Leg Workout Question

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Question regarding my leg workouts. I work my legs once a week. On my leg days I find that I get extremely tired, almost to the point of feeling nauseated. First, what I normally do is eat 2 oranges before I head to the gym. I do ATG squats, then lunges, and follow that with deadlifts. Today, as with most of my leg days, squats kicked my @$$. I barely finished my lunges (I looked drunk at the end) and I swear on my last set of deadlifts that I really don?t remember doing them. At the end of this workout I was pretty worn down and light headed. Two hours later I feel fine, legs are obviously dead but other than that I am fine. I ate when I got back (turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes and some soup). Am I doing something wrong? I usually rest for about a minute no more than 2 minutes between sets and I drink water during my workouts especially now that the heat is starting to go up here in Texas.

Just wondering if this is normal and I should just shut up and accept it or does anyone see anything wrong in this scenario?

2

time to design a new training program! if you’re gonna feel nauseous during every leg workout you’re not gonna last long…

my recommendation: design a straining split that isn’t divided by body parts, but by different movements.

like, instead of doing three leg intensive exercises on one day, do one leg intensive exercise three times a week.

i.e. ATG squats on one day, barbell lunges a couple of days later, and deadlifts a couple of days later.

3

[quote]TexMex007 wrote:
Question regarding my leg workouts. I work my legs once a week. On my leg days I find that I get extremely tired, almost to the point of feeling nauseated. First, what I normally do is eat 2 oranges before I head to the gym. I do ATG squats, then lunges, and follow that with deadlifts. Today, as with most of my leg days, squats kicked my @$$. I barely finished my lunges (I looked drunk at the end) and I swear on my last set of deadlifts that I really don?t remember doing them. At the end of this workout I was pretty worn down and light headed. Two hours later I feel fine, legs are obviously dead but other than that I am fine. I ate when I got back (turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes and some soup). Am I doing something wrong? I usually rest for about a minute no more than 2 minutes between sets and I drink water during my workouts especially now that the heat is starting to go up here in Texas.

Just wondering if this is normal and I should just shut up and accept it or does anyone see anything wrong in this scenario?[/quote]

Yes–you are doing something wrong.

What do you think 2 oranges might do for you eaten right before your workout? Your fuel is probably from the meal you ate for supper last night. Granted you want food in your belly, but more like an apple/orange and maybe some cottage chees an hour or 90 minutes before working out.

This is too much volume for one workout. Huey hit the nail on the head there. And even your volume on the squat alone is too high. I mean you shouldn’t be near pass-out after your first ex. of the day. There is no reason to use that much volume.

You may also be dehydrated. A mere 2% loss of BW can cause some serious drops in performance.

4

to be specific, his volume is too high PER WORKOUT for his current level of conditioning. more frequenct training with decreased PER WORKOUT volume will improve his conditioning. and over time, as you improve, you can descrease rest times, add weight, do more reps, more sets, have better form, etc…

but as it stands now you’re just killing yourself once a week rather than stimulating as frequenctly as you can. you might not even be able to handle three one-exercise ‘leg workouts’ a week. you might only be able to do two. or you might be able to do four. who knows? only you will know once you find out.

but like i said, you’re obviously doing some dumbass shit as of this moment! :smiley:

5

Since it is so demanding you should eat more. I think that 2 oranges is not even sufficient before going to work at a deskjob. You need some protein and carbs, I think you should eat something like a PB sandwich on whole wheat bread with an orange and a glass of milk or a shake say an hr before working out, and drink plenty of water before, during and after. And dont forget PWO meals. I do similar to what you do, but I am sure to get in some whole wheat pasta, high fiber and high protein, and carbs which will help you get through the demanding workout. If you prefer you can break up the workout into 2 workouts a week for legs. That way you can let your body rest and make the most of your training and maybe even see better gains, but getting dizzy is most likely that your body is running on nothing. Try it for awhile and see if this works, if it doesnt split it into 2 leg workouts a week instead of one. Good Luck!

6

I do not think there is anything wrong with your volume but you may need some additional resting between your heavy sets. Also add some gatorade to your water as to possibly prevent some of the dizzy spell.

I agree that 2 oranges are not going to hold you over. The day/night before leg day, I do an an additional carb load. And I eat a full meal 1.5 hours before my leg work out. Fruit and cottage cheese can be part of that meal, not enough to be the meal if you ask me, you need some meat, veggies and potatoes in your body if you are going to train like that, assuming you want some more size.

If you do feel like you are not getting anything out of your deads, put them second or even first the next time in your excercise order.

Post workout, drink a shake with protein and carbs, eat a full meal an hour later. A aturket sandwich is a snack, not a meal.

Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough. Anyone will tell you I train legs like a crazy person and sometimes I dont even remember my name. So fck that dude who is calling you stupid, want some big fcking wheels? Pay your dues and put in the gym time and you will be fine.

So if you are serious, give this a try and feel free to PM me if you have additional questions

AA

[quote]TexMex007 wrote:
Question regarding my leg workouts. I work my legs once a week. On my leg days I find that I get extremely tired, almost to the point of feeling nauseated. First, what I normally do is eat 2 oranges before I head to the gym. I do ATG squats, then lunges, and follow that with deadlifts. Today, as with most of my leg days, squats kicked my @$$. I barely finished my lunges (I looked drunk at the end) and I swear on my last set of deadlifts that I really don?t remember doing them. At the end of this workout I was pretty worn down and light headed. Two hours later I feel fine, legs are obviously dead but other than that I am fine. I ate when I got back (turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes and some soup). Am I doing something wrong? I usually rest for about a minute no more than 2 minutes between sets and I drink water during my workouts especially now that the heat is starting to go up here in Texas.

Just wondering if this is normal and I should just shut up and accept it or does anyone see anything wrong in this scenario?[/quote]

7

I think Lee Haney said it best, and I say it a lot," Stimulate, don’t annihilate." I will also get nauseasted if I eat anything at all immediately before I workout.

8

Seems like everybody is convinced you enter the gym hungry. I thought I’d ask.

How long between your last meal and your workout?

Legs are the biggest musclegroup. And with squats and deadlifts, you work the lower back, which is the other of the biggest musclegroups. So expect to feel it when you work them hard.

How many sets for how many reps? How much rest?

Nausea and light headedness suggest to me your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen. In other words, your lungs and hart can’t keep up with the oxygen demands of your body.

You can boost your condition with interval cardio.

Or you could split up the legs over 2 days, 1 day hip dominant (deadlift) the other knee dominant day (squats)
Mix some lighter exercises with them like calves, traps.

9

Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough.

this is a dumb as hell. reminds me of that well-known phrase that goes something like: any coach can make you tired, but it takes a good coach to help you make big improvements over the long haul.

10

I think you’re a bit above your work capacity. Just reduce your overall number of sets a bit and focus on getting some better food into you at least an hour beforehand.

Deadlifts after lunges? Ouch.

11

[quote]hueyOT wrote:
Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough.

this is a dumb as hell. reminds me of that well-known phrase that goes something like: any coach can make you tired, but it takes a good coach to help you make big improvements over the long haul.[/quote]

Very true.

AA’s post was the classic look at me I train till I puke garbage. Nothing wrong with crossing that barrier ocassionally, but your goal should not be the inability to get out of the gym after your workout. Don’t let the mistake of effort overtaking accomplishment. There’s working hard and there’s working smart. If you crash your CNS, your workout can be counterproductive.

12

[quote]sasquatch wrote:
hueyOT wrote:
Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough.

this is a dumb as hell. reminds me of that well-known phrase that goes something like: any coach can make you tired, but it takes a good coach to help you make big improvements over the long haul.

Very true.

AA’s post was the classic look at me I train till I puke garbage. Nothing wrong with crossing that barrier ocassionally, but your goal should not be the inability to get out of the gym after your workout. Don’t let the mistake of effort overtaking accomplishment. There’s working hard and there’s working smart. If you crash your CNS, your workout can be counterproductive.[/quote]

I disagree, to a degree.

AA tends to hold true to “Bodybuilding 101” type philosophies, and believe it or not, that’s not really a bad thing, depending on your goals.

There’s a lot of anti-bodybuilder backlash around here, but if you’re looking to make your muscles bigger (which I strangely think is a common goal amongst most people here), then you need a good amount of training volume.

And, of all bodyparts that I think you really need to push yourself on in order to make them grow, I’d say legs are it.

You don’t see many people with impressively muscular legs, and that’s because you have to train them hard as fuck to make them grow. Your legs are under a load all freakin’ day just walking around, so in my mind, you have to work the hell out of them in order to “convince” them to grow.

If there’s one bodypart that I can’t imagine not having sore the next couple days after training them, it’d be legs.

13

[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
sasquatch wrote:
hueyOT wrote:
Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough.

this is a dumb as hell. reminds me of that well-known phrase that goes something like: any coach can make you tired, but it takes a good coach to help you make big improvements over the long haul.

Very true.

AA’s post was the classic look at me I train till I puke garbage. Nothing wrong with crossing that barrier ocassionally, but your goal should not be the inability to get out of the gym after your workout. Don’t let the mistake of effort overtaking accomplishment. There’s working hard and there’s working smart. If you crash your CNS, your workout can be counterproductive.

I disagree, to a degree.

AA tends to hold true to “Bodybuilding 101” type philosophies, and believe it or not, that’s not really a bad thing, depending on your goals.

There’s a lot of anti-bodybuilder backlash around here, but if you’re looking to make your muscles bigger (which I strangely think is a common goal amongst most people here), then you need a good amount of training volume.

And, of all bodyparts that I think you really need to push yourself on in order to make them grow, I’d say legs are it.

You don’t see many people with impressively muscular legs, and that’s because you have to train them hard as fuck to make them grow. Your legs are under a load all freakin’ day just walking around, so in my mind, you have to work the hell out of them in order to “convince” them to grow.

If there’s one bodypart that I can’t imagine not having sore the next couple days after training them, it’d be legs.[/quote]

There is a great deal of difference between enough stimulation to grow and not being able to walk out of the gym. I’ve probably only gotten to that point a handful of times–on intentionally high volume days–in some years of training. You are more than welcome to come and look at my legs.

Sore is ok. But lifting until you pass out or don’t remember is foolish on a regular basis.

14

[quote]sasquatch wrote:

There is a great deal of difference between enough stimulation to grow and not being able to walk out of the gym. I’ve probably only gotten to that point a handful of times–on intentionally high volume days–in some years of training. You are more than welcome to come and look at my legs.

Sore is ok. But lifting until you pass out or don’t remember is foolish on a regular basis.[/quote]

I agree. I would never recommend lifting near the point of passing out, or vomiting, or anything else bordering on retarded.

However, I know that there are a ton of people around here that amazingly never seem to have any post-workout soreness.

Ironically, there are also a ton of people around here who look like shit.

Unless you have the most unbelievable recovery abilities in history, or you’re training only for strength (i.e. fairly low total volume), then I honestly don’t believe you can train legs hard enough to make them grow without making them fairly sore.

That’s just my opinion, but from what I’ve seen from myself, a guy who does work his legs hard enough to make them sore, and from what I’ve seen from others, who don’t work their legs hard enough to make them sore… I rest my case I suppose

15

Lots of great advice.

Id think about 1) food eat prior and drink prior during and after.Leg work outs are brutal. Ive been even adding simple crap like a peice of sugared candy or two along with Protein or Surge

  1. Id think about having two days one for DL one for Squat. I just like to give my damndest to each of those and cant do that in one day. I do however mix in say front squats and GM’s after DL, and RDL’s and step ups after Back squats. etc.

The rest more may be OK by I am not buying that so much either. If you get conditioned to you will be able to pull and squat heavy with minimal rest. Unless your going for a new PR or something I dont see a prob with it.

Honestly most of this proably boils down to Nutrition and conditioning

Best of luck,
Phill

16

Who the fuck are you calling dumb?

5 '9 190 ish, why would I listen to what you have to say?

I do agree with that phrase you listed. So how about this. From 190 to 274 in 4 years of balls to the walls training. I am natural and <10% BF. I see you did not list any pics of yourself. So the next time you want to talk shit to me, make sure you come with a little bit more than some quote that you use for an excuse not to train hard.

A

[quote]hueyOT wrote:
Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough.

this is a dumb as hell. reminds me of that well-known phrase that goes something like: any coach can make you tired, but it takes a good coach to help you make big improvements over the long haul.[/quote]

17

I will be the first to admit that not everyone has the stomach to lift like an Animal and bust your ass beyond what you thought was possible. But before we tell this guy to lay off his training, how about we suggest that he addresses what we know is not right, like his pre-workout nutrition for example.

I am not saying you have to have sore legs in order for them to have worked. But every guy I have ever seen training hard on leg day, had sore legs for two-three days after and guess what - without exception, they had some big fucking wheels.

[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
sasquatch wrote:

There is a great deal of difference between enough stimulation to grow and not being able to walk out of the gym. I’ve probably only gotten to that point a handful of times–on intentionally high volume days–in some years of training. You are more than welcome to come and look at my legs.

Sore is ok. But lifting until you pass out or don’t remember is foolish on a regular basis.

I agree. I would never recommend lifting near the point of passing out, or vomiting, or anything else bordering on retarded.

However, I know that there are a ton of people around here that amazingly never seem to have any post-workout soreness.

Ironically, there are also a ton of people around here who look like shit.

Unless you have the most unbelievable recovery abilities in history, or you’re training only for strength (i.e. fairly low total volume), then I honestly don’t believe you can train legs hard enough to make them grow without making them fairly sore.

That’s just my opinion, but from what I’ve seen from myself, a guy who does work his legs hard enough to make them sore, and from what I’ve seen from others, who don’t work their legs hard enough to make them sore… I rest my case I suppose[/quote]

18

You can question my training philiosphies all you want but you cant argue with my results. I did not say that you have to lift till you puke on every occasion, all I am saying is that even people who have lifted for decades have moments like that every now and again.

And yeah, I do believe if you can still run up the steps after a leg workout that you did not work hard enough. Its like one of those tells like trying to scratch the back of your head on a bicep day. And why is everybodytelling him to do less? Did he even lists reps and sets?

Whats wrong with being fucking tired after squats and lunges, you are supposed to be. I guess I am old school when it comes to that, I am not trying to save myself just so I can say I did all of my excersises and all of my sets/reps. I lift till the desired effect.

[quote]sasquatch wrote:
hueyOT wrote:
Lastly, man up bro. If you can still walk up the steps in a normal fashion, you did not work hard enough.

this is a dumb as hell. reminds me of that well-known phrase that goes something like: any coach can make you tired, but it takes a good coach to help you make big improvements over the long haul.

Very true.

AA’s post was the classic look at me I train till I puke garbage. Nothing wrong with crossing that barrier ocassionally, but your goal should not be the inability to get out of the gym after your workout. Don’t let the mistake of effort overtaking accomplishment. There’s working hard and there’s working smart. If you crash your CNS, your workout can be counterproductive.[/quote]

19

My input. You need to rest a bit more between sets. Less than 2 minutes as you said, is not enough time for squats, especially when your general leg conditioning is average. Less than 2 min. might work for bi’s and tri’s but for legs I think you’ll need a bit more.

If you keep the same program (legs 1x per week, squat-lunge-dead) try resting 3-4 minutes between sets. Then the next week knock 15-20 seconds off each rest interval. The following week knock some more time off.

Or you can drop the weight where it is something you can easily handle, then in the following weeks you can slowly add weight.

Or you can train legs 2 times per week and split up the volume.

Personally I think your weekly volume for legs is too low. Keep progressing, but don’t fry your CNS in the mean time. Build yourself up.

20

[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
sasquatch wrote:

There is a great deal of difference between enough stimulation to grow and not being able to walk out of the gym. I’ve probably only gotten to that point a handful of times–on intentionally high volume days–in some years of training. You are more than welcome to come and look at my legs.

Sore is ok. But lifting until you pass out or don’t remember is foolish on a regular basis.

I agree. I would never recommend lifting near the point of passing out, or vomiting, or anything else bordering on retarded.

However, I know that there are a ton of people around here that amazingly never seem to have any post-workout soreness.

Ironically, there are also a ton of people around here who look like shit.

Unless you have the most unbelievable recovery abilities in history, or you’re training only for strength (i.e. fairly low total volume), then I honestly don’t believe you can train legs hard enough to make them grow without making them fairly sore.

That’s just my opinion, but from what I’ve seen from myself, a guy who does work his legs hard enough to make them sore, and from what I’ve seen from others, who don’t work their legs hard enough to make them sore… I rest my case I suppose[/quote]

How do you know what type of soreness or how shitty people around here look?

First off you’re the only one around here arguing the sore thing. Good for you. You work your legs so hard you can’t sit to shit for 3 days. That is not the only way to get decent size and/or strength in your legs. It happens and it has to happen on ocassion, but not every leg day.