Is NOT squatting bad?

[mpetry]

i think you are totally misinterpreting what rob is saying. he's saying that just because squats are one of the best exercises, someone whose goal is not to get as strong as possible as quickly as possible doesn't need to do them; he is NOT saying that there is no point in doing them. two very different things.

I think you are totally misinterpreting his interpretation of what Rob is saying

This may be true, but I am getting from his interpretation that if someone hates a certain exercise, they will drop it and that will lead to them dropping other exercises. Is the OP talking about dropping squats because they're hard? If that was established, then this is certainly a bad reason for dropping them. Otherwise, we'd need more information.

Agree with james; if the OP is only dropping squats because they're hard and he doesn't want to be bothered, he'll probably be better off doing them. Actually, in most cases, I think the OP would be better off squatting. I think we need to know exactly what the trouble is.

[jfh26]

^^^ Yes, the original question was if it was OK to drop squats because the OP didn't like them and thought they were too hard. But I do agree with james in that the discussion has probably gone on long enough (guilty as well ). Especially seeing as the OP hasn't been back here in 10 days...

So OP, if you'd care to come back and elaborate on your dislike of squats, then maybe we can get this discussion back on the track of actually helping you

[mpetry]

^^^ Yes, the original question was if it was OK to drop squats because the OP didn't like them and thought they were too hard. But I do agree with james in that the discussion has probably gone on long enough (guilty as well ). Especially seeing as the OP hasn't been back here in 10 days...

So OP, if you'd care to come back and elaborate on your dislike of squats, then maybe we can get this discussion back on the track of actually helping you

yeah see i read that the OP didn't like squats, but he didn't say that he thought they were too hard (although I would guess that that's part of the reason he dislikes them), but without further elaboration, we can't be sure. If its just the case that he thinks they're too hard but wants to build muscle and strength quickly, I'm sure most of us would tell him to just suck it up and get under the bar.

[MDR2]

Keep in mind that it is not lunges that we are talking about. It's not sit-ups, side bends, back bridges, or any other accessory exercise. It's squats, the so-called "king of exercises". Squats should be part of any "general" strength building program simply because of the quality of adaptation they demand. If general strength is the goal (and we have no reason to think that it is not) squats should be part of the program. If gymnastics ring work was the goal then NO, do not squat. If you are training to move your whole body with only your upper body then having a small lower body would be a good thing. But there is no reason to assume such a specific course.

After all, there is a reason that Stronglifts (Mehdi), Starting Strength and Practical Programming (Rippetoe) recommend squats and why MANY of the strongest men ever, do/did squats. They work and they work good. So what if he never wants to squats 500 lbs., no one says he has to. Why not stop when you hit 1.5xbw? As far as time is concerned, it's hard to produce results fast than squats do.

But if he really does not want to do them, why not try trap bar deadlifts? From what I hear the motion is similar to that of a squat. I must say theoretically though, because I have no direct experience with them so I am by no means an authority.

As far as the original question "Is NOT squatting bad?" well, (analogy) would you rather type 20 word per minute or 80 words per minute. They both get it done, but one way faster.