dopamine72]

u know what i meant to say.. (hypertrophy).

the stats? i probably have just as much muscle or maybe a few lbs less then you do without your adipose. what were bruce lee's stats, did he not know how to do his business?

what things did i say wrong?


and ps. if you want to do just your squats, do just your squats, only dont do a full hour of squats bc thats just crazy.

To be the best you have to be a little crazy. Check this thread out, these people lift 2x a day 6 days a week and 1x on sunday, for legs all they do is squat, if they cut they would look insane, http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=122395951. You are below 10% bf in your pic, I'm at prob 15%, if I cut I would look a lot bigger. Do you really think you have as much muscle mass as me? Not here to argue, just here to point you in the right direction i guess.

[CampbellSoup]

I do squats and leg press every leg day. I also add machine squats, lunges, leg ext or something like that for 3-6 sets. Total quad volume about 9-12.

[Salad_Dodger]

would only consider it if you did full atg squats to work the most muscles you could.

[Wildtim]

Say once a week, is it possible to only do squats and achieve a good enough workout for your legs overall? I'd like to hear from those that have used this method and have seen acceptable results. I'm talking a 40-60 minute workout, give it all ya got, once a week. If so, do you see any gains in size or is this only sufficient enough for maintenance. Thanks for your input.

Sure you can do only squats.

Back squat
Wide back squat
Narrow back squat
High bar Back squat
High bar Wide back squat
High bar Narrow back squat
Front Squat
Zercher squat
Smith squat
Hack Squat
Jefferson squat
Dumbbell squat
Bulgarian split squat
Harness squat.

Any of the above with the heels elevated or with the heels lower than the toes will change the muscles hit as well.

[user258]

To be the best you have to be a little crazy. Check this thread out, these people lift 2x a day 6 days a week and 1x on sunday, for legs all they do is squat, if they cut they would look insane, . You are below 10% bf in your pic, I'm at prob 15%, if I cut I would look a lot bigger. Do you really think you have as much muscle mass as me? Not here to argue, just here to point you in the right direction i guess.

youre right, but sometimes the craziness is too much. balance is the better option.

..might not be as much as you, and thats why i added the "or maybe a few lbs less" but I dont think there would be a big difference between us. im at currently at 7% and i just gained 5 lbs from my last update picture which was 9%.

[user258]

Sure you can do only squats.

Back squat
Wide back squat
Narrow back squat
High bar Back squat
High bar Wide back squat
High bar Narrow back squat
Front Squat
Zercher squat
Smith squat
Hack Squat
Jefferson squat
Dumbbell squat
Bulgarian split squat
Harness squat.

Any of the above with the heels elevated or with the heels lower than the toes will change the muscles hit as well.

hahaha nice.

[zephed56]

It really depends on your volume and what type of squatting you are doing. I don't buy that squats work your posterior chain enough to stimulate real growth, so I don't think you can get by doing only squats.

It depends on what style you'er using. Front squats don't use much hammies but a proper back squat past parallel should be engaging them quite a bit. Obviously deadlifts are great but you could certainly leave them out for a while and just focus on squats and come back with bigger and stronger hammies/glutes and also a stronger DL.

40-60 minutes of squatting? No thanks! :P

I don't think 60 minutes is overly long to spend squatting. I know on really tough SS and TM workouts I've spent that much time just squatting, but obviously a large chunk of that was recovering between the 3 worksets.

please dont ONLY do squats for your leg day.

I would NOT do only squats for an hour. This seems like an overwroking and may lead to problems. i mean it all depends on the weight and reps and your rest time of course, but I would not just do squats.
another reason is because you might not achieve a proportional muscle distribution on your legs. You need to work all muscles in your legs equally and I believe that squats only work one or two muscles and then the rest are supplementary muscles that just get worn out and dont achieve atrophy(growth).


A third reason is that monotomy is bad for your muscles, so doing the same movement/ exercise the whole time is negative impact.

lol no, and no.

I think back squat -> front squat -> DL would be a good and very tough leg day (if you only do them once a week). What's keeping you from squatting twice a week? Just do them before one of your other days.

[dopamine72]

Just worked out and feeling energetic so I'll comment on your ridiculous claims. BTW I apologize for calling you out on your stat's, you have a good frame to add some mass too, and your body fat level is awesome. I just have to say though, some of the remarks you have made are very wrong.

another reason is because you might not achieve a proportional muscle distribution on your legs. You need to work all muscles in your legs equally and I believe that squats only work one or two muscles and then the rest are supplementary muscles that just get worn out and dont achieve atrophy(growth).

Tell that to power lifters and Oly lifters with massive legs. Look at professional athletes as well, squatting is their bread and butter, and they do not have any imbalances. The main muscles in your legs are the quads and hamstrings, that's two. Squats hit both of those and more. If you add deads in, you're set.

A third reason is that monotomy is bad for your muscles, so doing the same movement/ exercise the whole time is negative impact.

Wrong, very wrong. Look at a lot of the stickies on here, they have you do the same exercises over and over again, and people get amazing gains(size and strength) from doing that. "Negative impact", please stop giving advice now.

please dont ONLY do squats for your leg day.

I would NOT do only squats for an hour. This seems like an overwroking and may lead to problems. i mean it all depends on the weight and reps and your rest time of course, but I would not just do squats.
I would do 3 sets of squats. 3 sets of calf raises, 3 sets of leg curls, 3 sets of leg extensions also 2 sets of leg presses to finish off your workout(and no its not the same as squats if you do your squats properly). So that should give you a good workout in 60 minutes instead of just doing squats.

So your workout for an hour is better than just squatting for an hour?

ps. what are your goals? hypertrophy, shaping, trimming?

Not even going to say anything here.

[user258]

lol no, and no.

I think back squat -> front squat -> DL would be a good and very tough leg day (if you only do them once a week). What's keeping you from squatting twice a week? Just do them before one of your other days.

let me clarify, i meant that squats put lots of pressure on the major muscles in the group without working the little muscles.
and about monotonous being bad for your muscles, i meant long term,,, such as doing the same movement for an hour.,, and repeating it several times per week. that only makes the muscle endure, not build.

[dopamine72]

and about monotonous being bad for your muscles, i meant long term,,, such as doing the same movement for an hour.,, and repeating it several times per week. that only makes the muscle endure, not build.

Where do you come up with this shyt? I know from first hand experience this is not true. Did you even look at that link I posted? You're starting to smell like a troll.

[nixter]

let me clarify, i meant that squats put lots of pressure on the major muscles in the group without working the little muscles.
and about monotonous being bad for your muscles, i meant long term,,, such as doing the same movement for an hour.,, and repeating it several times per week. that only makes the muscle endure, not build.

Just about time to delete that account and start anew, a little humbler, a little wiser.

[bigtallox]

I don't buy that squats work your posterior chain enough to stimulate real growth, so I don't think you can get by doing only squats.

Wow, I expected a bodybuilder to say squatting doesn't work your legs enough to only squat, but I never expected somebody to say it doesn't work your posterior chain enough. I don't know that I agree, but I don't want to do only squats to find out, ie I deadlift ( and related things ).

[bigtallox]

let me clarify, i meant that squats put lots of pressure on the major muscles in the group without working the little muscles.

Huh? How does it do that?

and about monotonous being bad for your muscles, i meant long term,,, such as doing the same movement for an hour.,, and repeating it several times per week. that only makes the muscle endure, not build.

LOL, couldn't be farther from the truth. That's exactly what I've been doing for 2 years ( except you forgot the part about increasing the weight over time ), and I've built A TON of muscle in 2 years.

[sabonis224]

that sounds like a bad ass workout man. personally, all i do for legs is back squats, front squats, and dead lifts. i love lunges but with all the squats and DL's i do every week, they would wreak havoc on my knees.

[user258]

keep squating repetitively for an hour a day for a few days a week and we'll see if you will be retaining all of that muscle in 10 years, or if you will need a nurse to help you squat to take a shiit. you're just ripping your muscle fibers.

[kaosstar]

keep squating repetitively for an hour a day for a few days a week and we'll see if you will be retaining all of that muscle in 10 years, or if you will need a nurse to help you squat to take a shiit. you're just ripping your muscle fibers.

Just stop.

[Retardo-pex]

keep squating repetitively for an hour a day for a few days a week and we'll see if you will be retaining all of that muscle in 10 years, or if you will need a nurse to help you squat to take a shiit. you're just ripping your muscle fibers.

I can't even imagine what it is like to think as you do. Check out an anatomy and physiology book, get a few years under your belt of being under a bar, and then come back and tell me if you have the same opinion.

[bigtallox]

keep squating repetitively for an hour a day for a few days a week and we'll see if you will be retaining all of that muscle in 10 years, or if you will need a nurse to help you squat to take a shiit. you're just ripping your muscle fibers.

I hope you're aware that I weighed 10 pounds more than your 22 year old self, when I was in 1st grade ( snicker ). Clearly this was written by somebody who's bitter about being born small and weak and clueless how to correct it.

[Koaia]

Stats 5'10 at 140 lbs.....And atrophy means shrink. A lot of other things you said are wrong also.


Yes I only do squats/front squats, for my legs and they are nearing 27" and they used to be around 19", lol. I have grown out of all my jeens and had to buy new ones. You don't need 10 different exercises per muscle group to get growth out of it. All you need is one and food. I do hit my calf's separately with calf raises and what not, I also deadlift if that makes a difference.

Edit- I squat anywhere from 2-4 times a week, heavy. I do the Chaos and Pain program if you know what that is. Basically you do singles and triples with short rest periods and moderate volume.

It depends on what style you'er using. Front squats don't use much hammies but a proper back squat past parallel should be engaging them quite a bit. Obviously deadlifts are great but you could certainly leave them out for a while and just focus on squats and come back with bigger and stronger hammies/glutes and also a stronger DL.


I don't think 60 minutes is overly long to spend squatting. I know on really tough SS and TM workouts I've spent that much time just squatting, but obviously a large chunk of that was recovering between the 3 worksets.



lol no, and no.

I think back squat -> front squat -> DL would be a good and very tough leg day (if you only do them once a week). What's keeping you from squatting twice a week? Just do them before one of your other days.

Just about time to delete that account and start anew, a little humbler, a little wiser.

Huh? How does it do that?

LOL, couldn't be farther from the truth. That's exactly what I've been doing for 2 years ( except you forgot the part about increasing the weight over time ), and I've built A TON of muscle in 2 years.

Just stop.

I can't even imagine what it is like to think as you do. Check out an anatomy and physiology book, get a few years under your belt of being under a bar, and then come back and tell me if you have the same opinion.

I hope you're aware that I weighed 10 pounds more than your 22 year old self, when I was in 1st grade ( snicker ). Clearly this was written by somebody who's bitter about being born small and weak and clueless how to correct it.

When you are a weak novice with little to know knowledge of training, and people like these quoted above disagree with you, you may want to listen.

[ironwill2008]

Say once a week, is it possible to only do squats and achieve a good enough workout for your legs overall? .

For bodybuilding, no. If you want your quads to look like a bodybuilder's you're going to have to train them like every other successful bodybuilder has ever trained his quads.

[user258]

For bodybuilding, no. If you want your quads to look like a bodybuilder's you're going to have to train them like every other successful bodybuilder has ever trained his quads.

my point exactly.


first, for the other people above me, i am not talking about getting bigger or stronger or whatever, my advice is about muscle building and defining your legs in PROPORTION. obviously you know nothing about that.

and dont assume things. im happy with my body, healthy and strong and i would never want to have a 300lbs body like some sasquasch just to say i can lift 500lbs of steel in front of other guys with sleeveless shirts in the gym and then stop walking when im 60.

[dopamine72]

Some of you are familiar with the Chaos and Pain program. The creator Jamie Lewis, only does squats and front squats for his legs. He HATES leg extensions and any type of machine. Here are his wheels, they look just as good as a "bodybuilders" imo. Pic is old btw, his legs are prob looking even crazier now.

OP only hitting them once a week will prob not do that much, but if you start squatting multiple times a week I think you will get some great gains.