Building my legs

[KennyG]

Ever since I can remember I have worked out on my upper body regularly but worked on on my legs sporadically. I'm now looking to develop my thighs and calves so I can wear shorts at the gym without feeling a fool.

What leg exercises should I concentrate on?

K

[markymark]

Squats are your best bet. The leg press is ok but nothing beats squats. Not only that but all the exercise mags suggest squats (and deadlifts, pull ups, bench presses - all the big compound movements) have a hormonal effect and actually increase the bodies growth hormone levels, inceasing muscle mass all over.

Also make sure you perform some hamstring exercises and a few calf raises to balance out the look of your legs.

[phillips-fit]

Markymark makes a good point about including some hamstring work in your routine as this muscle group often gets neglected which may not only lead to aesthetic imbalance but also lead to muscle and functional imbalances and possible injury. Another good idea would be to work your adductors (inner thighs) by performing side lunges and side split deadlifts. Rotational lunges would be good too so that you are working in all three planes of movement (not just the one). Good luck... :)

[Julian Meldrum]

I agree with the other posts here about hamstring exercises.

My absolute current favourite is doing hamstring curls using a Swiss ball and body weight. You lie face up on a mat, and put your feet on the ball, relaxing your shoulders. Lift your whole body from shoulders to ankles into a straight line. Then the fun begins!

There's three versions I teach.

Beginners is keeping your hips still, drawing the ball towards you by bending both knees and hips, then returning to a fully extended body position. Experiment with the size of the ball and with the starting position, to maximise range of movement.

Advanced is keeping a straight line from shoulders to knees, going into a bridge with knees bent at 90 degrees. And, of course, it's possible to progress from 'beginners' to 'advanced' by lifting the hips just part of the way.

Show-off is forming the bridge with one leg, keeping the other extended in line with the rest of the body. You can do it alternating legs or as a set on one leg followed by a set on the other.

If there's anyone who thinks you can't do a really tough set with body weight alone, I think this is THE exercise to blow their mind!

[adam curran]

Hi Julian,

I've seen people in the gym doing stability ball curls and I think that that not only do they look the performer look a burk but they look like they're not going to build muscle in anyway what so ever.

I can't image Arnie in his hay day doing these to build up his hamstrings!

[phillips-fit]

You're never going to gain any significant muscle hypertrophy (size) of the hamstrings performing the Fitball Leg Curl (you're right, I'm not sure Arnie even knows what a Fitball is! :rolleyes:) but what you will gain is improvements in strength, stability and muscle tone. You will also improve your core stability, depending on the bridge position you adopt ranging from improvements in stability of the knees, lumbo-pelvic hip complex to improvements in shoulder stability.

Instead of arms flat on the floor try bending at the elbows to 90 degrees. I have my more advanced clients raise their arms straight up (90 degree angles to the floor) and when you've mastered that try this single leg! AWESOME!!! :cool:

If you want "bigger" hamstrings then you need to be lifting relatively heavy weights and performing deadlifts, particularly stiff leg deadlifts, lunges and seated or lying hamstring curls. :D

[Julian Meldrum]

Some good points made though I stand by the principle that if you can achieve overload in an exercise, muscle hypertrophy will follow. When you get to the point where 15 reps is achievable, at slow speed, then the exercise has certainly passed its limits for muscle hypertrophy.

With the hamstring curl, core strength is vital and for some yes, that will be the limitation, but not I'd suggest for most of those gym users who don't work on their legs.

I'd also agree with the emphasis on squats and deadlifts.- which are equally dependent on core strength to be safe and effective. Especially those straight leg deadlifts.

I'm glad I don't have to say whether people "look a burk" in the gym and it is not a very good reason to reject a particular exercise. There's a long list of potential offences! As I see it, one of my roles as a fitness professional is to give people a "licence to play" and create a safe environment to try exercises that they may find difficult. One of the greatest rewards is seeing people's confidence in their own physical abilities expand.

The question, "what would Arnie do?" isn't relevant to most of my clients, but it takes all sorts and I won't quote any of his films.

[adam curran]

Hi Julian / Phillips-fit,

Thanks for your feedback here - much appreciated. I'm not sure stability ball leg curls are the exercise for me (but I'm willing to try in a near empty gym very soon!).

One thing that does interest me though is the idea that you can build up your hamstrings by performing squats and lunges. I always thought the hamstrings were very much the biceps of the leg and that in order to add strength and size you'd have to isolate them with curls.

That said, my girlfriend never does hamstring curls - she does lunges, walking lunges, step ups etc - and her hamstrings are great!

Adam

[Julian Meldrum]

Adam,

The answer to your question is called Lombard's Paradox.

Yes, hamstrings and quadriceps are antagonistic muscle groups. If you do isolation exercises on machines, such as seated hamstring curls and seated leg extensions, then the comparison with biceps and triceps in the arm is valid.

However, in the lifting phase of the squat - or (for example) when you get up out of a chair - both hamstrings and quads contract at the same time. The hamstrings act as synergists, not antagonists, in this movement. Likewise, in walking lunges and step-ups.

Swiss balls are not compulsory - but do enjoy your workouts!

[phillips-fit]

Adam, although the hamstrings are not the prime mover in the squat they do play a significant role in the assistance of the move. Any multi-joint exercise will involve more than one muscle group and they all will benefit from the exercise to a degree. Stiff leg deadlifts are the way to go though for really building your hams :D

[phillips-fit]

P.S. I agree with Julian that if you achieve overload of a muscle then hypertrophy will follow. Although, for any significant levels of hypertrophy to occur you need to progressively overload that muscle for longer than 1-2 weeks, which is about the time it would take (im my experience) for a novice to progress up to 15 perfect reps of the Fitball leg curl, then what? You could play around with hip and arm positions as I mentioned before but this puts more emphasis on balance and stability as opposed to hypertrophy. The bottom line is, if you want to build your hamstrings then the exercise of choice wouldn't necessarily be the Fitball Leg Curl it would be Stiff Leg Deadlifts as you have more scope to progress overload by increasing weights (this doesn't mean don't include the Fitball Leg Curl into your routine, it is awesome, just don't expect any significant size gains from it) :D

[Simon]

I perform stiff legged deadlifts. The problem I find though is that my grip gives way before I have fully exhausted my hamstrings.

Do you have any tips on how to get past this problem?

[phillips-fit]

Hey Simon, many people struggle with grip strength, its quite common! What you could do to strengthen your grip is try squeezing a squash ball or use a barbell collar for a about 5 minutes per day. You can do this exercise anywhere, at work, at home whist watching tv etc.

You could also try some wrist curls with a dumbbell in each hand (try 4kg to start with), rest the back of your wrists on your knees in a seated position. Roll the weight down so that your hands open and the weight ends up on your fingers then slowly make a fist by rolling the weight back up and curl your wrist up as far as you comfortably can. You can perform the exercise with your hands the other way round (reverse wrist curl) but keep your hands in a fist this time.

It might also be worth having a fitness professional check your technique. I'm sure its fine but even the slightest of adjustments can make all the difference and really put the emphasis on the hamstrings. Here's a few pointer for you to check:
1) Make sure you have a neutral spine throughout the whole range of movement (don't round your back)!
2) Brace your abs to switch on your core muscles
3) Slide the bar down your thighs as you bend at the hips tipping your bum back
4) Slight bend in the knees to take the load off your lower back
5) Keep your chin up and look forward, not down at the floor (this will help to keep your back straight)
6) Go as low as you comfortably can; stop a fraction before you reach maximum range of movement in your hamstrings or you start to lose posture, whichever comes first
7) Stand back up by actively thinking of contracting your hamstrings and co-contract your glutes, driving your hips forward standing tall

If after trying all that you still find that your grip is failing then you must be lifting very heavy weights and you might want to consider using wrist straps!

Let me know how you get on... :D