Quote Originally Posted by pman42 View Post
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.