u/Exciting_Jacket9745

everyone online talks about leaving 1-2 reps in the tank for optimal recovery. but honestly, I feel like most of us have absolutely no idea what true failure actually feels like.

when I stopped trying to do the math in my head on every set and just started taking my last working set until the weight literally stopped moving, my arms and back actually started growing again.

I feel like RIR only works if you've been lifting for like 5+ years and know your exact limits. otherwise you're probably just stopping when it starts to burn.

What do you say? do you go full in or not on a set.

for the longest time i thought barbell back squats were mandatory if i wanted my legs to stop looking like sticks. every old-school lifter and fitness thread says if you aren't squatting heavy with a barbell, you aren't really building legs.

problem is, i have longer femurs, and every time i tried pushing progressive overload on back squats, my lower back and hips ended up taking all the stress. my torso would pitch forward, the lift basically turned into a standing good-morning, and my lower back would be fried for days while my quads barely got stimulated.

a while back i stopped ego lifting with the barbell and moved my quad work over to hack squats and the 45-degree leg press.

being able to lock your back flat against a pad, sink all the way down into full knee flexion, and take sets to genuine mechanical failure without worrying about your spine caving in was an immediate difference. my quads have grown noticeably more in the last few months doing this than they did in two years of forcing barbell squats.

did anyone else see their quads finally blow up only after dropping standard back squats for machines, or are you still sticking with the barbell?