The barbell squat is known as “the king of all exercises” – and for good reason. Squats have been the staple for bodybuilders looking to grow their leg muscles for decades, and they have been used (and still are used) to improve almost every athletic endeavor that is undertaken on two feet.
However, there are several reasons why one might want to change things up and try another alternative. You might want to work on any weaknesses in the squat movement (mobility- or strength-wise), add a variation to your workout routine to overcome a plateau, or return from an injury.
Limitations of Traditional Barbell Squats
While the barbell squat is one of the most popular exercises, it absolutely has some limitations. First of all, the squat is quite a complex movement technique-wise, and you might not be comfortable performing it. It’s also recommended to have a spotter or some kind of safety bars in case of failing.
Squats could also add a lot of stress to your lower back, which might be a reason why you need a break from it. Since it’s a big compound exercise, it might be hard to incorporate it into your training routine while recovering from an injury or similar.
Lastly, you might not have the right equipment in place. To be able to squat safely, you need a barbell, a rack with safety bars (or a gym buddy that can spot you), and the right amount of weights to challenge your strength.
In this article, we’ll give you 5 alternatives to the barbell squat, and hopefully, you’ll find yourself a good alternative for your needs.
Barbell Squat Alternatives
1. Leg Press
The leg press allows you to work your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, in a similar way as squats without adding too much strain on your lower back and shoulders.
The isolation on the lower body makes it a good alternative for lifters rehabilitating from injuries or those who are newer to weightlifting and looking to build leg strength in a controlled environment. However, it does not provide the same level of core activation or balance training, as the machine guides the movement.
The leg press is a good alternative for beginners, lifters who need to reduce stress on their lower back, and those who want to be able to focus solely on muscle growth in their legs and eliminate the aspects of stabilization and balance.
Read more: Leg Press vs. Squats: Which is Better For Muscle & Strength?
2. Lunges
Lunges could be a good alternative to barbell squats. It targets the same muscles as the squats, while also offering an added challenge for your stability and balance.
Since the lunges are a unilateral exercise, it could help you to address any imbalances between the legs, in a way squat doesn’t. Basically, it’s not just that lunges can act as a stand-in for squats. They could also be seen as a bonus move that can amp up your overall fitness and make sure both sides of your body are equally strong and in balance.
Lunges can be a good alternative for squats for lifters who want to have a challenging leg exercise but don’t have access to a barbell and lifters who want to work on any imbalances.
3. Bulgarian Split Squats
Bulgarian split squats could be described as an older sibling to lunges. It targets the same muscles as lunges do, but the elevated position of one leg demands more in terms of balance and stability.
One perk of the Bulgarian split squat is that you don’t need as heavy a load as in the barbell squat to make the exercise heavy. This means that it’s suitable if you need to reduce your overall training volume, or if you don’t have access to an unlimited amount of weights.
Bulgarian split squats can be a good alternative for squats for lifters who want to have a challenging leg exercise but don’t have access to a barbell, lifters who want to keep the weights down but still get a good workout in, and lifters who want to work on any imbalances.
4. Hack Squats
Hack squats offer a very similar movement pattern as the squat, but the machine lets you keep your body in a very upright position, almost like in a front squat. It also takes off some load from your core and lower back.
Both exercises are great for building your leg muscles and increasing your lower body strength. The hack squat machine enables you to focus a bit more on the working muscles, which might be good for bodybuilding purposes. In comparison, the barbell squat will give you more practice at muscle coordination and creating stability throughout your body, which might be beneficial for expressing your strength in real-world settings such as strength and power sports.
The hack squat is a good alternative for beginners, lifters who need to reduce stress on their lower back, and those who want to be able to focus solely on muscle growth in their legs and eliminate the aspects of stabilization and balance.
5. Deadlifts
There are many similarities between the squat and deadlift. Both are compound exercises that work a lot of muscle mass, primarily in your legs, hips, and back. There is a big overlap in terms of muscle activation in the deadlift and squat, but since the deadlift is more of a hip hinge than a squat, it means that it works your posterior chain more.
The deadlift can be a good alternative to squats if you’re looking for a big compound exercise but don’t have access to a squat rack. The deadlift is often a bit less intimidating than the squat as well, as failing isn’t as scary – which makes it a bit easier to introduce to the beginner who wants to start with compound exercises.
Read more: Deadlift vs. Squat: Muscles Worked, Benefits, and Strength Ratio
Incorporating Barbell Squat Alternatives into Your Routine
If you’re looking to replace barbell squats in your current workout routine, it’s important to first reflect on the role squats play in your program. Recognizing the initial reasons for including squats will help you make your decision on an appropriate substitute.
If your routine already incorporates lunges or Bulgarian split squats on top of the barbell squats, substituting squats with exercises like leg presses or hack squats could help you focus on leg strength and muscle growth, without adding more exercises that challenge your stability and balance.
However, if your program consists mostly of machine exercises in addition to barbell squats, you might look to replace squats with lunges or Bulgarian split squats instead. This adjustment ensures you retain the benefits of stability and balance training in your lower body workouts.
Summary
I hope that you’ve gotten some inspiration from this article and that you found a good alternative for the barbell squat to incorporate into your workout routine. Even if you want to keep the barbell squat in your routine, the alternative exercises above could be a good complement as well.
If you want to grow bigger and stronger, the key to fast and consistent gains in strength and muscle is to increase the weight you use in your training or to do more reps, regardless of which exercises you’re doing.
To help with this, you might want to track your workout progress, suggestively in our workout log app Strengthlog.
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