are squats a must for maximum muscle gain?

Answer 1

no they are not a must, but obviously lower body training is.

because everybody's body is slightly different due to variances in the skeletal system and tendon length the mechanics of certain exercises are not optimum for all. for instance some people can not perform a proper squat due to the mechanics of "their" body. they may achieve better results from using the leg press or hack squat machine. many people are not efficient bench pressers due to the mechanics of there body and may see better results using mainly dumbbells, etc. however I would incorporate as many compound exercises into your training routine as possible.

Answer 2

yes and the reason for that is "progressive workload". Your legs acts as very, very important stabilizer muscles in other main exercises so it is vital that squats (and its variations) remain in any serious routine. Dead-lifts, standing military presses, clean-and-presses and even barbell rows all require you to have a sense of balance (that was acquire through squatting weights) and some form of leg strength.

Squat also establishes a strong core (as in your obliques, abdominals and lower-back) since the lower portion of the squat movement (where you bend down) requires all of these muscles to act as stabilizer muscles to prevent you from tipping over.

if you don't perform squats right from the beginning, you will later find that you won't be able to advance beyond a certain amount of weight for exercises like clean-and-presses and barbell rows because your legs are unable to support that x amount of weight.

remember, a tree is only as stable and strong as its foundations (as in its roots)

that can be applied to humans too and in our cases, the foundation are our legs =)

Answer 3

Not necessarily.

If you are going to do one weight training exercise, however, squats are the ones to do (if done properly, which most people don't). Squats work more muscles than any other single exercise.

Answer 4

maximum muscle gains in your quads? yes

Answer 5

not necessarily, you need to balance out your gains

Answer 6

yes.