Thread: How important is leg training?

I think of it this way:

The body is going to respond to lifting a really heavy weight through a large ROM than lifting a lighter weight through a smaller ROM. Squats and deads both allow you to put a ton of weight on the bar in comparison to any other lift out there and the ROM in both of these exercises is long relative to other exercises.

Another way of thinking about it - when you put a heavy barbell on your back, your entire body has to maintain a state of tension to keep your torso upright and squat the weight up and down. When you deadlift, your upper/lower back, biceps, delts, hamstrings, quads, etc. are all involved in the movement. Not many exercises are going to load your traps and biceps like deadlifts.

Overall, I see great benefit in putting a lot of weight on the bar.

I think you'll have a hell of an edge - these are your largest muscles, and you recruit a shitload of muscle fibres when you SFW.

There's a saying that if you get one guy doing nothing but squats for 12 months, and another just doing arms, the guy working legs will have far greater arm development (with all else being equal)

Make sure you're training and diet are in check and your chicken-legged notBig friends will be left in the dust.

sweet!Thanks that makes alot of sense.

i say just legs making up 50% of your body should be enough reason

Another piece I see is that the connection between your lower back & legs is a critical piece to your functional balance and well-being. As you get older, the weaker joints & muscles are going to be more prone to injury and tendency for imbalance, and it SUCKS when shit doesn't work. I just can't imagine going to the gym & not doing something that involves legs, and considering the core exercises that are functionally correct depend on legs (squats, DLs), I'd be working the hell out of them.

And for those guys who do nothing but work upper body, the minute they get a rotator cuff injury or bad tendonitis in the wrist or elbow, they're shit outta luck.

Going to rep everybody in this thread!

Great answers. Leg training is critical to full body development both in terms of size and strength, and like Sassy said the lower back issue is a huge one just in general health.

Honestly, after a certain point it would be difficult to make gains at all without Squats and Deadlifts.

Just look at Sassy's pic, then realize you need to get your ass in the gym doing legs. End.

Originally Posted by MrRockstar

how much of an edge can I gain by being the only one in the group that really hits legs seriously?

You'll be making twice the gains they will, at least!

I love doing Legs. Except for putting shit together, like Squats and Leg Press, its fun.

Think of it this way - when you get some wild bucking young thang in your bed, how you gonna hold her down??? Chicken Leg boy is going to end up being the "Bottom". Who are YOU going to be?

Originally Posted by MrRockstar

I know from the aspects of being symetrical its important, and everybody sees the big dudes with chicken legs running around the bench presses, which is reason enough to do legs, but from a hormonal aspect, what are the benefits? I've heard working the legs releases hgh, or maybe makes the body produce more,... does it spike test levels?

I ask because I recently started working out more seriously with some friends, we all neglect legs, and I just started doing them on my own gym time. Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, how much of an edge can I gain by being the only one in the group that really hits legs seriously?

Extremely important. Expect your buddies to fall behind quickly if you're engaging in some serious squats and deadlifts. Your body always pushes for symmetry so your upper body will develop with more ease as your lower body gets stronger and vise versa. Good move on your part. In my lifetime I had too many tools try to convince me that training legs is useless and most of them I now see 5 years later fall into one of these two groups a) they look almost the same as they did 5 years ago or, b) they just quit working out.

years ago, i think maybe late 1970's, i brought my friend as a guest into the gym where i trained. it was coached by george turner, a nationally ranked bodybuilder in his day, and a nationally respected coach from the 1950's-60's-70's-80's- and still today, as a personal coach.
world class knowledge..
i was a skinny x-country runner, as was my friend, but he was doing a bit more lifting than i was, even though we trained with weights to improve our running, he was phasing out the running and lifting a bit more. at 159 pounds bodyweight, he benched 365.. george walked up to him afterwards and asked what he squatted, and my friend said he dosent work legs, as he gets all his leg training from running.
george simply said if he wanted to see his bench go up 30 pounds, to start squatting.
simple comment, which means a lot.

Originally Posted by sassy69

Think of it this way - when you get some wild bucking young thang in your bed, how you gonna hold her down??? Chicken Leg boy is going to end up being the "Bottom". Who are YOU going to be?

Wait, maybe I'm thinking of myself here....


Hmmm nevermind.

Originally Posted by sassy69

Think of it this way - when you get some wild bucking young thang in your bed, how you gonna hold her down??? Chicken Leg boy is going to end up being the "Bottom". Who are YOU going to be?

Sometimes, being on the bottom is fun too. It's a great view!

Is it okay to not use full rom on squat when adding heavier weights, or is it best to stay at heaviest weight while keeping full rom?

Originally Posted by p nuts

Is it okay to not use full rom on squat when adding heavier weights, or is it best to stay at heaviest weight while keeping full rom?

Unless you have a specific need or an injury, go full ROM.

I really never believed the stuff about squats making your upper body stronger until this last week. I screwed up my left knee doing one legged squats with just a bit to much. It didn't feel right that night and by two days later I had a lot of water on that knee. I saw the doc and I'm on week 5 of not doing legs. This time next week I'll ease back into legs.

Anyhow, I have noticed my upper body lifts have stalled big time.

I'm now a believer.

Originally Posted by Hoglander

I really never believed the stuff about squats making your upper body stronger until this last week. I screwed up my left knee doing one legged squats with just a bit to much. It didn't feel right that night and by two days later I had a lot of water on that knee. I saw the doc and I'm on week 5 of not doing legs. This time next week I'll ease back into legs.

Anyhow, I have noticed my upper body lifts have stalled big time.

I'm now a believer.

Just to add to this. I recall I was not able to break 200 pounds bodyweight until I did squats and deads regularly. I was stuck at 185ish and then suddenly I go over 200. Only difference was leg training.

"There is simply no other exercise and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning as the correctly performed full squat." Mark Rippetoe

One problem with people's thoughts on leg training, is the idea that you are only training your legs. That's nonsense. Do you not think that your back and abs are getting a serious stimulus when you're doing squats? How about when you deadlift, not to mention your traps, lats, and forearms? I'm sorry to say, but you are missing out on a great upper body growth stimulus if you skimp on the lower body lifts.

Originally Posted by santo

"There is simply no other exercise and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning as the correctly performed full squat." Mark Rippetoe

Again ..there is nothing more powerful than a functionally correct exercise. Consider that powerlifters have some of the highest vertical jumps around. If you were to put Michael Jordan next to a 300 lb PLer.. and guessed who had the better vertical jump, I think you'd be quite shocked.

Standing vertical jump:

Originally Posted by sassy69

Again ..there is nothing more powerful than a functionally correct exercise. Consider that powerlifters have some of the highest vertical jumps around. If you were to put Michael Jordan next to a 300 lb PLer.. and guessed who had the better vertical jump, I think you'd be quite shocked.

Personally, I would bet on Jordan or this guy (the one jumping into the truck).