Leg Exercise Suggestions

[zippman]

Need some suggestions on building some sizeable mass in the legs. Little history, 39yrs old, 3 year old herniated disk in the L7, which makes it very tough to do squats due to the recurring pain in the lower back (pain only recurs after squatting sessions). Want to build some size, however, squatting appears out of the picture, even hack squats provide ample pain. Any thoughts? Props..

[equate]

Tried weighted lunges or up/downs?

They are a great leg builder..

--equate--

[jjfigure]

Dumbbell squats - the one-leg version. I know of PLers who've used them to maintain their leg strength when dealing with back issues.

[Spook]

Another possibility would be ball squats. You've seen the big blue or red balls, but you can put your back against them and do the dumbbell thing like jjfigure suggested. Instead of using one-legged squats you can do normal squats while you roll up and down the ball against a wall to support your back....this way your legs do most of the work and your back does the least amount of work.

[mega12]

couple things..
I would first work on your back to build the muscle up to protect your lumbar, try hyper extentions for a while, will do wonders...
ironmind.com sells a great contraption, a belt that hold weight at your hips, so you can do squats with much less weight on your shoulders, check it out...
Squats, hack squats and leg presses, all with varying foot positions... maybe burn out with leg ext and leg curls... you cant leave the squats out...
Mega

[mega12]

Super Squats Hip Belt™
Probably the best solution for everyone whose back keeps him or her from squatting with a bar. Adjustable in four sizes based on waist size:

Small: 26-30" waist
Medium: 31-35" waist
Large: 36-41" waist
X-Large: 42-50" waist

Please click on image to order SUPER SQUATS Hip Belt and select your size.

No. 1220 $89.95

http://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmind/
go under "squat tools"

here's the belt I was talking about
Mega

[zippman]

These are phenom suggestions! Spook, brilliant idea regarding the ball. I actually utilized the ball in my rehab of the herniated disk, however, never would have thought to incoporate with squats. Mega, awesome info bro! I'm actually looking forward to my next leg workout and hopefully will be pain free. Thank you for all the suggestions!

[zippman]

]http://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmind/[/url]
go under "squat tools"

here's the belt I was talking about
Mega

Mega,
I'm checking out the belt now and this looks just like what the doctor ordered. Damm nice link! My question to you is this, have you ever tried this belt, and how in the hell does the belt stay on your hips while there is a bar of weights on it?

[mega12]

never tried it, but I would guess the belt sinches in like a dip belt, at the tops of yout hips...
Mega

[hermiti]

You could try parallel deadlifts, which has been touted to be equivalent to the squat in terms of mass building and may be superior depending on your structure.