I was pretty big before I took up lifting, about 230 with naturally broad shoulders, thick chest and arms. Unfortunately for me I’ve also always had incredibly skinny legs with little or no quad, ham and calf mass. I’ve been training for about 18 months and have found it easy to develop upper body muscle but my legs still look tiny in comparisson. Has anyone here had a similar problem and got over it? I’m looking for advice on a leg progamme (routine, reps) that is proven to work, not some crap from a magazine! I really struggle to squat more than 230 (my lower back starts to round) yet can bench over 300! Also, what diet should I aim for? I’m currently carrying a little fat and find it very easy to put on weight, but (you’ve guessed it) not on my legs! I really would appreciate advice from people that have been there and done it themselves! Thanks in advance.
Yo Chicken, I had (have) the same problem, although not to the extent you seem to. As Hyok and I have been debating/commenting on another thread, a lot of it is simply genetic, and you’re always going to have an uphill battle in the lower bod department. But that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Here are some hints: (1) Split your thigh training up into two separate days, one for quads and one for hips/hams. (2) Always work your legs first in the workout. My current split looks like this: Day one-Calves & Back; Day Two-Hams & Shoulders; Day three-Off; Day Four-Calves & Chest; Day Five-Quads & Arms; Day Six-Off; (repeat). Abs done most days on a rotating basis (upper, lower, obliques). (3) Constantly seek to up your poundages on lower-body exercises. (4) Squat with a spotter or in a power rack. Go to failure as often as you feel is beneficial, but GO TO FAILURE. My biggest problem was being afraid to go to failure on squats and other big movements; it’s all psychological. (5) Try lots of different types of squats. (6) Once you have another year or so of taining under your belt, try the Luke Sauder calf routine. (7) Finally, make sure that your workout intensity for your lower body always exceeds that for your upper body.
Hope this helps!
One thing i have to disagree with is the going to faliure part. I am 17 years old and i squat over 500 lbs bench over 300 with a bodyweight of 220. LAst year i had the same problem with legs and squatting my squat was about 225 -240 which is pretty weak i think. Here is what i did; first i would warm up with 135 for 2 sets of six which was an ok warm up got some blood there. then i would bump it up to about 180 or so do six, then 200 do six then about 210 or 215 and do six, do that on tuesday and friday then the next week bump each lift up ten pounds at least . i would do nothin else on these days except squat and maybe some lunges or leg extensions but never went above the six mark. for your calves if u want make them bigger i would suggest doin them on the same day with alot of reps and sets i would recommend doing standing calf raises with some weight about 20 - 25 reps per set. on mon and thurs i would reccommend doing your upper body. I found that if i kept the volume low but the intnesity high i would grow much more also make sure u eat alot of calories because your legs burn alot of them. just my advice.
Char: I REALLY like that split of yours! A couple of questions: a)Do you consider it an “intermediate/advanced” split, or could a beginner use it? b)Is it one that you’ve found to work well for you over the long haul, and how long have you used it? c)What about resting on day six AND seven (“weekends”)? Again, I like the split…
Char: In answer to a question you had from a provious post (what to do if you are prone to injury when you begin to increase weight)it appears that OTHER paramenters that increase TUT (time under tension) will have to be utilized:(Changes in volume, rep speed, etc.) OR greater use of Advanced Techniques for increasing intensity (Super-Sets, Tri-Sets, Drop Sets, more “negative” work, etc). Hope this helps…
Chicken legs are a common problem in the gym, but at least you’re trying to train them, which is better than most. I use a Poliquin split with day 1 Chest& Back, day 2 off, day 3 Shoulders/Arms, day 4 legs, day 5 off, then repeat. I’m guessing you train your legs with the same rep ranges you’re training your upper body (somewhere 6-10). I truly believe the best rep range for quads (especially squats) is at least 15 reps. Yeah, sounds weird, but I never got results until I started doing this. This is the best workout I ever did for size : BB Squats (ass to calves is a MUST) 3 sets of 15 reps (after 3 warmup sets of 10). Standing 1 legged Hamstring Curls (or Stiffed-legged Deadlifts) 3 sets of 6-8 reps. DB Walking lunges, 3 sets of 7 reps each leg. That’s it. Trust me, after the lunges, you’ll be crying. After that work calves, but my calves suck, so I won’t give you that routine. I don’t know if my program works for everyone, but it worked for me and three friends, and if you haven’t tried it, you can’t say it doesn’t work. Good luck, man
Front squats have worked really well for me.They emphasize the quads more than back squats and they force you to maintain an upright posture(so these are good if your lower back rounds during back squats).I have found that alternating between cycles of 3-5 reps with cycles of 8-10 reps works pretty well.
So, Lion, at last we meet!
Thanks for the props, bud! To answer your questions: I guess I’d need to know what your definition of a “beginner” is. Basically, though, I think it’s more of an intermediate or advanced split. I’ve been using it for a couple of months now, and I like it a lot. It gives me more priority on the lower bod, which is definitely what I need. Squat poundages have FINALLY started to move up again, after several years of being stuck. Yes, I think that adding another rest day in on Day Seven can be done without much harm, and I do so myself on occasion.
You bring up some good points on the other topic of injuries. (And thanks for remembering to answer my question!) Have to think about them for a while and get back to you...
Big Plug: This isn't a flame, man, but if you're 17 and are squatting over 500 pounds, I don't think that your advice is going to work too well for someone who has problems developing his legs. Not to denigrate your training knowledge or ideas, but you're obviously very gifted in the genetics department, so your training routine might have a limited application to someone who isn't as lucky. Adding 250 pounds to your squat in a year? Man, I wish I could do that!!!
I have large legs (28 inches at 15 years old), but that may be because of my very flexible hip flexors. Here’s a neural program that worked well for me, 2 days of the standard 4 day split. 5 minutes rest between sets. Warm-up; 2 sets of 2 for parallel very wide powerlifter squats; 5 sets of 3 for full squats; 5 sets of 3 for full front squats. Stay on the exact same neural program for at least 6 weeks, but usually not over 10. Slower decent for more size and faster decent for faster strength gains, which will help you add size quicker in a hypertrophy phase. Sleep is very important and try Power Drive.
I could recommend Ian King’s “Limping” program from a couple of years ago. I’ve done it twice and have responded very well both times. It has really brough my legs into line with my upper body. If you’re happy with your top half, why don’t you ease off on it and focus on you’re legs with Ian’s program? I’ve always found it very hard to make my whole body grow at the same time, perhaps you may respond to a prioritised routine. Don’t forget to eat though.
Hey, Chicken Legs: My question for you is “can you feel the target
muscle being worked when you’re training legs?” I found out many
years ago that developing the mind-muscle link was my key to great
leg devolpment! I do this by performing all my reps deliberately.
Whether you’re doing leg press… lunges…stiff-legged deadlifts…
ect… you have to FEEL on the negative, your legs slowly absorbing the
weight like a spring.Then you have to take that stored energy
and squeeze the weight up.You have to control or better yet
“dominate” the weight! My legs aren’t the biggest in the
world, due to genetic limitations, but thru this method I now have
excellent devlopment and terrific separation.I hope you can make
sense of this. Good luck!