Thread: Working out legs - does it make your body stronger?

Originally Posted by KataKlysm954

i hear a lot of people saying that when you work out your legs the rest of your body becomes stronger and allows you to lift more weight in other exercises. is this a proven fact?

yes.

Originally Posted by kenwood

yes.

he asked if it was a proven fact.

you said "yes"

please cite your study that proves this.



go back to school too.

Originally Posted by P-funk

he asked if it was a proven fact.

you said "yes"

please cite your study that proves this.



go back to school too.

*Gives P high five*

Originally Posted by P-funk

he asked if it was a proven fact.

you said "yes"

please cite your study that proves this.



go back to school too.

I agree with kenwood



I got nothin. Your the one with all those cool studies and journals P!! Where u at??

Originally Posted by KataKlysm954

i hear a lot of people saying that when you work out your legs the rest of your body becomes stronger and allows you to lift more weight in other exercises. is this a proven fact?

I would say no....consider the question, or the phrasing of the question....or the logic behind the question.

Would working your upper body alone improve leg strength? I say no.

Pat?

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

I agree with kenwood



I got nothin. Your the one with all those cool studies and journals P!! Where u at??

It may take awhile to find something (if there is something) on this topic.

I just did a quick search and got nothing, which means I need to (a) dig deeper or (b) there is nothing and this was never tested.


There was a study that had tested upper arm girth on a program that only trained lower body (squats) through a 6 or 8 week period (can't remember). the idea was to show that training legs alone causes growth in the upper body. the guys in the study all showed circumfrence improvements in their arms.


Whether it causes strength or not, I would have to look....I mean, on paper it sounds like a good idea though....big muscles group (glutes are biggest in the human body), neurologically stimulating, total body movement (weight in stabilized on the upper back), etc.....




ps- the only reason I have all the "cool" studies it because when I read things I like I print them out and save them in one of the many binders lying all over my floor for reference later (if I ever need to look something up or to state my points with people). if you are in the industry I suggest you do the same. it will save headaches later down the road and, by forcing yourself to read and find something like 2-3 abstracts a day (they are short), will help you gain a wealth of knowledge in a years time.

Originally Posted by KataKlysm954

i hear a lot of people saying that when you work out your legs the rest of your body becomes stronger and allows you to lift more weight in other exercises. is this a proven fact?

don't try an make an excuse not to train legs. ...its half your body. would you train one arm and not the other? would you train 1 pec anf not the other? would you?

Originally Posted by kenwood

don't try an make an excuse not to train legs. ...its half your body. would you train one arm and not the other? would you train 1 pec anf not the other? would you?

cite your sources.

Originally Posted by P-funk

cite your sources.

Are you kidding? He can't even spell 'sources'.

Duhhhh....KFC journal of physiology?

Oh, I forgot....

Get back to school, Kenboy!

Originally Posted by P-funk

It (glutes are biggest in the human body), neurologically stimulating, total body movement (weight in stabilized on the upper back), etc.....
.

I thought that the glutes were the strongest and the lats were the biggest??

ps- the only reason I have all the "cool" studies it because when I read things I like I print them out and save them in one of the many binders lying all over my floor for reference later (if I ever need to look something up or to state my points with people). if you are in the industry I suggest you do the same. it will save headaches later down the road and, by forcing yourself to read and find something like 2-3 abstracts a day (they are short), will help you gain a wealth of knowledge in a years time

Thx for the advice, I started doing that with the stickies here and a couple articles on T-nation. Some of the studies you post, I need more basic knowledge first, to really fully understand what's going on. I get the jist of most because of basic english skills and context clues. But I love reading stuff on the subject! And I've learned so much already.

I'm getting a binder and getting that going. That's just a great idea.

Where do you find some of those studies though? Just googling something on line? Or are there specific places you check periodically??

Originally Posted by kenwood

don't try an make an excuse not to train legs. ...its half your body. would you train one arm and not the other? would you train 1 pec anf not the other? would you?

hmm... excuses you think? Not exactly, I wasn't making excuses im just trying to find out information that I'm not sure about ATM.

P.S. Learn how to spell high school drop out!

The kenny blasting is kinda getting old....the kid can't say anything without someone calling him a loser or dropout or something.

Originally Posted by P-funk

Whether it causes strength or not, I would have to look....I mean, on paper it sounds like a good idea though....big muscles group (glutes are biggest in the human body), neurologically stimulating, total body movement (weight in stabilized on the upper back), etc...

I remember reading somewhere about Squats creating a rise in HGH levels. Basically, the quads and hamstring are the biggest muscles in the body and when you work them, they great the largest release of HGH by virtue of being the biggest.

I can't find anything with a quick search at Google or at T-Nation.

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

The kenny blasting is kinda getting old....the kid can't say anything without someone calling him a loser or dropout or something.

true story

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

The kenny blasting is kinda getting old....the kid can't say anything without someone calling him a loser or dropout or something.

People here have offered advice, positive input, etc. etc., but the guy consistantly opens himself up to criticism and sets himself up to be knocked down.....

What do you suggest? Encourage the kind of behavior that is so typical of his generation? I think not.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I remember reading somewhere about Squats creating a rise in HGH levels. Basically, the quads and hamstring are the biggest muscles in the body and when you work them, they great the largest release of HGH by virtue of being the biggest.

I can't find anything with a quick search at Google or at T-Nation.

This is fairly well cited...but unfortunately a lot of the references are just abstracts unless you have a subscription....the work by Fleck and Kraemer seem to back up the thought that compounds are more effective than isolation, But there's a lot more compounds out there than just squats.

Multi-joint exercises, such as squats, that utilise large muscle masses are more effective than isolation exercises of smaller muscle groups (6)....
6. Hakkinen, K. and A. Pakarinen. Acute hormonal responses to two different fatiguing heavy resistance protocols in male athletes. J. Appl. Physiol. 74(2): 882-887, 1993

Wouldn't it be more to the effect that bigger muscles have the capacity to move more weight, so, as long as you are moving bigger relative loads, you are getting a bigger hormonal reponse.

If you are only squatting 5 lbs but curling 150lbs....you might actually get a bigger hormone reponse from the curl, all things being equal (kind of a silly example, but you get the idea).

Originally Posted by Gordo

If you are only squatting 5 lbs but curling 150lbs....you might actually get a bigger hormone reponse from the curl, all things being equal (kind of a silly example, but you get the idea).

I was assuming that during the leg workout, that more than a minimal effort was being made. That's to say, all things being equal.

I would think that the increases in core strength you gain from performing lower body exercises would have some good carryover to various upper body exercises, if nothing else. Not to mention the exercises where the legs assist, like the bench press.

Originally Posted by KataKlysm954

hmm... excuses you think? Not exactly, I wasn't making excuses im just trying to find out information that I'm not sure about ATM.

P.S. Learn how to spell high school drop out!

well i just figured you were making this thread to find a reason to train legs and if you didnt find a reason to, you just wouldnt train em.

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

Where do you find some of those studies though? Just googling something on line? Or are there specific places you check periodically??

peer reviewed journals....

pubmed.com
medscape.com
nsca-lift.org (search through the research journals)

Originally Posted by DaMayor

People here have offered advice, positive input, etc. etc., but the guy consistantly opens himself up to criticism and sets himself up to be knocked down.....

What do you suggest? Encourage the kind of behavior that is so typical of his generation? I think not.

You're not his father. Get off his case. I don't see you goin A-wall on every stupid kid on this site do I ?? Ok then hypocrite, STFU.

Are you kidding? He can't even spell 'sources'.

Duhhhh....KFC journal of physiology?

Oh, I forgot....

Get back to school, Kenboy!

That's just in this thread, and he didn't really say anything that dumb. You just think it's funny and it's not. So what if he did say something dumb. He's fuckin 16. With the superior intellect your displaying at this juncture, I'm sure you never did anything stupid or rash at his age.

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

You're not his father. Get off his case. I don't see you goin A-wall on every stupid kid on this site do I ?? Ok then hypocrite, STFU.

That's just in this thread, and he didn't really say anything that dumb. You just think it's funny and it's not. So what if he did say something dumb. He's fuckin 16. With the superior intellect your displaying at this juncture, I'm sure you never did anything stupid or rash at his age.

I suggest that you choose your words carefully, and that you choose your battles even more carefully.

As I said before, people here have offered advice with the best of intentions for this young man. Whether he listens or not is his choice. Whether he believes everything that is said is his choice. My money says that he has the ability to determine which comments are sincere and which are a poke in the ribs.

Now, if you want to pick a trivial flame bout with someone, carry your ignorant ass back to the open chat area and sparr with the children.

But don't piss me off, little man.

Originally Posted by DaMayor

I suggest that you choose your words carefully, and that you choose your battles even more carefully.

As I said before, people here have offered advice with the best of intentions for this young man. Whether he listens or not is his choice. Whether he believes everything that is said is his choice. My money says that he has the ability to determine which comments are sincere and which are a poke in the ribs.

Now, if you want to pick a trivial flame bout with someone, carry your ignorant ass back to the open chat area and sparr with the children.

But don't piss me off, little man.

You're funny....If I continue are you going to threaten physical violence??

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

You're funny....If I continue are you going to threaten physical violence??

Originally Posted by DOMS

I remember reading somewhere about Squats creating a rise in HGH levels. Basically, the quads and hamstring are the biggest muscles in the body and when you work them, they great the largest release of HGH by virtue of being the biggest.

I can't find anything with a quick search at Google or at T-Nation.

I got in an argument about this here a long time ago and did some research to prove my point. Well I was wrong and it seems that HGH is released when doing squats and dead lifts. My anatomy and physiology Prof said it was BS but I found several medical and college sources that said it was true.

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I got in an argument about this here a long time ago and did some research to prove my point. Well I was wrong and it seems that HGH is released when doing squats and dead lifts. My anatomy and physiology Prof said it was BS but I found several medical and college sources that said it was true.

yea, it is defenitly true. this might help to explain the study i was reffering to early about their arm growth in the guys that only squatted.

But, i still wonder if lower body training will increase upper body strength. I mean, like i said, it sounds good on paper, but.....is it really capable of happening?

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I got in an argument about this here a long time ago and did some research to prove my point. Well I was wrong and it seems that HGH is released when doing squats and dead lifts. My anatomy and physiology Prof said it was BS but I found several medical and college sources that said it was true.

I've run into the fact that the quads & hams release a large quantity of HGH in several online article, magazine articles, and serveral books. The sad thing is that this information is usually given just to motivate the reader to do squats.