Squats - Rich Loved ‘Em! Squats are an exercise that you either love or hate. For some, there’s nothing quite like squatting with a heavy barbell across your back. For others, the pain of working your legs hard is just too much. Squats were Rich's preferred leg exercise. They became hard for him to do because he had bad knees, but he advocated them over other compound leg exercises. In this article, we’ll look at the squat, common variations, the best 5% Nutrition supplements to use, and how Rich used squats in his routines.
Of Course You Know What Squats Are!
There can be no doubt that squats are a legendary exercise. All the best lifters relied on squats to help them build amazing legs. They target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and hip flexors. They also target the core. If you’re putting an Olympic bar on your back and doing traditional squats, you'll also hit your entire upper body.
Variations
Most lifters perform squats using free weights and an Olympic bar. You can also do squats using a Smith machine, dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands. Plus, most gyms have a Squat machine. Other variations include stance. For example, performing squats sumo-style takes pressure off the knees. You can also point your feet in or out to feel the exercise in different parts of your quads. However, research suggests a shoulder-width stance with feet pointing forward is the most biomechanically sound stance. Plus, you can manipulate depth and use predetermined pauses, or static holds, along the range of motion.(1)
How Rich Used Squats In His Routine
Rich never did the same workout twice. He preferred squats over leg presses but had knee problems that pushed him away from squats. Even so, he would still do them occasionally. This routine is one example.
Lying Leg Curls - 5 sets - 25, 20, 15, 12, 10 reps
Rich always began leg workouts with leg curls.
Leg Extensions - 5 sets - 25, 20, 15, 12, 10 reps
Rich kept these light, and he would hold and squeeze the weight at the top. He believed in the quality of contractions, not in heavy weight.
Squats - 5 sets - 25, 20, 15,12, 10 reps
Rich often did leg presses but always advocated squats over leg presses. Go deep and keep your reps under control.
Hack Squats - 5 sets - 25, 20, 16, 12, 10, reps
If you don’t have access to a hack squat machine, you can hold a barbell behind your knees and do them old-school style!
Here’s a workout that used supersets:
Leg Extensions - 4 sets of 40 reps superset with Seated Leg Curls - 4 sets - 40 reps each exercise
Lying Leg Curls - 4 sets of 20 reps superset with Leg Press - 4 sets of 20 reps
Squats superset with Bodyweight Squats - 1 set each of 20 reps each exercise
Hack Squats - 3 sets of 20 reps
Don’t Forget 5% Nutrition!
When it's Leg Day, most lifters reach for their hardcore pre-workout. Rich did, and he reached for 5150, our monster Pre with a huge 400 mg of caffeine. He needed the power this pre-workout has, especially if Leg Day included squats. Another good tip is to use Real Carbs. Training legs with the kind of effort and intensity they require, especially if you’re doing squats, demands a lot of cellular energy - and Real Carbs provides the carbs required to create it! Add Shake Time, and you’ve got a complete real food meal. Use this combination before and after your workout. Also, use All Day You May during your workout, and you can add Core Creatine or Crea-TEN for a powerful intra!
Recap
If you're not currently using squats, add them to your leg routine for 8 weeks. Add the suggested 5% Nutrition supplements, and utilize Rich's approach of constantly mixing up your workouts. You'll see the difference!
