If I am really trying to focus on adding mass to my legs, would it be ok to work them three times week, with a day for hams, a day for quads, and then a full leg day?
something like-
mon- hams (deads, hyperextensions, plie squats, high foot leg press, leg curls)
wed- quads (squats, front squats, legg press, hacks, bulgarian split quats, leg extensions)
sat- full legs
(then upper in the days between)
do you have a wheelchair?
personally I wouldnt, but also how many sets are you planning on doing and what kind of intensity
Seems like too many exercises and to top it off with three times a week sounds like overkill.
sorry, I should have clarified. I wasn’t planning on using ALL of those exercises, just choosing from them for each workout and switching up/alternating the selection each week.
I am pretty used to high volume, and I have currently been training legs twice a week, pretty high volume each time. I was just wondering what other people thought about splitting up the legs into glutes/hams and quad days. Perhaps this would help me to isolate the muscles more and be able to train each muscle muscle group with more intensity/focus? Anyone else split up their quad/hamstring training into seperate days?
Not a good idea IMO. The only quad exercise that does not use hamstrings or glutes is a leg extension. Lunges, squats, step ups and leg press all use the hamstrings and glutes to varying degrees. Then you have the direct hamstring day, then another day in which you do more quad dominant exercises that use the hamstrings and glutes as well as more direct hamstring work.
Does that sound right?
The saying less is more applies perfectly to legs, you really shouldnt have to do a ton of exercises, and definitely should not do multiple days, IMO you are missing out on some strength/mass gains because of your high frequency and volume.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
undeadlift wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
undeadlift wrote:
Hi CT. You told us that specializing a certain bodypart for a short time will increase its muscle mass for a long time. Can the same be said in terms of strength?
Yes, but not to the same extent. Specialization can increase long-term strength potential by stimulating muscle growth (all other things being equal, a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle) and by improving neural efficiency (training a muscle often improved your capacity to recruit that muscle).
I see. So how would a leg specialization program look like when you want to improve strength and explosiveness?
Lower body is trained 3x a week, with different exercises each of the 3 workouts and different intensity zones:
workout 1: 1-3 reps for the main movement(s), 4-5 reps for the secondary movement(s)
workout 2: 4-5 reps for the main movement(s), 6-8 reps for the secondary movement(s)
workout 3: 6-8 reps for the main movement(s), 9-10 reps for the secondary movement(s)
The volume for the rest of the body has to be drastically reduced.[/quote]
I think this should help you. Make sure you don’t do too many exercises.
You could train legs twice a week and split each day into two split sessions. Early one focused on pow/strength…later focus on repetitive hypertrophy. Just a thought
OK I posted this for coach Thib as well, but thought I would get alll of your input as well. After doing some reading, it appears that training legs 3 X weeek is not too extreme or out of the ordinary, given that the rep shemes are changing with each workout. How does something like this look:
Background: Trying to gain leg mass-want to focus on bringing up my legs. consuming surplus of calories, been training high voume for some time now and have very high recovery capacity
Leg workout 1- Strength
A1- Back Squat 7 X 4-6
A2- Rack Pull or good morning- 7 X 4-6
B1- Front Squat- 7X 4-6
B2- Straight Leg Deadlift 7 X 4-6
C1- Split Squat- 4 X 7-8
C2- Lying Leg Curl �?? 4 X 7-8
Workout 2- Hypertrophy
A1- 1 ¼ Squats- 5 X 9-12
A2-Straight leg Deadlifts- 5 X 9-12
B1- Front Squat- 5 X 9-12
B2- Hyperextensions- 5 X 9-12
C1- Leg Press (feet low, narrow)- 4 X 10-12
C2- Leg Press- (feet high, wide)- 4 X 10-12
D1- Lying Leg curl 4 X 10-12
D2- Leg Extensions 4 X 10-12
Workout 3- Contrast- (not sure what rep ranges are appropriate)
A1- Back Squat
A2- Jump Squat
B1- Straight Leg Deadlift
B2- Explosive Leg Curl
C1- Plie Squats
C2- Hyperextensions
C3- Lunges
Also, would doing 20 minutes of low intensity cardio postworkout be detrimental to my goals of gaining mass on my legs, since it delays the time when I consume my Surge. (I AM consuming carbs in my diet, if that is important, as well as 25 g BCAA during my workout)
That “strength” session looks awefully rough. You don’t have to superset everything. Pick a couple of focus lifts and go hard…leave the volume and training density ideas for the structural/hypertrophy lifting sessions. Just my two cents…
What’re your max squat and deadlift currently? Where you’re at is important in determining where you need to go…
[quote]hungry4more wrote:
What’re your max squat and deadlift currently? Where you’re at is important in determining where you need to go…[/quote]
Awesome avatar bro!
Anyways, You will be glad I saw this thread.
Take your stupid leg workout and throw it in the garbage can.
You want to build leg mass, all you need is one exercise. The squat. If done correctly with a focus on progressively increasing the weight you do over time, this is all you need.
Later on you can worry about refining.
So here is your workout:
Squat Monday and Thursday
set #1 warmup with bar.
set #2 25 lbs per side 10-12 reps.
Now increase the weight by 30 lbs per side, untill you can no longer perform more then 8 reps perfectly.
do not use wraps, or a belt, the key is perfect form, no bouncing at the bottom, no bending over too far, and keep the bar at the base of your neck, not half way down your back.
I tend not to go past 90 degrees as the risk for injury of the hips and knees vs benefit of extra muscle developement is just not there for myself. I personally do box squats to ensure a consistant and safe squating depth.
The key is to add progressive poundage on a weekly basis, and do this without getting injured, as injuries such as a bad back or bum knee only set you back.
every week, try to add 2.5 lbs per side on top of what you did the previous week.
Try to have a spotter for your last - heaviest set to ensure safety, and squat in a cage if at all possible.
[quote]Prisoner wrote:
hungry4more wrote:
What’re your max squat and deadlift currently? Where you’re at is important in determining where you need to go…
Awesome avatar bro!
Anyways, You will be glad I saw this thread.
Take your stupid leg workout and throw it in the garbage can.
You want to build leg mass, all you need is one exercise. The squat. If done correctly with a focus on progressively increasing the weight you do over time, this is all you need.
Later on you can worry about refining.
So here is your workout:
Squat Monday and Thursday
set #1 warmup with bar.
set #2 25 lbs per side 10-12 reps.
Now increase the weight by 30 lbs per side, untill you can no longer perform more then 8 reps perfectly.
do not use wraps, or a belt, the key is perfect form, no bouncing at the bottom, no bending over too far, and keep the bar at the base of your neck, not half way down your back.
I tend not to go past 90 degrees as the risk for injury of the hips and knees vs benefit of extra muscle developement is just not there for myself. I personally do box squats to ensure a consistant and safe squating depth.
The key is to add progressive poundage on a weekly basis, and do this without getting injured, as injuries such as a bad back or bum knee only set you back.
every week, try to add 2.5 lbs per side on top of what you did the previous week.
Try to have a spotter for your last - heaviest set to ensure safety, and squat in a cage if at all possible.
[/quote]
Amen.
I will also add that Scott Abel wrote an incredibly challenging leg routine: http://www.T-Nation.com/article/bodybuilding/the_ultimate_legs_program&cr=
In terms of diet, I noticed you said that you were consuming a caloric surplus. Not intending to attack you with this, but I’ve read many of your posts before and they all seem to revolve around diet and not being able to gain muscle. Here’s a hint: you’re not eating enough; it’s more than just food choices, nutrient timing, etc. I am sensitive to your being female and being particularly interested in keeping fat at bay, but as Einstein said, “…the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
There are truly a million ways for you to eat and every expert and otherwise internet schmuck, myself included, has his/her biases. With that said, you still need a true caloric excess, and if your diet is largely protein and vegetables, you ain’t gonna grow 