No squat rack but have a leg press

[KO By Knee]

I just signed up for the rec center and all I wanted was a squat rack to do 5x5 bench/squat/press etc..

Low and behold after I paid for a membership they don't have one lol, but they do however have a leg press machine and dumbless and everything else a regular gym has, Al the cable workout etc..

My question is what's the best way to utilize these machines? Also what's the comparison to leg press vs squat?

While I can I'm using dumbells to work chest/shoulders along with reps of cable workouts.

Using the Smith machine for calf's leg press instead of squat and a quad extensions.

I feel the burn and get a pump but it feels like I made way bigger gains using the flat bench and squat.

 

[chubbman]

Dumbbell squats if they’re heavy enough, and leg presses are fine unless you wanna show off on a platform one day.

 

[deadshot138]

Unilateral leg work, split squats and lunges. With a pair of 100lbs dumbbells, they’re quite challenging.

 

[MandirigmaFit]

Did you sign up for a gym without a tour? That's unheard of in California. People always want to view the gyms and the membership account managers always sell by giving the tours.

Use the Leg Press & everything else in there that can work the lower body.

 

[Sano]

Unilateral leg work, split squats and lunges. With a pair of 100lbs dumbbells, they’re quite challenging.

Second this. Lots of single leg variations you can do with dumbbells that will give you great work. With less than 100lbs ones too lol. Another thing you can manipulate is the tempo. You can do eccentric single leg work with pauses, regular jump squats with dumbbells, or even single leg jumps (those are tricky). Lots of options.

Add to that a heavy leg press and you're doing pretty well for yourself.

 

[j123]

I actually like the angled plate loaded leg press, I found good improvements using it as accessory work.

I found it similar to front squats sorta

 

[DoomPatrol]

I just signed up for the rec center and all I wanted was a squat rack to do 5x5 bench/squat/press etc..

Low and behold after I paid for a membership they don't have one lol, but they do however have a leg press machine and dumbless and everything else a regular gym has, Al the cable workout etc..

My question is what's the best way to utilize these machines? Also what's the comparison to leg press vs squat?

While I can I'm using dumbells to work chest/shoulders along with reps of cable workouts.

Using the Smith machine for calf's leg press instead of squat and a quad extensions.

I feel the burn and get a pump but it feels like I made way bigger gains using the flat bench and squat.

Are you really that lazy that you didn't check out the gym first? Can you not just go to like an LA Fitness or Gold's Gym?

 

[Badger67]

Add zerchers vua walking out from the bench

 

[kevo1295]

Pistol squats are your friend

 

[DEVILsSON]

If possible, cancel the membership and go to another gym. Instead of bending over backwards to work around the limitations of the gym while paying your hard earned money, why not just go workout elsewhere? With a relatively short amount of training, it will quickly become inconvenient or impractical.

 

[DoomPatrol]

I just signed up for the rec center and all I wanted was a squat rack to do 5x5 bench/squat/press etc..

Low and behold after I paid for a membership they don't have one lol, but they do however have a leg press machine and dumbless and everything else a regular gym has, Al the cable workout etc..

My question is what's the best way to utilize these machines? Also what's the comparison to leg press vs squat?

While I can I'm using dumbells to work chest/shoulders along with reps of cable workouts.

Using the Smith machine for calf's leg press instead of squat and a quad extensions.

I feel the burn and get a pump but it feels like I made way bigger gains using the flat bench and squat.

Sounds more like you want to have a program without doing squats, but are afraid of having to admit that you want to cut them out.

 

[ROcknrollracing]

i agree with the son of the devil on this one

 

[Z-11]

I just signed up for the rec center and all I wanted was a squat rack to do 5x5 bench/squat/press etc...

Can't compare leg press machine with Squat. If you joined just with 5x5 in mind = change gym

 

[Beijing Power]

http://ergo-log.com/squatvslegpress.html

 

[EatMyShorts]

I just signed up for the rec center and all I wanted was a squat rack to do 5x5 bench/squat/press etc..

Low and behold after I paid for a membership they don't have one lol, but they do however have a leg press machine and dumbless and everything else a regular gym has, Al the cable workout etc..

My question is what's the best way to utilize these machines? Also what's the comparison to leg press vs squat?

While I can I'm using dumbells to work chest/shoulders along with reps of cable workouts.

Using the Smith machine for calf's leg press instead of squat and a quad extensions.

I feel the burn and get a pump but it feels like I made way bigger gains using the flat bench and squat.

Request a refund and join a proper gym.

 

[KO By Knee]

Did you sign up for a gym without a tour? That's unheard of in California. People always want to view the gyms and the membership account managers always sell by giving the tours.

Use the Leg Press & everything else in there that can work the lower body.

Yep, I ended up finding a better gym, but I realized the same thing when I signed up..No tour.

 

[rocketskates]

Look at the bright side, you can be one of those people who can’t squat much but can load the sled up with 20 plates to try to look cool

 

[Pugilistic]

Join a real gym. The first and only two things I look at when I go to a gym is if they have a squat rack and they allow deadlifts.

Look at the bright side, you can be one of those people who can’t squat much but can load the sled up with 20 plates to try to look cool

Leg Presses don't seem very challenging. There's a guy in my gym who literally has to use every single 20kg plate in the gym to get a workout. I don't know why he doesn't just do squats.

 

[JosephDredd]

I just signed up for the rec center and all I wanted was a squat rack to do 5x5 bench/squat/press etc..

Low and behold after I paid for a membership they don't have one lol, but they do however have a leg press machine and dumbless and everything else a regular gym has, Al the cable workout etc..

My question is what's the best way to utilize these machines? Also what's the comparison to leg press vs squat?

While I can I'm using dumbells to work chest/shoulders along with reps of cable workouts.

Using the Smith machine for calf's leg press instead of squat and a quad extensions.

I feel the burn and get a pump but it feels like I made way bigger gains using the flat bench and squat.

Check out Pavel's Power To The People. He shows several deadlift variations that hit the legs, as a replacement for squats.

You could also learn how to power clean and front squat.

 

[Prokofievian]

Yep, I ended up finding a better gym, but I realized the same thing when I signed up..No tour.

So this new gym has or does not have a squat rack?