Find out 7 powerful exercises that will replace the barbell squat 100% while also working your hips and glutes effectively. Today we will talk about how to replace the squat with a barbell on the shoulders. In addition, we will touch on the topic of injury prevention. This article will definitely be useful to all athletes who want to diversify the training program or have problems with the back and knee joints.
Preventing Barbell Squat Injury
If an athlete often works hard in class, then the risks of injury increase dramatically. This is especially true for those athletes who have not sufficiently mastered the technique of performing exercises. The barbell squat is one of the most technically challenging exercises and there is a fairly high risk of injury while doing it. The lower back and knee joints are at particular risk.
Less common problems with elbows, shoulder girdle and upper back. It should also be remembered that in most cases, injuries are cumulative. Imagine an athlete squatting 160 pounds or more weekly, wanting to quickly progress to a working weight. At the same time, they do not plan fasting days using low and medium weights. It is quite obvious that it is extremely difficult to avoid problems with knee joints in such a situation.
Often, bodybuilding lovers simply do not think about the need for preventive measures. But for this you only need to eat right, do a cool-down, warm-up, etc. If you work with heavy weights, the training process must be organized correctly. Otherwise, the articular-ligamentous apparatus, which is absolutely not designed for serious loads, will fail. So then you have to think about how to replace squats with a barbell on your shoulders. To prevent this from happening, follow a few simple rules.
- Practice the exercise technique on light weights. Squats should be performed smoothly with a straight back. Also watch out for knee joints, which should not be pulled apart or brought together. If you are unsure of the accuracy of your technique, it is best to stop using heavy weights for one or two months. You can also introduce into the training program one more "technical" lesson, working with 40-50 percent of the maximum weight. First, you need to master the technique and only after that begin to progress the load.
- Enter fasting days. Let's give an example - you are working with a weight of 200 kilos, performing five repetitions, then on fasting days use a barbell weight of 140-150 kilos with a large number of repetitions, but at the same time reducing the total training volume.
- Eat healthy fats and chondroprotectors. Often, athletes do not pay enough attention to their nutrition. As a result, serious problems can arise, and even in the absence of crunching in the knee joints or pain, be sure to reconsider your diet. You must remember that any ailment is easier to prevent than to cure. Even in the pharmacy, you can find a good drug that improves the condition of the articular-ligamentous apparatus - teraflex. An excellent remedy for preventing joint injuries is regular supermarket gelatin. This product is made from animal collagen. Take one teaspoon of gelatin and pour 0.5 liters of cold boiled water over it, place in the refrigerator. In the morning on an empty stomach it is necessary to eat swollen gelatin. The duration of such a course is from one week to 10 days. After pausing, you can repeat it.
- Use pumping exercises for your back and knee joints. You can do hyperextensions and hip extensions at the beginning of the session and at its final stage. However, you cannot use large weights so as not to aggravate the situation. Perform 15 to 25 repetitions at a slow pace until a feeling of overflowing warmth appears in the work area.
What exercises can replace the squat with a barbell on the shoulders?
The question of how to replace the squat with a barbell on the shoulders is quite difficult, since it is necessary to take into account the location and severity of the injury. If there are problems with knee joints, then the list of exercises will be one, and with a back injury, another. By and large, after injuring your knee, you should take a break.
The fact is that there is no effective way to work out the quadriceps without involving the knee joint. In such a situation, we can recommend two possible solutions to the problem:
- Reduce working weight in squats and exercise at a slow pace in a controlled manner. In this case, the number of repetitions should be in the range of 15–20.
- Stop exercising your legs and start treating your injury.
If you have a damaged knee joint, then you should choose the second option. But using leg presses or leg extensions in the simulator will not be the best choice. In these exercises, a strong unnatural load is placed on the articular-ligamentous apparatus, and they are suitable only for those situations where there are no problems with the knees.
Note that the machine leg extension can be used as a warm-up to fill the joints with blood. However, we will talk about the rules of training, now you need to find out how to replace squats with a barbell on your shoulders. All of the following exercises can be used for back injuries.
Barbell Chest Squat
Since in this case the sports equipment is located in a different way in comparison with the classic movement, the load from the back muscles is shifted to the press. However, using large weights is still not worth it. If the problem is serious enough, even then you will feel pain. At home, in the absence of a barbell, you can use a kettlebell or dumbbells.
Weighted Belt Squats
For this exercise, you will need a special belt used when doing push-ups with additional weights. Having secured the necessary weight, you can begin to perform squats in the pit.
Squats on one leg
This movement is good because, even in the absence of additional load, it is extremely difficult to perform it. At the same time, there is no serious load on the back. If you do regular squats on one leg, you will be able to work out your thigh muscles perfectly. However, due to the high enough stress on the knee joint, care must be taken not to cause problems with the meniscus.
Different types of GACK squats and leg presses
The advantages of these movements are the ability to use serious weights and effectively progress the load. In addition, the exercises we are considering now well mimic the mechanics of classic squats. But with all the listed advantages, it is difficult to consider them the best choice. The fact is that a heavy load falls on the knee joints, and the stabilizing muscles are completely excluded from work.
Sprint races and high jumps
Agree, these solutions look as unconventional as possible. However, we can state with full responsibility that the effectiveness of these exercises is underestimated. With a constant increase in the height of the jump or a decrease in the time to overcome a hundred-meter distance, the leg muscles receive a sufficient amount of load. Of course, with their help, you will not be able to completely replace the squat with a barbell on the shoulders. However, they allow the legs to be loaded during the treatment of a back injury.
We all know that there are two types of exercise - aerobic and anaerobic. The first type involves long-term physical work and primarily involves the red muscle fibers responsible for endurance. Anaerobic exercise is our favorite strength exercise. Jogging is an aerobic exercise, but short-distance runs are done at maximum intensity, which brings the workout closer to anaerobic activity.
Dumbbell Squats
A good alternative to the classic squat, great for both sexes.
Dumbbell lunges
Although this is not exactly an alternative to squats, you can work out the quadriceps and especially the buttocks with this exercise. Women often include attacks in their training programs, but men underestimate them.
Example of a leg workout program
Knowing how to replace squats with a barbell on the shoulders, I would like to give an example of a leg workout program:
- Warm up - the duration is from 10 to 20 minutes.
- Extension of the legs in the simulator - the main task is to fill the joints with blood and thereby warm them up well. Do three sets of 10-15 reps each.
- Leg curls in the simulator - three sets of 10-15 repetitions each.
- Dumbbell Squats - three sets of 8-10 repetitions each.
- Leg press - Three to four sets with 6-10 reps. The athlete's working weight must be selected individually.
- Dumbbell lunges - three sets with 8-10 repetitions each.
- Stretching - perform movements for 5 to 10 minutes.
In conclusion, I would like to say that if you have an injury, you should not try to find out how to replace squats with a barbell on your shoulders. It is best to visit a doctor, because continuing classes can aggravate the situation and disable you for a long time. Even if you reduce the stress on your knee joints and do lighter exercises, the injury will not heal itself.
You must learn to be concerned about your health. As soon as you feel discomfort. Do not delay visiting a doctor. It is quite possible that nothing difficult will be, but it is better to play it safe. Do not forget to warm up your joints well before each session. Purchase special ointments and supplements of the chondroprotective class. Massage is an excellent way to relieve stress from joints.
If the decision to visit a specialist was made (this is exactly what should be done), then it is worth doing an MRI of the damaged area of the body. That's all the information that we wanted to convey to you when talking about how to replace squats with a barbell on the shoulders. The decision is only for you to make, but it must necessarily be weighed. Do not delay the initiation of injury treatment.
If you train for yourself and do not plan to perform, then health should be the highest priority. If professional athletes can train with shots, then you definitely don't need to. If your body works harmoniously, and does not have any problems, then all workouts will be as effective as possible.
How to replace barbell squats and how to properly perform one-legged squats, see the video below:
