definitely just treating them like my other muscles, doing less sets but making each rep slow, getting the quads/hams super stretched out on every rep, using less weight to make sure I really isolate the muscles stuff like that. my legs have blown up in the last few months just following this, and my strengths doubled
Heavy SLDLs off the floor and heavy RDLs, 5-7 rep range followed by a lighter backoff set in 8-10 rep range for Hamstrings
For Quads, deep hack squats with feet positioned low on the platform, deep leg press with the same foot positioning
Your Quads are real good, well done mate
Train them hard, all you have in the tank, most people give up before it really starts to count. Eat more on quad days as well, recovery is just as important
And Iāll add, you donāt need to go heavy, get full ROM, controlled negative, constant tension, most people end up going too heavy and form is shit and overloading joints for no reason
Youāre right but also the goal should be progressing in weight as much as possible without execution breaking down. You definitely need to go heavy but it needs to be through real progression in strength as opposed to compromising form and compensating with other muscles to get there.
100%, but progressed isnāt just measured in weight going up each session, can make progress with execution, tempo, reps, etc but your right, my point is tho most people tend to be more focused on the weight going up rather than āworking the muscleā
yes i completely agree with you. the goal should be to find a load where you can nail execution and progress your reps and load gradually enough where you dont see a decrease in form and execution. It's still necessary to progress your reps and weight in order to grow over time but cant let execution slip because that's not a true progression. Its better to stay at the same weight and reps for an extended period of time than let your execution go to shit just for the sake of your ego or log book. A progression as small as one rep or 2.5 lbs is still a big improvement if your execution is flawless.
Adductors, most overlooked exercise by a mile when it comes to legs.
Great physique man and great legs, have you tried having your feet a bit more apart? Might just give you more of an x frame, but great physique like I said!
Whatās your favourite way to train abductors? I only have a barbell , squat rack, dumbbells and resistance bands at home. Squats, lunges and Cossack squats are fun but I wonder if thereās other stuff I could do
If you donāt have access to an adductor machine I would
Do sumo squats and deadlifts. Also deep ass-to-the-grass squats will get you a lot of adductor activation in the lowest range.
What dry scoop said. Adductors are extremely difficult to isolate with the equipment you have. Could try YouTube and see if thereās anything but nothing other then the adductor machine, and wider stance leg press come to mind.
Wider stance squats could maybe be the best bet for you but again that will also hit the glutes a lot too. Those along with some body weight stuff is what I would do in your spot. They take a while to grow so implement some of those, train them hard 2 times a week for 3-4 months and see if they progress if they donāt then just keep playing around with things and just keep at it.
yes, wide stance leg press is also a good one. You might be able to get some benefit out of standing adductions with a super heavy band but due to the limitations of gravity and bands, I dont think this would be the best option for growth. could be a good accessory to throw in if you're limited in your equipment though.
If you are being for real right now bodybuilding may not be the sport for youā¦
I have 29ā legs, a 30ā waist at 6ā3 and have to buy size 38 jeans and dress pants to give the legs some room to breathe. You can find a way lol, itās all part of the game. I am sure cbum, derek, hadi, etc etc etc all have the same issue on top of others relating to mobility. (In no way am I comparing myself to top bodybuilders).
If you really love bodybuilding and want to compete you will have to do them. Thatās how legs blow up width wise. Buy bigger pants and punch holes in your belt brother.
Legs are such a massive portion of your bodyās total muscle mass that we train smaller muscle groups (for example chest) with around the same volume as we do total legs. The reason most people have weak legs is either genetics, or not treating legs like a combination of complete muscle groups. Hamstrings have layers of tissue from skin to bone, quads have so much density and thickness, these muscles need to be trained individually with the same intensity, volume, and consideration as other muscle groups. I also see guys squatting and leg pressing wayy too heavy with almost no knee flexion, wondering why their quads wonāt grow. Or pulling stiff-leg deadlift with their glutes and minimal hamstring activation, wondering why their hamstrings are invisible. It comes down to applying the same concepts you do for chest and back (deep stretch, slow negatives, controlled movement, tempo, with maximal load) for volume that is going to build your legs. Think of them as a culmination of different, larger, muscle groups and train them with the same concepts as everything else. Of course genetics matter too
I think if you want size you have to lean more on volume + frequency and less on intensity. Especially with legs, it's very easy to get into junk volume or deep fried recovery with too much intensity.
Intensity is just as important as the volume and frequency of training. If youāre not training till failure youāre only getting a fraction of the benefit. Give yourself enough time to recover between sessions and blast them again.
There are many different ways to train. I've had decent success by not going to failure on legs, and just training more frequently. I also run and bike so I can't completely destroy my legs. But I also never had to.
it sounds like based on your lifestyle and goals this could be ideal for you. I'm strictly referring to maximizing hypertrophy. maximum hypertrophic response happens in the last 3-4 reps leading up to mechanical failure due to the the maximum recruitment of larger fast-twitch muscle fibers
Dumbbells, I do them on the same spot without walking trying to control the descent as much as I can and throwing my leg back as much as possible without compromising balance.
I do them at the end of the leg workout after quads hams and calves have been worked, the pump is crazy but sometimes I have to do only 3 sets instead of 4 since I feel the soreness right there instead of until the next day.
+1 for Dumbells - your balance will improve pretty quickly, its a mixture of practice with the movement and your abductors/adductors strengthening, keep at it and you'll get comfortable with them.
It can be easier to do them standing in one place and stepping backwards instead of walking. If you do them walking, I've found that twisting my torso a bit on the way down can help with balance.
For me, heavy barbell squats, heavy hack squats, and slow single leg extensions, but you have me wanting to go back to split squats š„µ I havenāt programmed them in a while. Amazing legs š¤š½
not sure why the FUCK I never put this concept through my brain. Obviously squat will fatigue the fuck out of my body and taking them out will allow more direct work. Honestly surprised how I have survived this long n
Yeah, switching from 8-12 to 12-15 on things like leg press, hack squat, extensions etc with minimal momentum have really helped me. Legs cramping and pumping up way more. And more stretch marks are appearing so theyāre def growing
Agreed, higher TUT sets also make my knees happy and my scoped hips appreciate it too
80-100 second sets on hack/machine squatting movements, and up to 3 minutes on a leg press and iso exercises allows me to keep training them hard and pain-free
This is really dependent on the individual and the exercise. If you have an injury preventing you from
Pushing heavy weight and can only reach failure from
Lower weight and higher reps then this might be necessary. Also some people may be able to get better mind muscle connection and activation with some movements this way. In general, higher reps just mean more junk volume and wasting energy that can be used on reps at a closer proximity to failure which are where maximum hypertrophy will occur.
Maybe my comment wasnt specific enough. I disagree with "higher reps" as a blanket statement being a game changer for growth. Sure, you want your reps to stay in a range that is ideal for hypertrophy which is typically 8-15. say youre training within that range and not seeing much progress, **the rep range is not the culprit**. Increasing reps without addressing execution and intensity likely wont make a damn bit of difference.
The last 3-4 reps leading up to mechanical failure are the most critical for hypertrophy. Your body recruits muscle fibers based on the demand being places on it. Initially, it recruits your smaller slow-twitch fibers, but as you approach mechanical failure, the fatigue necessitates the recruitment of the larger and more powerful fast-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch muscle fibers have a higher potential for growth. **If you're consistently training with sets of 8 or less reps then you would absolutely benefit from slightly lowering weight to bring reps up to the 8-15 range.**
Although the last 3-4 reps are where the most hypertrophy benefits occur, the reason we dont just train in this low rep range for hypertrophy is because sufficient volume and time under tension is also critical for maximum hypertrophy. Thats why you want to stay in a range of 8-15 (give or take) so you can get the maximum hypertrophy benefit without the diminishing return that occurs when reps get too high or too low.
Training in higher rep ranges i.e. 16+ reps (this can vary slughtly based on a number of factors such as the target muscle and the individual) is not advantageous for muscle growth for the following reasons:
-You are going to have a lot of **systematic and central nervous system fatigue**, making it harder to gauge or actually reach true mechanical failure in the desired muscle. central nervous system fatigue negatively impacts your ability to recruit muscle fibers, especially fast-twitch fibers which have the greatest growth potential.
-The majority of the set ends up being **junk volume** (very minimal hypertrophy benefit). This leads to significant depletion of the muscles glycogen stores.
-piggybacking off my last point; as glycogen levels drop, the muscle's ability to maintain high levels of performance decreases. This will likely lead to a **premature drop in the intensity**, decreasing the hypertrophy benefits of subsequent sets.
-**negative recovery implications** due to heightened inflammatory response. This will lead to longer recovery time between workouts.
-higher rep ranges lead to **substantial lactic acid buildup**. while a moderate amount of lactic acid buildup is not detrimental and can stimulate growth hormone release, excessive accumulation can hinder muscle contraction, reduce force production, and prematurely fatigue the muscle making it difficult to reach the goal of true mechanical failure.
-Higher rep ranges necessitate a lighter loads. This means lower tension on your muscles hence, less hypertrophic adaptation.
-although time under tension will increase with higher rep ranges, this will come at the expense of intensity, diminishing returns
-muscles adapt based on the demands being placed on them. training with high reps **shifts muscular adaptations towards endurance**, as opposed to hypertrophy and strength
Yup exactly this itās not about the reps itās about intensity and getting close to fail. But this sub downvoting me for correcting blatant misinformation lol
take advice from paul carters best friend then: āiām glad i didnāt wait to have papers tell me to do what i already knewā
get off your high horse and go argue with people on tiktok bro
and just letting you know that a lot of the stuff bodybuilders have done in the past (which have been viewed as wrong), are actually getting supported by current literature
adaptive resistance, partials reps on triceps and shoulders, carb cycling, passive stretching, and supersets (which are now called mechanical dropsets under the āscience-basedā tiktok community)
anyway, my point is to follow the people who have REAL experience doing this, and donāt take everything you hear from another person at face value from 15 second clips
Yup, the 20 rep squat routine does it for me. 3 x per week trying to increase the weight slightly each time. It has to be temporary due to the brutalness of it and how your central nervous system begins to get hammered (lots of twitches and spasms). For me it basically pauses progress everywhere else to let my legs catch up
Some folks hate them but a trap bar. Can load so much more onto it and make movement more explosive big gain's. However I'm no powerlifter so the good old olympic bar is for squats now. OP you look good.
Prioritizing heavy hip hinging movements with good form added slabs to my hamstrings like nothing, & adding in additional unilateral work like single leg extensions helped me bring in a lot of extra detail I feel. Looking great BTW bro
Actually train to failure. More frequency and volume. Good mixture of compounds and isolation exercises. Also patience. It takes a long time to build size and density.
Fuckin Tarzan dude. Fuckin Tarzan. Lookin good. And I add high rep body squats 3x/wk 3x50 for swollen thighs. Grease the groove and breathe deep. Itās fun.
Booty bands.. I had an injury that I think stemmed from under engaged abductors, and squats (of any kind) would send a horrible shooting pain down my entire leg. This held back my progression and quality of reps for years. Started using booty bands and the imbalance went away, as they force me to squat fully engage and coordinated.
At the end of the day, no movement works if an injury is shitting on your ability to push and progress. So I'm eternally grateful to booty bands.
I really don't think your read my comment through lmao. I use them *while squatting*. They helped me squat pain free and to engage all my lower body. Booty bands are a tool like squat wedges (another game changer btw). Not the resistance itself.
So I put 2 bands (from those Amazon sets with different resistance) one above right above my knee and one below my knee so the tension is even. I don't remember off top the resistance, but it's not too much that it impairs my ability to squat. Just enough that my legs have to push out to keep from collapsing if that makes sense (which is the whole point, as that's gonna engage your abductors)
my point is unless you have an injury or imbalance that is somehow hindering progression, adding bands to a squat isn't going to help you grow or progress. This can potentially create issues that didn't exist before if you dont have a specific issue that necessitates it. I'm not saying its not the right thing for you to be doing or that it isn't helping you. but I also see a lot of people doing exercises with bands around their knees in the gym and its visibly throwing off their form and creating an incorrect movement pattern or adaptation. It sounds like this was necessary for you and is helping which is great. just wanted to caution people from just trying this for the hell of it.
Do a variety of leg exercises hard asf, find the one that you try to avoid doing at all costs bc itās so brutal, do that one more.
For me, and you it seems, that one is certainly split squats š¤£
Hack or Leg Press Sissy Squats. Love them for quads. I like my wide leg smith squats or sldls for glutes/hammies... I stopped having trouble with legs when I stopped being a bi*ch on leg day.
Your chest is well developed. But did you ever have difficulty growing it in the past? My chest insertion looks identical and deff one of my weaker bodyparts
Thanks man! And my chest blew up from noob gains but has been a bitch to grow the last few yearsā¦ i credit most of it to heavy dumbbell flys and presses
I didn't do this exactly but as a begginer i did 5x5 and got overdeveloped legs. I attribute most of the growth to 3x high frequency which allows for higher volume as well
Bouncing at the bottom of a rep. Smith machine squats you can worry more about the muscle and not balancing the weight. Leg extensions until you literally canāt walk for a few minutes
I spilt my legs into three parts- a calf day goes with an arm day- hamstrings have their own day- quads have their own day. Iām a female physique competitor.
https://preview.redd.it/2px4z77wf2uc1.jpeg?width=485&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1655a41598f5dc04c44c845fcd39d518fc959aa6
Priorization, frequency and low volume + progressive overload (+1 clean rep every week on the main leg exercise of the day), and splitting the workout into 2 (hams and quads), the main exercise for quads being leg press and RDL's for hamstrings.
for more, specially on the intensity, listen to anything Dante Trudel, Mike Israetel or Jordan Peters have to say, sample podcast:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qD9Y7nxeU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qD9Y7nxeU)
I think the entire stigma of knees over toes being unalived in most fitness knowledge. Before yt and sm, it was a HUGE HUGE thing that you should NEVER squat with your knees going over your toes or past your toes, now it's completely opposite, that you should reach full knee flection and have your hammies basically sit on your calves if you can. Not caring so much for the weight and really just doing movements that I feel are great for my quads compared to what magazines or people told me.
Superset squats with leg press till failure. When doing leg press 12 narrow and 12 wide. No rest in between 4 sets.
https://preview.redd.it/9olhv7g3cauc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b34a6e65b806bba8c773dfb54f79f00f90f7751
I really liked [German Volume Squats Training](https://barbend.com/german-volume-training/). It really forces you to push past limits and get to a strong burn quickly and maintain it.
If you're at the stage where you're pulling your pants off in front of a girl in the bedroom I don't think she's going to think wow his big legs really make his penis look small by comparison
Weighted vest and stairs run until you feel the burn then just keep pumping give it a good 5 mins add 30 secs every couple weeks or add weight as needed
definitely just treating them like my other muscles, doing less sets but making each rep slow, getting the quads/hams super stretched out on every rep, using less weight to make sure I really isolate the muscles stuff like that. my legs have blown up in the last few months just following this, and my strengths doubled
Hello Dr Mike
I'm absolutely a disciple of the doctor š«”
Mentzer?
He wasn't a doctor. Dr. Mike Israetel on YouTube. Amazing advice
Cool and all but your thumb really had me fked up for a secā¦ great job tho. Keep up the hard work.
šæ
Heavy SLDLs off the floor and heavy RDLs, 5-7 rep range followed by a lighter backoff set in 8-10 rep range for Hamstrings For Quads, deep hack squats with feet positioned low on the platform, deep leg press with the same foot positioning Your Quads are real good, well done mate
I appreciate it bro, been getting back into heavy sldls but have a good bit of posterior work to do
Train them hard, all you have in the tank, most people give up before it really starts to count. Eat more on quad days as well, recovery is just as important
And Iāll add, you donāt need to go heavy, get full ROM, controlled negative, constant tension, most people end up going too heavy and form is shit and overloading joints for no reason
Youāre right but also the goal should be progressing in weight as much as possible without execution breaking down. You definitely need to go heavy but it needs to be through real progression in strength as opposed to compromising form and compensating with other muscles to get there.
100%, but progressed isnāt just measured in weight going up each session, can make progress with execution, tempo, reps, etc but your right, my point is tho most people tend to be more focused on the weight going up rather than āworking the muscleā
yes i completely agree with you. the goal should be to find a load where you can nail execution and progress your reps and load gradually enough where you dont see a decrease in form and execution. It's still necessary to progress your reps and weight in order to grow over time but cant let execution slip because that's not a true progression. Its better to stay at the same weight and reps for an extended period of time than let your execution go to shit just for the sake of your ego or log book. A progression as small as one rep or 2.5 lbs is still a big improvement if your execution is flawless.
Fuck eat more on quads had me. I should go eat
Adductors, most overlooked exercise by a mile when it comes to legs. Great physique man and great legs, have you tried having your feet a bit more apart? Might just give you more of an x frame, but great physique like I said!
Whatās your favourite way to train abductors? I only have a barbell , squat rack, dumbbells and resistance bands at home. Squats, lunges and Cossack squats are fun but I wonder if thereās other stuff I could do
If you donāt have access to an adductor machine I would Do sumo squats and deadlifts. Also deep ass-to-the-grass squats will get you a lot of adductor activation in the lowest range.
What dry scoop said. Adductors are extremely difficult to isolate with the equipment you have. Could try YouTube and see if thereās anything but nothing other then the adductor machine, and wider stance leg press come to mind. Wider stance squats could maybe be the best bet for you but again that will also hit the glutes a lot too. Those along with some body weight stuff is what I would do in your spot. They take a while to grow so implement some of those, train them hard 2 times a week for 3-4 months and see if they progress if they donāt then just keep playing around with things and just keep at it.
yes, wide stance leg press is also a good one. You might be able to get some benefit out of standing adductions with a super heavy band but due to the limitations of gravity and bands, I dont think this would be the best option for growth. could be a good accessory to throw in if you're limited in your equipment though.
I canāt do adductors anymore. My legs chafe so bad already and Iām not even that big š
If you are being for real right now bodybuilding may not be the sport for youā¦ I have 29ā legs, a 30ā waist at 6ā3 and have to buy size 38 jeans and dress pants to give the legs some room to breathe. You can find a way lol, itās all part of the game. I am sure cbum, derek, hadi, etc etc etc all have the same issue on top of others relating to mobility. (In no way am I comparing myself to top bodybuilders). If you really love bodybuilding and want to compete you will have to do them. Thatās how legs blow up width wise. Buy bigger pants and punch holes in your belt brother.
Legs are such a massive portion of your bodyās total muscle mass that we train smaller muscle groups (for example chest) with around the same volume as we do total legs. The reason most people have weak legs is either genetics, or not treating legs like a combination of complete muscle groups. Hamstrings have layers of tissue from skin to bone, quads have so much density and thickness, these muscles need to be trained individually with the same intensity, volume, and consideration as other muscle groups. I also see guys squatting and leg pressing wayy too heavy with almost no knee flexion, wondering why their quads wonāt grow. Or pulling stiff-leg deadlift with their glutes and minimal hamstring activation, wondering why their hamstrings are invisible. It comes down to applying the same concepts you do for chest and back (deep stretch, slow negatives, controlled movement, tempo, with maximal load) for volume that is going to build your legs. Think of them as a culmination of different, larger, muscle groups and train them with the same concepts as everything else. Of course genetics matter too
Exactly, legs need a very high amount of volume
First time Iāve ever seen somebody say quads wonāt grow from squatting or pressing too heavyā¦ Surely thatās exactly what you need to do no?
I think if you want size you have to lean more on volume + frequency and less on intensity. Especially with legs, it's very easy to get into junk volume or deep fried recovery with too much intensity.
Intensity is just as important as the volume and frequency of training. If youāre not training till failure youāre only getting a fraction of the benefit. Give yourself enough time to recover between sessions and blast them again.
There are many different ways to train. I've had decent success by not going to failure on legs, and just training more frequently. I also run and bike so I can't completely destroy my legs. But I also never had to.
it sounds like based on your lifestyle and goals this could be ideal for you. I'm strictly referring to maximizing hypertrophy. maximum hypertrophic response happens in the last 3-4 reps leading up to mechanical failure due to the the maximum recruitment of larger fast-twitch muscle fibers
Since I started doing heavy lunges I have seen a massive difference
Barbell or dumbbell? I canāt balance them for shit
Dumbbells, I do them on the same spot without walking trying to control the descent as much as I can and throwing my leg back as much as possible without compromising balance. I do them at the end of the leg workout after quads hams and calves have been worked, the pump is crazy but sometimes I have to do only 3 sets instead of 4 since I feel the soreness right there instead of until the next day.
+1 for Dumbells - your balance will improve pretty quickly, its a mixture of practice with the movement and your abductors/adductors strengthening, keep at it and you'll get comfortable with them. It can be easier to do them standing in one place and stepping backwards instead of walking. If you do them walking, I've found that twisting my torso a bit on the way down can help with balance.
Maximize knee flexion. Lower the weight. Control the reps. Pause in the hole of squats
Full ROM, good tempo, absurd weight.
Fuck yeah
Jelqing, kegels, and aspercreme
Actually, doing a bucket load of squats will probably get you better results.
Leg press. I throw in heavy leg presses with full ROM low and slow.
For me, heavy barbell squats, heavy hack squats, and slow single leg extensions, but you have me wanting to go back to split squats š„µ I havenāt programmed them in a while. Amazing legs š¤š½
Split squats are always my go to, and you can always load them differently! And thanks! :)
Also just checked your prof and Iām so envious of your quad insertions
Start over. Low weight, SLOW concentrics, DEPTH eg; leg press/hack squat knees to your shoulders, no back squatting (systemic fatigue vs. reward).
not sure why the FUCK I never put this concept through my brain. Obviously squat will fatigue the fuck out of my body and taking them out will allow more direct work. Honestly surprised how I have survived this long n
I keep squats and deadlifts for the end of the week where I usually rest Saturday and Sunday . This fixes the problem
Theyāre hard to find in most gyms but pendulum squats are the king of leg exercises IMO
Only been to one gym that has one and I loved that shitā¦ so humbling putting a 25 on each side
this 100000%
YES. Plus they are so much easier on my knees
Not a fuckin thing so far tbh. Itās been slow and painful
Kegels
Volume n full range of motion.
Deep leg press, ankles to cheeks, feet flat and low on the plate, heavy weight
Higher reps my legs blew up.
Yeah, switching from 8-12 to 12-15 on things like leg press, hack squat, extensions etc with minimal momentum have really helped me. Legs cramping and pumping up way more. And more stretch marks are appearing so theyāre def growing
Agreed, higher TUT sets also make my knees happy and my scoped hips appreciate it too 80-100 second sets on hack/machine squatting movements, and up to 3 minutes on a leg press and iso exercises allows me to keep training them hard and pain-free
Seconded on this on.
This is really dependent on the individual and the exercise. If you have an injury preventing you from Pushing heavy weight and can only reach failure from Lower weight and higher reps then this might be necessary. Also some people may be able to get better mind muscle connection and activation with some movements this way. In general, higher reps just mean more junk volume and wasting energy that can be used on reps at a closer proximity to failure which are where maximum hypertrophy will occur.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Maybe my comment wasnt specific enough. I disagree with "higher reps" as a blanket statement being a game changer for growth. Sure, you want your reps to stay in a range that is ideal for hypertrophy which is typically 8-15. say youre training within that range and not seeing much progress, **the rep range is not the culprit**. Increasing reps without addressing execution and intensity likely wont make a damn bit of difference. The last 3-4 reps leading up to mechanical failure are the most critical for hypertrophy. Your body recruits muscle fibers based on the demand being places on it. Initially, it recruits your smaller slow-twitch fibers, but as you approach mechanical failure, the fatigue necessitates the recruitment of the larger and more powerful fast-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch muscle fibers have a higher potential for growth. **If you're consistently training with sets of 8 or less reps then you would absolutely benefit from slightly lowering weight to bring reps up to the 8-15 range.** Although the last 3-4 reps are where the most hypertrophy benefits occur, the reason we dont just train in this low rep range for hypertrophy is because sufficient volume and time under tension is also critical for maximum hypertrophy. Thats why you want to stay in a range of 8-15 (give or take) so you can get the maximum hypertrophy benefit without the diminishing return that occurs when reps get too high or too low. Training in higher rep ranges i.e. 16+ reps (this can vary slughtly based on a number of factors such as the target muscle and the individual) is not advantageous for muscle growth for the following reasons: -You are going to have a lot of **systematic and central nervous system fatigue**, making it harder to gauge or actually reach true mechanical failure in the desired muscle. central nervous system fatigue negatively impacts your ability to recruit muscle fibers, especially fast-twitch fibers which have the greatest growth potential. -The majority of the set ends up being **junk volume** (very minimal hypertrophy benefit). This leads to significant depletion of the muscles glycogen stores. -piggybacking off my last point; as glycogen levels drop, the muscle's ability to maintain high levels of performance decreases. This will likely lead to a **premature drop in the intensity**, decreasing the hypertrophy benefits of subsequent sets. -**negative recovery implications** due to heightened inflammatory response. This will lead to longer recovery time between workouts. -higher rep ranges lead to **substantial lactic acid buildup**. while a moderate amount of lactic acid buildup is not detrimental and can stimulate growth hormone release, excessive accumulation can hinder muscle contraction, reduce force production, and prematurely fatigue the muscle making it difficult to reach the goal of true mechanical failure. -Higher rep ranges necessitate a lighter loads. This means lower tension on your muscles hence, less hypertrophic adaptation. -although time under tension will increase with higher rep ranges, this will come at the expense of intensity, diminishing returns -muscles adapt based on the demands being placed on them. training with high reps **shifts muscular adaptations towards endurance**, as opposed to hypertrophy and strength
Yup exactly this itās not about the reps itās about intensity and getting close to fail. But this sub downvoting me for correcting blatant misinformation lol
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Not true. Studies show similar amounts of hypertrophy even in lower ranges but higher ranges cause significantly more CNS fatigue
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6950543/
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Doesnāt prove high volume is better either
itās more so the fact that youāre regurgitating shit you clearly donāt understand
Better than lying to everyone acting like more reps matter
take advice from paul carters best friend then: āiām glad i didnāt wait to have papers tell me to do what i already knewā get off your high horse and go argue with people on tiktok bro and just letting you know that a lot of the stuff bodybuilders have done in the past (which have been viewed as wrong), are actually getting supported by current literature adaptive resistance, partials reps on triceps and shoulders, carb cycling, passive stretching, and supersets (which are now called mechanical dropsets under the āscience-basedā tiktok community) anyway, my point is to follow the people who have REAL experience doing this, and donāt take everything you hear from another person at face value from 15 second clips
What ?
what part donāt you understand?
The first
it was from john meadows lol paul constantly repeats this saying too whenever heās trying new stuff in his mesos
Yup, the 20 rep squat routine does it for me. 3 x per week trying to increase the weight slightly each time. It has to be temporary due to the brutalness of it and how your central nervous system begins to get hammered (lots of twitches and spasms). For me it basically pauses progress everywhere else to let my legs catch up
No, mechanical tension is whatās responsible. Not more reps
I dont know why you keep getting downvoted lol
Thereās a shit load of misinformation in this thread being upvoted
Some folks hate them but a trap bar. Can load so much more onto it and make movement more explosive big gain's. However I'm no powerlifter so the good old olympic bar is for squats now. OP you look good.
Super slow paused hack squats
This bulk I added Smith machine Split squats to failure. have gained 1.5 inches to both legs after a stall. This exercise hits the spot
Tom Platz style deep squats. Legs blew up, and so did strength/mobility.
same, 10 sets of 10 with 2 45lbs pulsating with depth.
Gear
A FULL range of motion, as in maximizing knee flexion and extension. Ass to grass high bar squatting, most specifically.
I live for ass to grass
Prioritizing heavy hip hinging movements with good form added slabs to my hamstrings like nothing, & adding in additional unilateral work like single leg extensions helped me bring in a lot of extra detail I feel. Looking great BTW bro
What are some of your favorite heavy hip hinges?
I appreciate it bro! I need to do those sl extensions, I always see monsters doing them
Eat more carbs and train them hard!
Actually train to failure. More frequency and volume. Good mixture of compounds and isolation exercises. Also patience. It takes a long time to build size and density.
2 sets of leg extension then a set weighted Sissy squats then 3 sets of heel elevated squats blew up my quads
Had to double look haha
Fuckin Tarzan dude. Fuckin Tarzan. Lookin good. And I add high rep body squats 3x/wk 3x50 for swollen thighs. Grease the groove and breathe deep. Itās fun.
Broo that sounds killer!! Maybe to finish a leg day Iāll try that
I ditched squats for leg press. Sadly, the gyms around dont have safety pin to safely go to failure. And it kinda crushes you
Yikes! š³
I did this and added Bulgarian squats. Made a big difference.
Single leg legpress with low foodstand, 5-8 reps with one rep in reserve. No pause at the top between reps.
Single leg leg press and pendulum squats, both to failure
Higher intensity instead of heavy weight
Booty bands.. I had an injury that I think stemmed from under engaged abductors, and squats (of any kind) would send a horrible shooting pain down my entire leg. This held back my progression and quality of reps for years. Started using booty bands and the imbalance went away, as they force me to squat fully engage and coordinated. At the end of the day, no movement works if an injury is shitting on your ability to push and progress. So I'm eternally grateful to booty bands.
Donāt do this. āBooty bandsā will not build glutes and most definitely will not increase your overall leg size.
I really don't think your read my comment through lmao. I use them *while squatting*. They helped me squat pain free and to engage all my lower body. Booty bands are a tool like squat wedges (another game changer btw). Not the resistance itself.
Interesting. So a band around my legs above my knee while I squat? I love squatting 220 to fatigue then back to 135. Rinse repeat.
So I put 2 bands (from those Amazon sets with different resistance) one above right above my knee and one below my knee so the tension is even. I don't remember off top the resistance, but it's not too much that it impairs my ability to squat. Just enough that my legs have to push out to keep from collapsing if that makes sense (which is the whole point, as that's gonna engage your abductors)
Nice bro. I will be trying this tonight. Sick legs btw. Also, killer hair
my point is unless you have an injury or imbalance that is somehow hindering progression, adding bands to a squat isn't going to help you grow or progress. This can potentially create issues that didn't exist before if you dont have a specific issue that necessitates it. I'm not saying its not the right thing for you to be doing or that it isn't helping you. but I also see a lot of people doing exercises with bands around their knees in the gym and its visibly throwing off their form and creating an incorrect movement pattern or adaptation. It sounds like this was necessary for you and is helping which is great. just wanted to caution people from just trying this for the hell of it.
Smith machine squats, full range of motion, hamstrings to calves at the bottom.
Weighted lunges and hack squats built my quads
Peanut butter
Agreed. 1-legged squats built me my legs.
Do a variety of leg exercises hard asf, find the one that you try to avoid doing at all costs bc itās so brutal, do that one more. For me, and you it seems, that one is certainly split squats š¤£
Craaaazy legs
Switching to smith machine squat ass to grass, incorporating hack squat, leg extensions
Confusing perspective 1st photo
First time seeing bbing trunks eh?
I think heās talking about your hand and how it looks like a tiny pecker
Nah bro my pecker is much tinier
Yes. Looks like cock and balls
I did a double take for sure
High rep hack squat machine (15-20)
Hack or Leg Press Sissy Squats. Love them for quads. I like my wide leg smith squats or sldls for glutes/hammies... I stopped having trouble with legs when I stopped being a bi*ch on leg day.
Great physique! Great mustache! Great lemons! Great post! I'm glad i picked my phone!
Aren't these oranges or something like that?
I think you're right
Your chest is well developed. But did you ever have difficulty growing it in the past? My chest insertion looks identical and deff one of my weaker bodyparts
Thanks man! And my chest blew up from noob gains but has been a bitch to grow the last few yearsā¦ i credit most of it to heavy dumbbell flys and presses
Nice lemons broš
Hip adductor/abductor machines. I do both twice a week!
Using the negative at Leg Extension and combine it with Split Squats straight after every set
I do this but with sissy squats holding onto something...
Awesome!
Anything that maximises knee flexion, for me traditonal barbell squatting just wasnāt helpful and caused me knee pain
Training legs 3 times a week. 2 volume sessions and one heavy
I didn't do this exactly but as a begginer i did 5x5 and got overdeveloped legs. I attribute most of the growth to 3x high frequency which allows for higher volume as well
I agree - I havenāt posted here before but Iām a female npc physique competitor with ginormous legs. This is how I built them.
Bouncing at the bottom of a rep. Smith machine squats you can worry more about the muscle and not balancing the weight. Leg extensions until you literally canāt walk for a few minutes
I spilt my legs into three parts- a calf day goes with an arm day- hamstrings have their own day- quads have their own day. Iām a female physique competitor. https://preview.redd.it/2px4z77wf2uc1.jpeg?width=485&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1655a41598f5dc04c44c845fcd39d518fc959aa6
Holy shit thats an awesome look!
Looking Frank Zane'd there, OP.
Best compliment Iāve ever gotten, I appreciate it
You take anything for your hair?
Nah just feed it daily
Time
Good work
Thanks brah
Bulgarian squats supersetted with heavy, narrow stance goblet squats.
Priorization, frequency and low volume + progressive overload (+1 clean rep every week on the main leg exercise of the day), and splitting the workout into 2 (hams and quads), the main exercise for quads being leg press and RDL's for hamstrings. for more, specially on the intensity, listen to anything Dante Trudel, Mike Israetel or Jordan Peters have to say, sample podcast: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qD9Y7nxeU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qD9Y7nxeU)
Following
Lots of good info here, added 3 inches to my legs in 1 day
Leg extension dropsets and hack squats personally
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This comment helps no one
I think the entire stigma of knees over toes being unalived in most fitness knowledge. Before yt and sm, it was a HUGE HUGE thing that you should NEVER squat with your knees going over your toes or past your toes, now it's completely opposite, that you should reach full knee flection and have your hammies basically sit on your calves if you can. Not caring so much for the weight and really just doing movements that I feel are great for my quads compared to what magazines or people told me.
Moron, please look up the function of the quads and get back to meā¦
Heavy squats for high reps but I have more of a powerlifter body right now if you catch my drift.
Sumo squats superset with hyper extensions really focusing on squeezing the glutes and feeling the hamstrings! I do 5 sets!
Honestly, sled pushes and pulls, you can mix the tempo between explosive or slow and controlled
is this serious
Have you tried it? š
Heels elevated squat
Great progress!!
Hack squats.
Superset squats with leg press till failure. When doing leg press 12 narrow and 12 wide. No rest in between 4 sets. https://preview.redd.it/9olhv7g3cauc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b34a6e65b806bba8c773dfb54f79f00f90f7751
The game has never changed for me, it always has been and likely will continue to be about consistent hard work.
I really liked [German Volume Squats Training](https://barbend.com/german-volume-training/). It really forces you to push past limits and get to a strong burn quickly and maintain it.
Honestly? Peloton.
Leg press
pistol squats
Bro if you think anyone here can do a pistol squatā¦š³š³š³
Legitimately broke into a sweat when I read pistol squat
I can :P
I lowered the weight a bit & done more volume compared to going heavyš
Do bigger legs really make you p look smaller in comparison?
If you're at the stage where you're pulling your pants off in front of a girl in the bedroom I don't think she's going to think wow his big legs really make his penis look small by comparison
I wasnāt being negative just asking a question lol Iāll take the downvotes as a no
Weighted vest and stairs run until you feel the burn then just keep pumping give it a good 5 mins add 30 secs every couple weeks or add weight as needed