I’m no longer comfortable doing traditional barbell squats. The actual squats aren’t a problem, but walking the bar out and back is feeling pretty dicey. Without going into a lot of detail, I’m 72 with Meniere’s disease, supposedly, and sort of a lingering post-sciatica instability in my left leg. (Probably grist for a consultation.)
I’ve been reluctant to give up barbell squats, due a belief that they’re uniquely beneficial for preventing knee pain, but I’m ready to drop the superstition and make a switch.
Among alternatives that I’ve tried, only the leg press feels pretty natural. (I expected to like the Smith machine too, because I can maintain a nice vertical path with a regular barbell, but it actually feels really weird.) So I’m inclined to go with the leg press, program it like a main lift rather than just another machine, and to try to target both quads and hamstrings via different foot positions.
Does that sound reasonable? I mean, it’s only for another 20 years or so, tops.
Good to hear from you. This is an interesting question, but I’ll say from the start that I think you’re making a reasonable decision. Maybe there’s some nuance here, though.
To start, I don’t think barbell squats are uniquely protective for knees. For strength, muscle, bone density, and general health, a leg press (or similar) delivers what the barbell squat does. Loading your quads and hips through a tolerable range so that the active tissues are strong and capable is the thing that helps knees (and other joints). So, I don’t think you are really giving up anything by ditching squats there.
I’m inclined to agree that the risk was greater than the benefits due to your condition (especially if unpredictable) and how it affects the walkout and re-rack. Swapping to something stable and supported solves the issue.
Programming the leg press like a main lift rather than “just a machine” is the right mindset. Progress it, push it, and treat it seriously like you did the squat. For technique, yep, foot position changes the movement much like it does in a squat. Placing the feet lower on the platform creates more knee flexion (loading the quadriceps more), higher position brings in more posterior chain. Whether this leads to meaningfully different levels of muscle growth is speculative, but the leg press is quad-dominant by nature and won’t train hamstrings like a hinge does (DL, RDL, etc.).
Only thing I’d add is to keep a squat pattern in that requires balance and whole-body control, because I think that free weight training carries over to this better than machines. So, consider keeping a small dose of a free-weight movement where balance is still in play: a light goblet squat or a bodyweight split squat, a couple of easy sets, not as your heavy leg work but as a deliberate bit of stability practice. If I were programming for you, I’d have you do split squats with a DB in one hand and using the free hand to hold on to something nearby (a rack) for balance as needed.
You’ve got 20 more years, so no rush to get it perfect.
Thanks very much, Jordan. That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Luckily I can still deadlift for my hamstrings, and I’ll try out the split squats as you suggested.
