Re: gym time
I don't think there is a person alive that likes squats. I am in the first few years of owning a painting company so I still have to work and I love those days I can barely get out of bed in the morning nevermind running up and down 40 foot ladders all day. Very important though. It's amazing how much stronger you get on all of your lifts after you insert one day of legs a week.
I may be that one person. I love squatting, and look forward to it. There is no one better single exercise someone can do in the gym. I only got 2 pages through this thread, but some quick things off the top of my head.
You should never work out the same muscle group if you are sore since the muscles haven't had proper time to heal. Doing so could cause injury as well as wont give you much benefit.
Soreness is GOOD! It should give you a sense of accomplishment. It lets you know what you are doing is actually working.
Everyone will be sore from a leg workout at the beginning, as you do the workouts the soreness gets less and less with each workout over time. If you are not in a regular routine, the soreness will not go away. If you have been doing leg workouts for a month and are still very sore you are not doing enough weight. Push yourself, your legs are such a big muscle group, you would be surprised how fast you can make gains.
Squat once a week and try and get in another leg workout pushing weight another day of the week. Leg Presses, Glute Ham Raises, Deadlifts, Leg Curls and Lunges are good exercises to do the other day of the week.
You can use the smith machine at first to learn proper form and get yourself comfortable, but after doing so get your ass out of it. Squatting on the Smith Rack doesn't do as much as doing it free bar, and actually works your quads more than your hammys.
Finally I wouldn't be deadlifting on the Smith Machine, I know some recommended it, but the smith machine limits where your motion is, and you turn it more into a back exercise than a leg exercise. If you can't do deadlifts, try starting with romanian deadlifts which are a little easier.
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