Preface: I got back to lifting 3 months ago. Previously, had a 9 month layoff after lifting for about 20 years.
I know leg workouts release extra growth hormone, however I’m on TRT and do steroid cycles as well. I plan to at least start incorporating farmer’s walks and/or deadlifts as I do want core strength. Otherwise, I don’t have have the “fever” for doing squats or isolation leg work…currently. I don’t have chicken legs BTW, otherwise I’d probably do something about it.
Am I leaving gains (including residual upper body benefit) on the table, foregoing direct leg work?
Look, it’s okay to not want to train legs. It really is. But I think @T3hPwnisher made the most valid point. You’re taking a risk by running steroid cycles. The risk may not be great, but you’re taking a risk, and the reward is the capability to grow muscle at a superhuman rate. Instead of asking everyone else, ask yourself - do you think it’s dopey to take drugs to enhance your muscle building capabilities and then leave more than half of your muscles untrained?
Aesthetically, I’m ambivalent, but practically I’m considering functional imbalances, and as my strength continues to increase since I started back to lifting, the disparity will become (unacceptably?) disparate, I’m imagining.
I mean, I’m actually at a point where I’m not focusing much on legs, since my two herniated discs and generally compromised lumbar region cause me to constantly suffer setbacks that make me unable to play with my kids for a couple of days at a time, but I also do triathlons and I run and bike a lot, so it’s not like I’m not exercising my legs, but I’m lifting as heavy as I can with my upper body constantly and I’m constantly holding myself back from doing the same with my legs, so I really have no judgements about a reserved leg approach from somebody who doesn’t give a shit about that. It just makes little sense from an “I’m doing steroid cycles” standpoint to not maximize everything you can do to get the most out of them. You will get bigger overall if you do legs. Your whole posterior chain will benefit.
A training log? I get a weird sense of stage fright with that What I can tell you is one thing. The gains are exponentially faster RETURNING to lifting weights than just beginning. Probably especially if you were nearing your genetic potential. I really don’t know how close I got to my genetic potential before, but I hopefully have more left than I thought. This has importance even if I use gear, I think.
Edit: that smilie turned out to be huge! Must be on the juice!
Go in the training log subforum, pick a program, record your sets/weights/reps/nutrition, tag a couple people, pop into literally anyone else’s training log and get ideas, give feedback, give support, and watch as the support and knowledge comes pouring in. There are people with all sorts of disabilities and personal issues posting and helping each other, all the time. There is virtually nothing you could post that would make anybody too uncomfortable to give you some help, advice, or support. If you don’t want to, cool. But I’m serious - it’s worth a shot.
I think you should. Not a lot but not training them is not good. You hate training legs? There must be some exercises you might enjoy. I had surgeries on both knees. Thank god I work my legs or else my lower body movility, strength etc would be horrible, almost a cripple. What do you think will happen in 20 years with a muscular upper body and zero legs? Probably hips, knees and back problems, and as an old man you’ll have trouble walking up stairs. We don’t want this
I hear you brother, gotta think of the long term. When I’m a “senior” I want to still be strength training and have mobility at least that of my peers, if not well beyond. I don’t like training legs, particularly, but not all bad. I just had taken this approach after a break from lifting whereupon my return, I had literally been doing only pulldowns, rows and dumbbell bench. This worked very effectively for overall upper body strength for the first few months, but I realized I needed to get into a normal routine again as I’m getting serious about things again.
Also, it’s nice to have an ass, and mine pretty much went away. I think my wife would appreciate it.
I think the best look is the athletic look, which has very developed glutes, and quads that are noticeable in shorts/joggers. That HUGE bro up top look with very slim legs looks really fucking stupid. And you’d be surprised how women do love men with nice glutes, like really surprised.
Not gonna say it makes you a “dope” but it does keep you much closer to beginner status than anything else. Maybe similar to how being “nutritionally unaware” is beginner-level stuff.
Intermediate status will almost invariably include regular (and brutally tough) leg training.
And by advanced status, the brutality has been fully embraced (ie. for every current/nagging injury, there’s always a safer workaround)
What I can tell you is one thing. The gains are exponentially faster RETURNING to lifting weights than just beginning. Probably especially if you were nearing your genetic potential. I really don’t know how close I got to my genetic potential before, but I hopefully have more left than I thought. This has importance even if I use gear, I think.