Substitute for Barbell Squats

Desterknee

The gym I have access to through my school does not have a squat rack. With the empty bar, and up to 55lbs I was able to press it overhead to get it on my back but I am thinking this is a bad way to go about it and I probably won't be able to do it any longer. Also, last time my during rests between sets, I had the barbell on my back the whole time because I had nowhere to put it. I am lucky I didn't hurt myself. That was not bright of me.

What is the closest substitute? Dumbbell squats seem the obvious answer but the narrower stance does not do well for my knees for some reason. Someone suggested Bulgarian split squats with dumbbells, with the combined weight of the dumbbells equaling half of whatever I would be squatting on the bar. Today I am supposed to squat 60.

Does anyone have suggestions?

xidia

I tried squats with pairs of DBs between my knees to keep the stance wide, and when the DBs got too big for the gap (14kg+) I switched to Goblets, only to realise that I can't heft a 28kg DB without hurting myself.

So, hack squats are my new "friend", at 30kg yesterday. There's plenty of vids on YouTube and some text descriptions on Google. There's a couple of us using them. I don't like them, but I like using a leg press machine even less...

Desterknee

Thanks. I will look into hack squats. I guess I will have to shell out for a gym memebership. I love the way barbell squats activate my core. Don't want to lose that. Any other suggestions?

tameko2

Thanks. I will look into hack squats. I guess I will have to shell out for a gym memebership. I love the way barbell squats activate my core. Don't want to lose that. Any other suggestions?

Hack squats for now, then a better gym. Because you specifically mentioned that core activation and yeah, I don't think any other squat variation does it quite like a barbell squat.