Squats are a popular exercise for building muscle and are one of the main events of a powerlifting meet but for the average Joe who wants to build legs and does not want to do squats, there are many squat alternatives you can utilize to build huge legs and have insane leg strength.

Before we start, we will take a look at what muscles do the squat targets. There are 2 types of barbell squats. The first one is a high bar squat and the second one is a low bar squat. The high bar squats primarily focus on the quads and the low bar squat engages the posterior chain and also the quads. So without further ado let’s dive into barbell squat alternatives.

Barbell squat alternatives

1. Belt squat
2. Hack squat
3. Leg press
4. Hip thrusts
5. Squat bar squats
6. Romanian deadlifts
7. Leg extensions
8. Leg curls

Belt squat

Belt squat is an awesome squat alternative as it removes the load from the back and puts emphasis on the legs alone. Belts squats should be utilized if you have back issues or are simply trying to train your legs without straining the back.

Pro tip: Do lighter weights with a ton of reps for best results.

How to:

• Adjust the belt to a height from which you can hit the full range of motion
• Brace your core
• Hold the handles and descend into a squat
• Push upwards and repeat

Hack squat

Hack squat is a popular machine in the fitness industry. Personalities such as Tom Platz have popularized the hack squat. Hack squat mimics the squat motion without emphasizing the back and the foot width can be adjusted to emphasize different parts of the legs.

Take a narrow stance to put emphasis on the quads and take a wider stance to emphasize the hamstrings. Overall hack squats are great barbell squat alternatives

Pro tip: Use safety pins on the hack squat. Another variation of this is a pendulum squat. Adjust the foot width to emphasize different parts of the legs.

How to:

• Adjust the safety pins and height of the hack squat
• Get set under the machine and descent into a squat
• Push with your legs and repeat

Leg press

The leg press is similar to the belt squat it removes the back completely and puts all the load on the legs. Many people tend to do half reps on the leg press because they use a lot of weight that they can’t handle. The leg press is a great exercise for building thick and strong legs.

Pro tip: DO NOT lock out your knees. Change foot placement to target different parts of the legs. Place your feet on top the the platform to target the hamstrings, and place your feet on the bottom of the platform to target the quads.

How to:

• Adjust the seat incline and place your feet on the platform
• Bend the knees till you feel the stretch in your muscles
• Hold for a second and push upwards
• DO NOT LOCK OUT YOUR KNEES

Hip thrusts

Hip thrusts target the glutes and the hamstrings. This exercise is great if you have knee pain while squatting. Hip thrusts can aid in lockouts in deadlifts and squats. This exercise is a great accessory movement to help improve other lifts.

Pro tip: Use lighter weight and do not jerk the weight.

How to:

• Use a barbell and pads
• Place the barbell on your hip crease
• Push with your hips, Hold at the top and repeat

Squat bar squats

Squat bar squats remove the load from the back and place it all on the legs. The squat bar is very effective in training quads and can sometimes help improve technique in normal squats. You can make your squat bar using deadlift straps and use heel shoes or elevate your heels using plates to put more emphasis on the quads.

Pro tip: Use lighter weight and perform high reps for best results.

How to:

• Get under the safety squat bar
• Brace your core
• Lift the weight and squat like you normally do

Romanian deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts are a great exercise to target the hamstring and the glutes. This exercise is a great squat alternatives since it removes the load from the knees and puts it on the posterior chain. Many lifters use this as an accessory movement to aid their deadlift and improve their numbers on the squat and the deadlift.

Pro tip: Take a little narrower stance than usual to put more emphasis on the hamstrings.

How to:

• Stand 1 inch away from the bar with feet slightly inward shoulder width apart
• Brace your core
• Lift the bar like a deadlift
• Do not bend your knees and let the weight down till you feel a stretch in your hamstrings

Leg extensions

Leg extensions are better than squats to build quads and should be performed every leg day. This exercise puts all emphasis on the quads and grows them like no other exercise. This exercise can cause some knee pain if used incorrectly but it is a great squat alternatives for back pain.

Pro tip: Curl your toes up for a better contraction on the quads.

How to:

• Adjust the machine to your limb lengths
• Push the weight up
• Hold and let go of it slowly

Leg curl

Leg curl primarily targets the hamstrings. This exercise can help avoid knee pain and back pain if you have it. The key with hamstring curls is its range of motion which can be increased by placing pads on the seating part of the machine.

Pro tip: Contraction is key in this exercise use lighter weight to feel your muscles more

How to:

• Lay on the leg curl machine and use lighter weights
• Pull the weight with your legs and hold
• Release the weight slowly to have the best results

What are some squat alternatives for bad knees?

Exercises such as the leg press, Belt squat, RDLs, and leg curls can help avoid knee pain. These exercises are great squat alternatives for bad knees if you have problems with knee pain or have less mobile knees.

What are some squat alternatives for bad back?

Exercises such as the leg press, belt squat, squat bar squat, and leg extensions are some exercises that are great squat alternatives for bad back. To utilize these exercises and have the best possible results individuals should focus on maintaining form and technique.

FAQs

Q1. Do I need to do squats to build my legs?

Ans. No, you do not need to do squats to build your legs. Squats are a great exercise to build legs but there are many squat alternatives which can help build your legs.

Q2. How often should i include these squat alternatives?

Ans. You should incorporate these into your training at least twice a week for optimal results.