Thread: Legs

Every other workout I train hams before quads! This is a very good way to make sure that they remain balanced in both size and strength. You would be amazed at how much harder you can train those hams when you hit them first. And for those of you with knee problems, this is a great way to prevent further injury as doing hams first warms up the tendons/ligaments around the knees completely, and, pumped hams provides a "cushion" at the bottom of each rep.

If you've got the time to train hams and quads on different days, you might like that too. I started doing such after watching atherjen's journal for a few days. I must say, i like it a lot.

I hate doing leggies period-spliting them up would just seem like twice the work!

haha

Well, for me anyway, its actually a bit easier. Don't spend as much time in the gym, and im not as exhausted by the time i get to my hams.

Plus i find it hard to do stuff like SLDL's after squats. Lower back is just throbbing too much.

me too. i HATE legs and i prefer splitting them up b/c it's less daunting and i think i do a better job.

But if you want to keep them on the same day I definitely think you should take gopro's advice and alternate between starting with hamstrings/quads first.

for the most part....i think hamstrings are commonly neglected.

Originally posted by gopro
Every other workout I train hams before quads! This is a very good way to make sure that they remain balanced in both size and strength. You would be amazed at how much harder you can train those hams when you hit them first. And for those of you with knee problems, this is a great way to prevent further injury as doing hams first warms up the tendons/ligaments around the knees completely, and, pumped hams provides a "cushion" at the bottom of each rep.

Good advice once again gopro. I also like to do seated leg extesions especially since my physical therapist recommended it for my ligament damaged knees, yep both of them. I use a 10lb. ankle weight now. When I started at 2lbs. in the beginning it was painfull believe it or not. Helped my knee ligament injury alot. I also do standing legcurls now which as you said does help out the surrounding knee ligaments.

Originally posted by nikegurl
for the most part....i think hamstrings are commonly neglected.

Most definately and I fell into that trap too. Its taken me several months to bring my hams up.

Although, I love working legs

I've tried on several ocassions to split up hams and quads and it just doesn't work for me at all. I want them done on one day so I don't have to think about them again for a full week. Plus, I love the feeling of fully pumped thighs...front to back, top to bottom. Makes me feel like I'm walking on tree trunks.

But, do what you like to...just do it intensely, intelligently, and consistently.

Originally posted by gopro
I've tried on several ocassions to split up hams and quads and it just doesn't work for me at all. I want them done on one day so I don't have to think about them again for a full week. Plus, I love the feeling of fully pumped thighs...front to back, top to bottom. Makes me feel like I'm walking on tree trunks.

But, do what you like to...just do it intensely, intelligently, and consistently.

Yeah, i guess it really depends on whether or not you enjoy 'leg day'. I've gone from hating them to a sort of indifference, so i dont mind having two of them a week.

and as for hamstrings....mine are getting stronger but i don't see a damn thing back there. maybe they're under the fat.

I've never even considered swapping the order of hams and quads. I have no idea why. Lately, it has just dawned on me that I should probably switch up the order of my lifts every single session.

Oh man....since I started back in the gym I just noticed I have not done hammies at all lol....Squats, presses, calves....uh no hammies.

I guess I need to work in some hammy curls and sldl's....

Originally posted by Jill
I hate doing leggies period-

Learn to : legs

Originally posted by Flex
Learn to : legs

Best advice ever!! I use to hate legs and they always slacked off. But ever since I have made my mind love it all my lifts have gone up. I went from 95lbs half squat to 185lbs ass to the grass squat, added 300lbs to my leg press and have managed 145lbs SLDL! I know its not much but from what I was doing to now its a major improvement.

I also switch up my quads and hammies very often to try and even them out a little, great advice gopro!

Originally posted by DeadBolt
I know its not much but from what I was doing to now its a major improvement.

thats the way you gotta look at it bro.

legs is my FAV day (ok, well besides every otehr day), for the reason that i can push myself the hardest. there's no better feeling in the world than the few hours of pure exhaustion/ecstacy after leg day. (plus my legs are my best bp and the only bp i have thats better than a few of my boys, so that helps also i guess)

i think we all like to train our best bodypart. (and legs sure aren't mine. )

but i still see what you mean about leg day. i love 'em and really hate them at the same time. i dread legs no matter how much i try to tell myself not to. i don't enjoy it one bit. i have to think only one set at a time or i'll want to bail out. BUT when i'm leaving the gym and they're wobbling and i know i hit them hard i feel like i just won a freaking olympic medal just for making it through.

I feel apprehensive about doing legs, but once I get going I'm alright. Also, because of the intensity that leg day requires, I always feel really good and happy after I'm finished. As well, I was neglecting my legs until a few months ago. My leg strength has gone through the roof since then. My squats and SLDLs both went from 135 to 195 as my lifting weight. I think I could do even more with SLDLs, but my grip needs to catch up first.

I always alternate the order of my exercises at each workout. I find that my hammies get worked more than my quads on leg day.
I always start out with squats or lunges move to SLDL or leg press then finish w ham curls then leg extensions and calves.

The night before leg day I already feel a bit nauseous. When I wake up in the morning I have jitters in my stomach and they last through the work day. About an hour before, I break into a cold sweat and consider a new career in ping pong. When I get to the gym I stare at the leg equipment and swear it is laughing at me. During my warm ups I think to myself, "Maybe I should just go light today?"

Then, as I'm loading the 10th, 11th, and 12th plate onto each side of the leg press I realize what I'm about to face...this is what I do...and when I unlock the safety's and feel the tonnage on my entire body I KNOW there's no turning back now...

Originally posted by gopro
The night before leg day I already feel a bit nauseous. When I wake up in the morning I have jitters in my stomach and they last through the work day. About an hour before, I break into a cold sweat and consider a new career in ping pong. When I get to the gym I stare at the leg equipment and swear it is laughing at me. During my warm ups I think to myself, "Maybe I should just go light today?"

Then, as I'm loading the 10th, 11th, and 12th plate onto each side of the leg press I realize what I'm about to face...this is what I do...and when I unlock the safety's and feel the tonnage on my entire body I KNOW there's no turning back now...

Haha, what a way to portray the plight that lifters go through the day of their leg workouts. =)

Originally posted by gopro
The night before leg day I already feel a bit nauseous. When I wake up in the morning I have jitters in my stomach and they last through the work day. About an hour before, I break into a cold sweat and consider a new career in ping pong. When I get to the gym I stare at the leg equipment and swear it is laughing at me. During my warm ups I think to myself, "Maybe I should just go light today?"

Then, as I'm loading the 10th, 11th, and 12th plate onto each side of the leg press I realize what I'm about to face...this is what I do...and when I unlock the safety's and feel the tonnage on my entire body I KNOW there's no turning back now...

Hey... don't you write ad's for Animal Pak?

Heh gopro put it just right. I don't know that it's so much that I don't like leg day, but maybe that I fear it heh. But as soon as I load the weight for squats something comes over me and I just do it. Then after the leg day is finished it's a satisfaction that I don't get the rest of the week. Then I know that going through those squats seperates me as a bodybuilder from the other schmucks who go easy with chest and biceps.

Originally posted by Monolith
Hey... don't you write ad's for Animal Pak?

No, I write em for VPX, but they don't let me have as much fun with it

See Gopro is the pain in the ass guy in the leg press before me....I hate having to take all those plates off to get to my weight lol

JK

Originally posted by Yanger
See Gopro is the pain in the ass guy in the leg press before me....I hate having to take all those plates off to get to my weight lol

JK

Hey! I always take my own weight off! I am NOT one of those guys that just walks away and leaves all of his weight on...those guys should be shot (well, maybe not shot, but beaten with a broomstick).

Nah shot! You are to tired to beat them after a leg workout.....

what are some good leg exercises for quads besides squats? i have some pretty bad back problems, and squats do not help much.

Leg Press and Lunges....I would imagine they are less harsh on the back but not sure.