Squat vs. leg lifting Which is the ace movement of practicing leg?

"No other exercise or any machine can stimulate muscles and help grow like a standard full squat." - Mark Rippetoe

　　Mark Rippetoe's famous quote in his book Starting Strength is the eternal iron rule in optimizing muscle strength training. If you want to become strong, kick the machine while hugging the barbell. Rippetoe's statement is based on the experience of countless athletes he has seen. Even today we still see that practicing free weights is better than practicing machines.

　　In a research report in the journal Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the researcher raised a question. Which exercise can release more hormones? Is it a machine or a free weight?" So they chose to use a leg lifter and a barbell squat to do a control test to see which one can secrete the most testosterone and growth hormone.

　　In this study, 10 volunteers were found, and each of them had experience in muscle strength training. First, they were asked to practice 80% of the weight of 10 RM in 6 sets of 10 RM in 6 sets of 10 RM. After many days of rest, they practice 80% of the weight of 10 RM in 6 sets of 10 RM in 6 sets of 10 RM. In each After the exercise, take a blood sample immediately.

The test results did not surprise, because barbell squats did produce higher testosterone and growth hormone. Squats were about 25% more testosterone than leg pressing, and growth hormone was as high as 200%. When the two exercises were measured again 30 minutes after the two exercises were over, it was found that the growth hormone content in the squats was 100% more than the leg pressing. Wouldn't double the growth hormone bring double the fun? Because growth hormone and testosterone help us synthesize muscles The key. In addition, the squats produce more loose cords than leg pressing, which further confirms that squats will bring different physiological experiences.

The more parts of the body withstand pressure, the more hormones will be secreted. Squats are the king of training, mainly training quadriceps, gluteus maximus, upper hamstrings, and lower erection spinal muscles. In addition, the strength of the waist and abdominal muscles also determines whether you can stand firm when you negatively. As for leg lifting, there is no need to bear weight behind the shoulders and stand upright, the pressure on the waist and abdominal muscles, erection spinal muscles, and upper hamstrings will be reduced to a very low level. The force is also small, mainly to test the strength of the quadriceps. If the quadriceps are strong, you can lift the legs and carry a larger load. This should not be difficult to understand why the amount of hormone secretion is not as good as squats.

　　So is leg pressing a bad exercise? Of course not. The key is efficiency. We are all pursuing the best effect, but time and energy are limited, so of course we are doing the best exercise. If you choose one, of course the first choice is squats.

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