alternatives to squats?

[petrefax]

much as the title suggests...i need some suggestions for alternatives to squats for weight training

i'm too skint / too self-conscious to join a gym & have some free weights & a basic bench in my garage but its impossibe to do squats safely. most of the times i've tried the possibility of falling face first & breaking my neck has put me off any real exertion so i'm getting no benefit from the tiny amounts of weight i'm using

the bench i have has a leg extension fitting but would leg raises & curls provide enough excersise to compare to squats or are there any other excersises i could incorporate that would avoid the risk factors of my clumsy self stumbling about a concrete floored garage waving really heavy objects around my neck!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A studio flat??

[petrefax]

haha.. fair nuff, risking going face first on carpet is a slightly better prospect that on concrete

[kopite]

Bent over rows?

Dead lifts?

[KeyboardDemon]

A studio flat??

lol. I saw the post's title and immediately thought of renting, you beat me to it.

[Rave]

TBH there really isn't an alternative to squats- it is the king of excercises. If you really haven't got room for a power cage (mine was about the best £300 I ever spent BTW), then you can use- or make- any number of things as 'spotters'- saw horses, black and decker workmates etc etc. Or look out for an old squat rack on ebay / gumtree etc.

Deadlifts are a similarly hardcore excercise that allows you to move the same or more weight as the squat but it works the lower back, glutes and hams much more than the quads, abs and upper back. You could try hack squats to work the quads a bit more- but I've never got on with them.

[Russ]

Here's an easy one (as in straight forward - its impossible at first)

Stand on bench with arms out infront of you, take one leg off bench and use standing leg to lower self towards floor, when your heel touches come back up and do the other leg. Add weight for more fun

[pmcx9]

Bulgarian squat. You dont need weights to do this.

[Frank222]

I would say .. "Sit Ups" may be a good alternative to squats because it has same set of fitness benefits as squats have. Or one other option is Up and down on stairs, looks to target the same lower body area thighs and hips..