SocialPath Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Pop quiz!What's a good 'level up' alternative to squats?As can be seen in my workout thread, I've been including squats in my workout, but I feel like they're just not...doing it for me...?They're just too easy I think, like I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything by doing them. Even with a 17 lb. backpack, I've been doing over 40, and feel like it's an indicator that I need to level up, but I feel like packing my backpack with more stuff will only do so much.So. Do you guys have any recommendations for a similar exercise that may be a little more challenging? I want to make as much progress as possible while I'm still not burnt out, so would welcome any advice!YOU GUYS ROCK! Link to comment
azsf Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 low bar barbell squats, 5 sets of 5 starting with just the bar. add 2.5-5kg every workout. if you don't have access to barbells, you can work your way towards pistol (1-legged) squats, try jump squats/burpees, or find something heavier than your backpack to hold onto. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] AZSF - lvl 4 assassin STR - 9 | DEX - 12 | STA - 10.5 | CON - 7 | WIS - 8.5 | CHA - 1 Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Pistol Squats (One legged version). I take it you have no access to a gym with barbells? "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
SocialPath Posted July 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 You take it correctly! I'll have access to a (slightly) far away gym next month, but generally speaking, I prefer to use only what's in my apartment, and weights aren't in my budget (yet). Pistol squats, eh? To YouTube I must go, to see these alleged 'pistol squats'! Link to comment
Sloth the Enduring Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Are you going all the way down when you squat, or at least past parallel? You could also slow the tempo to make them harder. “We might as well start where we are, use what we have and do what we can." – Caitlin Rivers Sloth: The Man with the Hammer battle log Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Pistol squats, prisnoer squats with hands behind head or above head, jump squats Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
dragonlyre Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Ass to the grass...3xfailure [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]Level 1 Dirge. Singing songs that make you run or die. http://www.nerdfitness.com/community/showthread.php?14741-Dragonlyres-Quest Link to comment
Sphynx Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 I would recommend the Hack squat, so long as you have healthy knees. If they're not hard enough, just hold your backpack in your hands instead of a kettlebell, 17 lbs. should be plenty to start with.Also, kudos on the backpack. I did that exact thing when I was starting and had no equipment. Link to comment
Gainsdalf the Whey Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 For body weight only, I'd work toward pistols for strength. If you're interested in endurance, I'd say jump squats. Burpees are also good, but the push up component tends to be the biggest limiter here.None of these are as good as barbell squats of course. Massrandir, Barkûn, Swolórin, The Whey Pilgrim 500 / 330 / 625 Challenges: 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 39 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 Current Challenge "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. " ~ Socrates "Friends don't let friends squat high." ~ Chad Wesley Smith "It's a dangerous business, Brodo, squatting to the floor. You step into the rack, and if you don't keep your form, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Gainsdalf Link to comment
Horsedog Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 What's your goal? That's a big (probably the biggest) factor in determining what your training should look like? What you do, and what you don't do, matters. Link to comment
Waldo Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 For body weight only, I'd work toward pistols for strength. If you're interested in endurance, I'd say jump squats. Burpees are also good, but the push up component tends to be the biggest limiter here.None of these are as good as barbell squats of course.If pistols are too easy you can weight them (it actually makes the balance easier) and/or do shrimp squats. Pistols can also be done explosively as jump squats, as can shrimp squats.An underrated leg workout is full bore sprinting, especially uphill. Somewhere in the 80-150m area, where you've got about a 12-20 second run, long enough to fully exhaust your C-P system, short enough that you can give 100% effort from popping out of your stance to crossing the line. Also including long enough rest (5 minutes or so) between runs to fully recharge your energy systems so that every run is fast and at peak power with 100% effort. A few of these really crush you physically and develop bigger, stronger legs capable of a high power output. Plus they are fun. Over time you should see tangible performance increases as your strength increases, in the form of faster and faster times. currently cutting battle log challenges: 21,20, 19,18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 don't panic! Link to comment
WizardTrip Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Yep, pistol squats for BW stuff for sure! Or improvise with weight for goblet squats. Load up your bag (or even an old purse maybe.... fashion forward kettlebell??) with bricks, etc; and perform goblet squats adding as much weight as the bag can hold. Level 6 Wizard of Beer Warrior STR 21.25 | DEX 5.75 | STA 7.75 | CON 3.50 | WIS 9.50 | CHA 3.25 Twitter | Epic Trip | Current Challenge Previous Challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 *the warrior formerly known as icedtrip and former dothraki god of thunder furyan* Link to comment
Corbab Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Jump squats are monsters if you do enough of them. I've worked up to 200 continuous, and 200 regular squats at a 2 second cadence. I'll +1 the pistol squats too. Jump-offs are a personal favorite: get a low box (~18 inches), step up with one leg, and explode upward. Great for your legs, and works the stabilizers, too. Never think of pain or danger or enemies a moment longer than is necessary to fight them. -Ayn Rand Amongst those less skilled you can see all this energy escaping through contorted faces, gritted teeth and tight shoulders that consume huge amounts of effort but contribute nothing to achieving the task. Link to comment
Corbab Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Jump squats are monsters if you do enough of them. I've worked up to 200 continuous, and 200 regular squats at a 2 second cadence. I'll +1 the pistol squats too. Jump-offs are a personal favorite: get a low box (~18 inches), step up with one leg, and explode upward. Great for your legs, and works the stabilizers, too. Never think of pain or danger or enemies a moment longer than is necessary to fight them. -Ayn Rand Amongst those less skilled you can see all this energy escaping through contorted faces, gritted teeth and tight shoulders that consume huge amounts of effort but contribute nothing to achieving the task. Link to comment
TinkG6 Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 I've done the one legged squats which are intense. And then i do these squat and a halves (I dont know official name) - squat down, come half way up, squat back down and then come all the way up in all one quick fluid motion. Seems simple at first but once you get a few in you start to feel the burn. Link to comment
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