What are some good mass building leg excersies that dont tax the knee too bad?
Squats, leg press, leg extensions.
[quote]Rocky2 wrote:
Squats, leg press, leg extensions.[/quote]
all of these can shatter your knees into a million pieces if you do them wrong. you also can’t get big legs without them.
so, learn how to do them right. letting the front of the knee drift too far in front of the toes (just how far depends on your anatomy) is something you should avoid.
Bodyweight squats for reps? I’ve been doing the Hungarian oak blast for almost 2 weeks now. I started it a long time ago but opted out. Now I’m going to stick with it for atleast a 4 week cycle. Crazy pump in your quads. I actually hold my 50 pound punching bag like a front squat. It’s beasty.
Umm, Goblet squats maybe? Try reverse lunges. Don’t forget about your hamstrings either.
Hill sprints have improved my hamstrings quite a bit since I started. Theres a good sprint article from maybe 2 weeks ago. Should be on the main page?
Buy some knee sleeves, helps keep my knees healthy. I love em.
[quote]Rocky2 wrote:
Squats, leg press, leg extensions.[/quote]
I have a knee problem that cannot be overcome by technique, so I do lower weights / higher volume on the Leg press and weighted walking lunges. Leg curls, deadlift, and calves I can do normally. I don’t do any squats anymore (can’t do them even with bodyweight).
On the leg press the technique the physical therapist worked out with me was to do them so that my feet are higher on the platform than normal. The tips of my shoes stick out the top of the platform. The maximum bend of the knee is 90 degrees. Still, if I don’t use knee straps, my knees get swollen and hurt.
My doctor says leg extensions should be banned. Apparently they are specifically designed to destroy your knees. Someone in the forums suggested doing them with the legs straight and only bending them 45 degrees before straightening them again. Also with low weights. I’ve tried it once, and seems to work ok.
EDIT: forgot to mention box squats are much better on the knees that regular squats.
bulgarian split squats?
Most posterior chain work will be easy on the knees.
Leg press - try with feet higher/wider - quads will do less of the work though.
Get a Rippetoe dvd and learn to squat with great form
Respect your individual biomechanics.
Anything you can apply with high training frequency and intensity that doesn’t impede your ongoing progress.
Your legs can take a lot of punishment before burning (you) out.
If you’re made for squatting, do squat.
I know a lot of people (myself included, once) squatting away thrice a week.
The squat isn’t the be-all, end-all of leg exercises, though: in the end it boils down to what works for you.
I’ve said it time and again: bike HIIT can work wonders for your quads. In fact, your quads may grow too fast compared to the rest of your body.
Glute-ham-raises ain’t too shabby, either.
And hams recuperate pretty fast, too (relatively speaking).
Experiment with variations, too.
Training-wise, I’ve had to experiment a lot in the past two years and managed to add a sizable amount of muscle to my already well developed legs by applying what I’m preaching in this post.
I was having knee issues squatting, even though I did 5 warm-up sets. I placed squats a little bit later in the routine and the issue has disappeared. The knee pain seemed to arrive at 97kg(214lb) regardless of the number of reps. My legs felt strong and wanted more weight, but that’s no good if your knees are screwed 3-4 days every week.
I dropped the weight and this was this mornings session.
- Leg Extensions - sets of 12
- Leg Press - sets of 12
- Squats 100kg (220lb) for sets of 12 - Felt great and I will continue to add 2.5kg (5.5lb) a week. Honestly felt like I could add 10kg (22lb), but I will milk the gains and try and avoid pain…it’s better in the long run.
- Stiff Leg Deadlift - sets of 12
- Calves - 4 sets of 12-20
Might not seem exciting gains - But eliminating pain while increasing weight on the bar is great! It took 3 weeks only.
I think Dorian Yates prescribes this too.
[quote]qsar wrote:
My doctor says leg extensions should be banned. Apparently they are specifically designed to destroy your knees. [/quote]
And yet every physical therapist makes use of them to rehab and strengthen various leg issues…
S
Knee sleeves or wraps. They help ALOT.
-PTD
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]qsar wrote:
My doctor says leg extensions should be banned. Apparently they are specifically designed to destroy your knees. [/quote]
And yet every physical therapist makes use of them to rehab and strengthen various leg issues…
S
[/quote]
Yes, but very slowly at very low weights
SQUAT! If you squat with good form it does nothing but good things for your knees. 3 years ago I couldn’t walk without knee pain… Today I can squat 600+ and haven’t felt so much as a twinge of pain in my knees for at least a year.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]qsar wrote:
My doctor says leg extensions should be banned. Apparently they are specifically designed to destroy your knees. [/quote]
And yet every physical therapist makes use of them to rehab and strengthen various leg issues…
S
[/quote]
Stu,
absolutely dont want to seem rough but the best knee surgeon we have here who manage best world knees football (for you, soccer) stars ($$$$$$$$$$) don’t prescribe leg extension for rehab because of " cutting force" on knee ligaments…he says that loading just one (injuried) joint isn’t the best way to rehab,I know this because of our fullback,LCA ,anterior ligaments broken…
[quote]buzza wrote:
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]qsar wrote:
My doctor says leg extensions should be banned. Apparently they are specifically designed to destroy your knees. [/quote]
And yet every physical therapist makes use of them to rehab and strengthen various leg issues…
S
[/quote]
Stu,
absolutely dont want to seem rough but the best knee surgeon we have here who manage best world knees football (for you, soccer) stars ($$$$$$$$$$) don’t prescribe leg extension for rehab because of " cutting force" on knee ligaments…he says that loading just one (injuried) joint isn’t the best way to rehab,I know this because of our fullback,LCA ,anterior ligaments broken…[/quote]
Huh, well i guess that settles it because you know someone who said so.
[quote]arramzy wrote:
SQUAT! If you squat with good form it does nothing but good things for your knees. 3 years ago I couldn’t walk without knee pain… Today I can squat 600+ and haven’t felt so much as a twinge of pain in my knees for at least a year.[/quote]
You are lumping all knee issues into one category; one that can be fixed by doing squats.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]qsar wrote:
My doctor says leg extensions should be banned. Apparently they are specifically designed to destroy your knees. [/quote]
And yet every physical therapist makes use of them to rehab and strengthen various leg issues…
S
[/quote]
I cant even Squat without using Leg Extensions first! I have to pump my quads up significantly with Leg Extentions before I can Squat pain free. Not exactly sure what the problem is. TFL, ITB or a lateral quad tear I got Leg Pressing. Anyway case in point Leg Extentions do the opposite of destroy my knees. Heavy and High Reps with as much ROM as possible for me.
I echo the Box Squats are easier on knees if you sit back and practically take the quads out of the movement. You do get awesome ham and ass strength/size but doesnt do much for building the quads.
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
Get a Rippetoe dvd and learn to squat with great form[/quote]
I used these as a reference:
http://train.elitefts.com/instructional/so-you-think-you-can-squat-parts-1-5/