Help me design a leg routine!!

[pman42]

Okay, so quick summary: maybe 8 months ago felt some nagging lower back pain, went in for x-ray and was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. I have been doing lots of work to correct this, both mobility/soft tissue work and supplementation. hyaluronic acid in high doses seems to be the ticket.

Anyway, finally got to see the sports doc, and he basically confirmed what I thought: no loaded spine exercises for now (I can do things like lunges and pistols since the weight is so much lighter). So squats, the mainstay of my leg day before, are out. I need other effective ways to build leg mass. I have tried a few things but nothing really resonates. can someone post what they think would be a reasonably complete, squat-less leg workout? thanks a million

[islandmagic]

If I understand correctly no BB Squats.... or any load on your Spine...

I thinking BB hack Squats is what I would do --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd_PopWSUWM

DB Squats

Then you can add what every you like Lunges, leg exten etc

[burlyman30]

Look up Roman Chair squats. Killer quad workout. Also "sissy squats". Neither hit hams, though. You'll need to supplement with the back hyperextensions to hit those.

[weekend]

hyperextensions?

why not stiff leg dead?

[burlyman30]

hyperextensions?

why not stiff leg dead?

Because the OP has degenerative disc disease and asked for no-load exercises.

[Sorrow]

Don't know if belt squats are available to you, keeping the belt low on the hips may be ok. Various angles and foot positions on the leg press.

[pman42]

belt squats have been treating me good, gradually working up to more weight.

something about the leg press seems to mildly irritate to low back, but not as bad as squatting

[weekend]

wait so pman can you deadlift?

i like the machine hack squat. http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/369108547/Fitness_Equipment_Hack_Squat.jpg

[Scope75]

Belt squats....
I tweaked my back 2 weeks ago and belt squats are great and really work out the legs. I don't have access to the lower pulley like you see at west side but hanging 75-100 pounds off my belt works just fine. I need some platforms so I can start using more weight.

[pman42]

i haven't really tried deadlifting with my injury. even before it, DLing seemed to give my lower back irritation-- which i credited to my proportionately longer legs than torso. so I usually did it off the pins on a rack or stacked a few plated under each side.

[weekend]

hmm, if you used to be able to do them a bit, i think personally that you could at least do stiff leg deads if you're very careful with keeping your lumbar arched. it will train your muscles around the injury super well too.

but definitely be careful, dont want to make anything worse. maybe start with the hypers and then move up to the stiffys

[weekend]

also high rep on the trap bar deadlift would make a damn good replacement for squatting, if it doesnt irritate the injury..

i have had pretty gnarly back problems from squatting... deadlifting both trap bar and barbell allowed me to grow my legs while letting the injury recover. the injury was an issue with muscle imbalance in the lumbar and possibly fascia was messed up, doing a shit ton of planks helped too.

[pman42]

okay, here is something i have been wondering...

a bunch of authors say it is impossible to grow in a particular muscle group without overall weight gain. thoughts on this? I want to keep growing and making progress but squats and deads are out for now. I have been substituting other big exercises that work a lot of the body, such as chins, dips, rows, military presses. i am making upper body gains, but if my "foundation" doesn't get stronger i wonder how much longer i can continue.

the sled pushes/pulls are good, they really work my legs but it doesn't feel like the same intensity as 5 sets of squats. plus, i now live further from the park so the sled pushes are done shorter-range on rubber matting with UHMW skis. i can still flip the sled around and keep going (or switch to the low-push handles on the other side), but again, it's not quite the same as dragging it 50 metres across a grassy field with tall grass.

anyway i would like thoughts on my question whether i can continue to grow without squats. i guess "squats=growth" is something that has been indoctrinated into my brain.

[burlyman30]

okay, here is something i have been wondering...

a bunch of authors say it is impossible to grow in a particular muscle group without overall weight gain. thoughts on this? I want to keep growing and making progress but squats and deads are out for now. I have been substituting other big exercises that work a lot of the body, such as chins, dips, rows, military presses. i am making upper body gains, but if my "foundation" doesn't get stronger i wonder how much longer i can continue.

the sled pushes/pulls are good, they really work my legs but it doesn't feel like the same intensity as 5 sets of squats. plus, i now live further from the park so the sled pushes are done shorter-range on rubber matting with UHMW skis. i can still flip the sled around and keep going (or switch to the low-push handles on the other side), but again, it's not quite the same as dragging it 50 metres across a grassy field with tall grass.

anyway i would like thoughts on my question whether i can continue to grow without squats. i guess "squats=growth" is something that has been indoctrinated into my brain.

Never bought into the "must squat to grow" theory. This is coming from a guy who really loves the squat, too. To be honest, I found my upper body growth lags behind when tasked with recovering from intense leg/squat workouts and while not being assisted with anabolics. And I know plenty of guys with huge upper bodies that don't do much when it come to legs.

Work around your situation the best you can and see how it goes.