Thread: Leg Workout Question

What are your goals
What type of equipment do you have acess to.......like a squat box or power rack???

I don't go to the gym for many reasons. I can not concentrate around other people. I hate it when people watch me if I work out, and I feel like I can do better when I am isolated and by myself. I use free weights and here is a picture of my bench I took with my crappy web camera. I know I am limited to some exercises. I have a Bowflex (yeah I know) lying around here if I absolutely need it for a specific workout.



The picture is coming out worse than what I save it on my computer as.

If you can try and save up for a power rack, I got one about 20 years ago, and it still is in great shape today......cost about $200 at the time.

And your goals?

What does this have to do with my goals? My goals are to be fit and look good. I don't see any other reason on why people would lift weights.

Bodybuilding is very different from weightlifting is very different from powerlifting is very different from recreational lifting. If you're a bodybuilder, you can simply use machines and get to your goals without problems. If you're a weightlifter, free weights are an absolute must, as they are with powerlifting. The recreational lifter just kind of does curls and benches and is generally very uneducated. So, if your goals are bodybuilding, you'll use very different exercises from a weightlifter from a powerlifter, etc..

Anyways... If you just want to 'be fit and look good' as in you don't care about strength or functional strength, the Bowflex is probably all you really need. While I personally won't touch a machine with a pole about 120 inches long, they are fine for certain goals, and it seems to fit your description of your goals.

Okay, let me explanate more. I want more strength, I want to weigh more and I want to look big and cut.

There we go.

If you want strength, you need to do squats, no doubt about it. Find some way to squat. If you have to, start doing cleans and clean the weight to your shoulders and do front squats. Whatever you have to do, do it.

The second and third parts of your goal have to do with the diet and nutrition section of the forums. If you're a beginner and you're fairly young, it should be less than arduous to do a body recomp (AKA lose fat while gaining muscle). It can be a slow process, but the end result is usually worth it. My piece of advice: keep it simple. Create a caloric deficit and stay away from foods that are friend or that have no nutritional value. Drink lots of water and consume protein whenever possible. Doing just this should help quite a bit, but I'm no expert so read the stickies in the diet and nutrition section for more information.

How about dumbell squats? I need to start off slowly I think. Only 30 min sessions for awhile. That small workout I posted felt more than enough. When I came back downstairs to the computer, my legs were giving out while coming down the stairs.

You can get a great leg workout in in less than 20 minutes. It's all about intensity. I'm not one of those people to work out for long periods of time - never have been, never will be. DB squats are better than no squats. They'll do until you can get other equipment or until you can do what I said (although I wouldn't expect anyone to do that haha). Also, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is not an indicator of hypertophy (growth) or a productive workout. This I cannot stress enough: USE A LOG. Record absolutely everything you do if you don't already. Write it down or type it up and print it out. Make a plan ahead of time. Look up varying methods of periodization (conjugate, undulating, etc.). A log will help you track your progress to see what's working - this will become increasingly important as you adapt to the rigors of your exercises and to lifting in general. When you stagnate, it will become infinitely helpful.

Knowledge is power. Use it well.

I am recording everything I do. I am using it for progression.

Awesome.

Originally Posted by Squaggleboggin

If you're a bodybuilder, you can simply use machines and get to your goals without problems.

eh...?

Bodybuilders generally have goals of hypertrophy but not of gaining any strength (AKA sarcoplasmic hypertrophy). Machines are great for growth, but they have little functional carryover because they don't allow your body to work completely as a unit, but rather split up into parts. So, for a bodybuilder, several different machine exercises could be used to isolate specific bodyparts.

A weightlifter, on the other hand, would never use a machine. S/he would use free weights all the time to build up his/her stabilizers and force the body to work in synchronization as a unit and use heavy weights to recruit maximum motor units rather than induce hypertrophy.

so arnold wasn't a bodybuilder?

Who said that?

forget it.

Okey dokey.

I'd have to say I disagree with using solely machines as a bodybuilder. Free weight exercises incorporate more muscles, and are more effective from my experience. IMO machines are only for people who don't know what they are doing and are scared of hurting themself, or are for some reason unable to use free weights. They can be good for isolation work in ADDITION to free weights, but should't replace them.

As for the leg workout, don't worry about how much you do. I probably don't do as much as the average guy, but my legs grow faster than any other body part. If you can barely walk, that's plenty, maybe too much. If you keep getting stronger, why do more work?

I also will definately recommend that you get a squat rack. Personally I would prefer a squat rack and bench to a BowFlex, but if you like the BowFlex, it can be good too.

Squats are #1 for building strong legs. However, other exercises are good too. Deadlifts and SLDL's are very effective. Dumbell squats are good too.

I think my legs were and still are abnormally strong. When I was in grade 11, I weighed around 135 lbs and was 5"7 or so and I could out do most of the jocks when it came to legs. For someone as small as I was, I did a leg press of 730 lbs (no machine, just pure free weights). I just did some leg workouts today and it knocked me on my ass. I literally almost fell down my stairs when I was going down them. My legs were buckling in. I didn't even do much of a workout (mainly because I could barely stand). I have another question though. How often should I be doing legs? I started my upper body (front) yesterday, legs today, upper body tomorrow (back) and would I do legs again thursday? But if I do that, i'll end up going nearly one week away from an upper body workout.

It depends on your workout, but I would say once a week if you are hitting your sets to failure or close to.

The leg press is a machine, so how could you do a leg press of purely free weights?

Definitely wait at least until your legs are no longer sore to work them again. Remember that DOMS isn't an indicator of a productive workout. You may also find that you need more time off between workouts (on, off, on, off, on, off, off; etc.) and not just between working the same muscles.

Also, don't limit yourself purely on a seven day schedule. That may be the number of days in a week, but it isn't necessarily the best number of days for you for a given microcycle in a routine. For example, you may do on, off, on, off, on, off, on, off; repeat. This would mean each microcycle is eight days, which may work fine for you. The point is, don't do seven day microcycles just because there are seven days in a week; find what works for you and use it whether it's five, nine or four days per microcycle.

I plan on working out mon-fri (5 days) for at least 45 mins a workout and take Saturday and Sunday off. I want a cycle like that.

i consider myself a bodybuilder more than anything, and my routine is based around squats, deads, rows, cleans and presses, bench, barbell curls, cg bench, and lunges. that will get you bigger than any other machines in the world.