Squat Assisted Leg Press Training

[Zach Salakory]

Hi all SS members,

After years of in and out hypertrophy training for Aestetics, I finally started the SS training 5 weeks ago.
I'm very happy with the linear progress (uptil now), I noticed that I have very weak muscles.

I am too embarrased to give you my initial starting weights, but you can figure out, when I give you my current numbers.

I am a 51 year old male, 170 lbs, endomorph body type with potential to gain quick muscles.
I do enough sleep and my nutrition is on par with the guidelines, I consider myself fit and from the outside I seem big and strong but I am not.

Currently I am stuck at 89 lbs with squating, I can't get the reps anymore or otherwise the last reps all go into technical failure.
(this is normal of course during strength training)

I have read that you can do leg-presses to strengthen and assist your Squats.

So is it ok, that I now do a back-off period for the Squat while also do leg-press assisstance training ? And what intensity should my leg press be ?
I even read somewhere on this site, that as long as you can't squat your own bodyweight, you should always do leg-press assistance training.

Thanks in advance!

Regards, Zach

[Mark Rippetoe]

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition (Current Revision, Paperback) – The Aasgaard Company

[Zach Salakory]

Thanks Mark, I only have the Starting Strength book. Will order the barbell book as well then. Curious. Regards !!

[Zach Salakory]

Thanks Mark, will get the Barbell training book as well then. (Only have starring strength book)
Regards

[Wlodyd52]

If you can squat, which it sounds like you can, then you should squat. Squatting will get you stronger and better at squatting, leg presses will not. Then sorry to be blunt, but you're a 170 lb 51 year old. Do you really think from the outside to others you "seem big and strong"? As you said, you are not big and you are not strong. You likely have incredibly low amounts of muscle mass with history of rather useless aesthetics exercise and what you have described as an endomorph body type. This program can fix that, but leg presses are not part of the program.

You need to eat and you need to squat and you will make progress. You are not too old to squat. You are not too weak to squat. And if form is the issue, which it likely is, I would highly recommend reaching out to a coach or posting some videos on here. Nobody here is judging you (well, it is the internet so I'm sure someone is, but who the hell cares. The ones here to help aren't). But they will challenge you and everything you thought you knew.