2.6M
AUTom Platz is known for having arguably the best leg development in bodybuilding history, and here is his opinion on squats vs leg press.
I love his opinion as it comes from absolute authority AND it confirms my bias, but as a coach and as an educator, I’ve learnt that it’s ok to have biases, but it’s more important to have an open mind, and to not speak or teach in absolutes.
Unfortunately there is an increase in popularity of modern day personal trainers teaching people that squats (amongst many of our favourite barbell exercises) are BAD and are inferior to machine exercises like leg presses, and usually without context.
Here’s my OPINION. Squats are the king of lifts. They build muscle. They build strength. They build mental fortitude. I love doing them, and they have been the motivation for myself and so many people to train hard and achieve outstanding results.
Are they the best exercise for quadriceps development? For some people they may be, and for others, machine exercises are simply better.
There is no single answer because everyone has different goals as well as different skill levels, different bone lengths, different proportions and different levels of mobility.
Definitive statements without context are an effective way to spread a message, but it doesn’t make that message true.
Like most debates, the pendulum swings both directions and the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
The squat AND the leg press are both valuable tools that can both be extremely helpful, and both with different outcomes. Neither are better or worse and can both be used together to create great results.
If I was to pick a side, I’d go with team Platz (team squats) and if you disagree, that’s totally fine, you’re just a pussy…. Ok calm down, that was joke and an example of exactly what I’m talking about.
But if people are allowed to claim that squats are bad and leg presses are better, I’m definitely entitled to a different opinion, and Tom Platz the quadzilla himself is most definitely entitled to give his.
#squats #tomplatz
@australianstrengthcoach
