Workout advice needed.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Okay.... so, hitting the gym solid for three months. Workout legs lightly once a week. I was trying to ease into it because after the first workout of doing squats, lunges, etc... I could barely walk. Considering I am in real estate.... um, walking is important.

I also do the eliptical, the treadmill, the crossclimber, the stairstepper and the stationary bike. I do at least 30 minutes of cardio per day, and on days when I have extra time, I crank out an hour or more of cardio.

So, Weds, I go in and do squats and lunges and needless to say, I feel like a weeble wobble.

I was scheduled to do legs again tomorrow. Do, I just buck up and do the workout? Should I let my legs rest longer? Should I try to go lighter at first? I am not going all that heavy, just starting at a plate on each side and then working up on squats.

Anyways, I don't have chickenlegs, but I also don't want to ignore them while I work on everything else.

Any advice would be golden.

[morphius]

I'd say you need to break up your work out better. I wouldn't do leg lifting on the same days as running, but you should be doing it more than once a week. Which is what I think your real problem might be, it is one thing to let them rest, another to give them a weeks rest.

[kstater]

The way you're describing it, it sounds as if you're not stretching properly.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

The way you're describing it, it sounds as if you're not stretching properly.

I admit that I don't stretch enough. I will give that more effort.

[chiefbowe82]

Definitely don't ignore legs. Keep incorporating them in your workout. For quads hit (back squats, front squats, leg extensions) for hams hit (SLDL, good mornings, leg curl) for calf's (seated calf, standing use db and stairs) for glutes (lunges, rev lunges) After awhile you shouldn't get sore from your leg workouts (most likely if you hit them harder, and do them twice a week or so) It's all how you feel if your not that sore, go ahead and go through your full workout, you can get some of the soreness out by lifting lightly (getting blood flow to the muscles) and of course static stretching afterwards. Do dynamic stretching then static stretching before. Make sure your using good form (going nearly parallel on squats etc) Get lots of rest and eat well. Good info found at bodybuilding.com in the forums section.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

I'd say you need to break up your work out better. I wouldn't do leg lifting on the same days as running, but you should be doing it more than once a week. Which is what I think your real problem might be, it is one thing to let them rest, another to give them a weeks rest.


I have it set up to do legs Weds and Saturday. It just so happens that when I do them I can barely walk and I don't do it the second time that week.

I am going to try doing more stretching and just going lighter twice a week and hopefully, that does the trick. Hopefully, as I build up the strength in my legs, I will be able to do it without soreness.... or at least soreness so bad that my legs buckle a little.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

On a side note, for the youngin's in here.... when you quit playing ball... don't quit exercising. It is much easier to stay in shape than to get in shape.

I am not even overweight, and I still play pickup basketball and hike and have been pretty active. But, when I actually decided to get in the gym and get the body back that I had.... it was like a kick to the nads....

I could barely push up 185 on the bench. I couldn't do a pull up. To say my ego was a little beat up is an understatement.

So, stay in school, don't do drugs, and don't get fat.

That should be a public service announcement or somehting.

[chiefbowe82]

On a side note, for the youngin's in here.... when you quit playing ball... don't quit exercising. It is much easier to stay in shape than to get in shape.

I am not even overweight, and I still play pickup basketball and hike and have been pretty active. But, when I actually decided to get in the gym and get the body back that I had.... it was like a kick to the nads....

I could barely push up 185 on the bench. I couldn't do a pull up. To say my ego was a little beat up is an understatement.

So, stay in school, don't do drugs, and don't get fat.

That should be a public service announcement or somehting.

You'd be surprised how many people can't do a pullup.

[Stanley Nickels]

I used to play pick up ball and intramural ball in school, 4-5 days a week.
Anymore, I've tried to pick up running, but end up being too sore to run more than once a week. Recently, I've invested in some super-high intensity stretch regimens. Helps a ton. You've got to spend at least 5 minutes stretching, not three or four stretches that address the different muscles you'll work during your exercise. It needs to focus on the entire area, and even get you warmed up with light cardio or elastic stretching. It will pay off in the following days

[SenselessChiefsFan]

You'd be surprised how many people can't do a pullup.

Well, luckily, that didn't last too long. I can crank out three now.... wohoo.

I know I am making progress, but it never happens as fast as we would like.

Of course, it took me a decade to get this out of shape. I imagine that in a year from my start date, I will have erased that decade's atrophy. So, not too bad, I suppose.

[Easy 6]

Were i as sore as you sound, no way would i try to 'power through' another leg program so soon.

Let them rest & rebuild a bit more, as i'm sure you know, you cant just jump back in & do what you were doing the last time you worked out consistently.

[Silock]

My 2 cents:

There's no reason to overdo it on legs. I'm not saying you shouldn't work them at all, but leg development for most people isn't a problem.

Personally, I would limit it to squats (if you even DO them... I don't think they're necessary) and some bodyweight stuff. IMO, it's far more effective for overall leg strength and balance, but it won't make your legs blow up like balloons, either.

Here's one of my favorite leg day routines:

Warm-up for at least 10 minutes on the elliptical, treadmill or bike. Get a light sweat going to make sure the blood is flowing well before attempting the squat.

Squats:

All of these are ass to ground. I don't do parallel squats. IMO, full squats are better, because they keep your ROM high, and allow you to fully develop your hips. Hips are key in maintaining good balance. Also, I just put in some arbitrary numbers. I don't know how much you squat, but keep in mind that going all the way down is (at first, it's significantly more so) more difficult than doing a parallel/half-squat.

Here's a pretty good discussion on full-squats vs. parallel.
http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/leg-training-myths.html

Warm-up, bar only, 15 reps
Bar + 45s, 12 reps
Bar + 25s/45s, 8 reps
Bar + 35s/45s, 6 reps
Bar + 45s/45s, 5 reps

Make sure you put your butt on your heels for these. Can't stress that enough. Doing that will work your entire leg, hamstrings included. And whatever you do, don't use a Smith machine. Use a squat rack. Smith machines limit your movement too much and force you to move in an unnatural way.

After that, just do a leg-finisher.

Leg Matrix:

This should be performed with no rest in between the movements, all bodyweight stuff

24 single-leg squats (12 per side, again, butt to heels if you can... if not, use a 25 lbs plate held out straight in front of you for extra balance as you go down)
24 Bulgarian Split-squats (12 per side, non-alternating)
24 Alternating lunges (12 per side, alternating)
24 Jump lunges (12 per side, alternating)
24 Squat Thrusts / bodyweight squat jumps

Rest 2-3 minutes, do 2-3 sets

(If you can't do the first two movements, which are difficult, you can just do 24 bodyweight squats instead)

Shouldn't take you more than half an hour to do all of this, which leaves 25 minutes for HIIT. I wouldn't even do this more than once a week. IMO, it's not necessary.

Just as an aside, I don't even do conventional squats any longer, except where I incorporate them with my circuit training (and even then, I'm only doing ATG reps of 135). I just do the leg matrix.

And just to throw even more confusion into the squat thing, check out this vid.

http://www.functionalstrengthcoach3.com/squats.html

I'd like to say that I disagree with the guy, but I can't. I mean, the guy knows his shit. He's coached athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Olympics, NCAA, and more.

Hope this helps.

[MadMax]

You'd be surprised how many people can't do a pullup.



What's a pullup? An old person diaper?

[runnercyclist]

I recommend running...and cycling :)

[Silock]

I recommend running...and cycling :)

Yeah, cycling = no need for leg work

[Pioli Zombie]

Ace and Gary love this thread.
Posted via Mobile Device

[SenselessChiefsFan]

My 2 cents:

There's no reason to overdo it on legs. I'm not saying you shouldn't work them at all, but leg development for most people isn't a problem.

Personally, I would limit it to squats (if you even DO them... I don't think they're necessary) and some bodyweight stuff. IMO, it's far more effective for overall leg strength and balance, but it won't make your legs blow up like balloons, either.

Here's one of my favorite leg day routines:

Warm-up for at least 10 minutes on the elliptical, treadmill or bike. Get a light sweat going to make sure the blood is flowing well before attempting the squat.

Squats:

All of these are ass to ground. I don't do parallel squats. IMO, full squats are better, because they keep your ROM high, and allow you to fully develop your hips. Hips are key in maintaining good balance. Also, I just put in some arbitrary numbers. I don't know how much you squat, but keep in mind that going all the way down is (at first, it's significantly more so) more difficult than doing a parallel/half-squat.

Here's a pretty good discussion on full-squats vs. parallel.
http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/leg-training-myths.html

Warm-up, bar only, 15 reps
Bar + 45s, 12 reps
Bar + 25s/45s, 8 reps
Bar + 35s/45s, 6 reps
Bar + 45s/45s, 5 reps

Make sure you put your butt on your heels for these. Can't stress that enough. Doing that will work your entire leg, hamstrings included. And whatever you do, don't use a Smith machine. Use a squat rack. Smith machines limit your movement too much and force you to move in an unnatural way.

After that, just do a leg-finisher.

Leg Matrix:

This should be performed with no rest in between the movements, all bodyweight stuff

24 single-leg squats (12 per side, again, butt to heels if you can... if not, use a 25 lbs plate held out straight in front of you for extra balance as you go down)
24 Bulgarian Split-squats (12 per side, non-alternating)
24 Alternating lunges (12 per side, alternating)
24 Jump lunges (12 per side, alternating)
24 Squat Thrusts / bodyweight squat jumps

Rest 2-3 minutes, do 2-3 sets

(If you can't do the first two movements, which are difficult, you can just do 24 bodyweight squats instead)

Shouldn't take you more than half an hour to do all of this, which leaves 25 minutes for HIIT. I wouldn't even do this more than once a week. IMO, it's not necessary.

Just as an aside, I don't even do conventional squats any longer, except where I incorporate them with my circuit training (and even then, I'm only doing ATG reps of 135). I just do the leg matrix.

And just to throw even more confusion into the squat thing, check out this vid.

http://www.functionalstrengthcoach3.com/squats.html

I'd like to say that I disagree with the guy, but I can't. I mean, the guy knows his shit. He's coached athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Olympics, NCAA, and more.

Hope this helps.

I appreciate the advice. I will give this a shot.

[bevischief]

sweatin to the oldies

[RedThat]

Okay.... so, hitting the gym solid for three months. Workout legs lightly once a week. I was trying to ease into it because after the first workout of doing squats, lunges, etc... I could barely walk. Considering I am in real estate.... um, walking is important.

I also do the eliptical, the treadmill, the crossclimber, the stairstepper and the stationary bike. I do at least 30 minutes of cardio per day, and on days when I have extra time, I crank out an hour or more of cardio.

So, Weds, I go in and do squats and lunges and needless to say, I feel like a weeble wobble.

I was scheduled to do legs again tomorrow. Do, I just buck up and do the workout? Should I let my legs rest longer? Should I try to go lighter at first? I am not going all that heavy, just starting at a plate on each side and then working up on squats.

Anyways, I don't have chickenlegs, but I also don't want to ignore them while I work on everything else.

Any advice would be golden.

First off, you have the right idea by not ignoring your legs. There are a lot of people who never train them. And believe it or not that is where a majority of your power comes from and also where a majority of testosterone is released. however, you wanna be very careful with those legs as well. You could be overtraining your legs from both weights and by doing excessive amounts of cardio.

My best advice to you would be, if you still feel that your legs are sore don't train them. It would be a very wise thing to do to rest them longer. Even it means taking a break from both cardio and the weights, do it. Its always a good thing to do just to be on the safe side. Its probably the best thing and imo it'll prevent yourself at risk of injury. At the very least, go very light so you don't put a lot stress on those muscles. Its one thing to train hard, but its another to be smart. And this is no implication that you're stupid. you're learning because you haven't done this in a while.

Your body is giving you a message by saying that your leg muscles are sore and it needs rest since you've basically ripped the tissue itself and its going through a recuperation process. Sometimes, the amount of rest you need varies. And the thing I find is, sometimes, the harder you train, the longer it takes for your body to fully heal and recover. Really, I wouldn't train them, wait till they fully recover. Listen to what your body is telling you and go from there.

I must say though that is A LOT of cardio you're doing. Try not to do to much cardio or else you're at risk of burning muscle and overtraining. I recall in one of your previous posts you said your bodytype is ectomorphic. So really you don't have to do that much cardio. You are going to have no troubles getting lean because of your bodytype. However, If you want to put on muscle, or build mass, you should be doing a lot less cardio. Keep your cardio to a minimum. You will get ripped easily even from not doing that much cardio, but putting on muscle will be a challenge for you, and it will be that much harder if you're doing that much cardio.

*Please don't get offended from me saying this, I think you need to make adjustments into your program.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

First off, you have the right idea by not ignoring your legs. There are a lot of people who never train them. And believe it or not that is where a majority of your power comes from and also where a majority of testosterone is released. however, you wanna be very careful with those legs as well. You could be overtraining your legs from both weights and by doing excessive amounts of cardio.

My best advice to you would be, if you still feel that your legs are sore don't train them. It would be a very wise thing to do to rest them longer. Even it means taking a break from both cardio and the weights, do it. Its always a good thing to do just to be on the safe side. Its probably the best thing and imo it'll prevent yourself at risk of injury. At the very least, go very light so you don't put a lot stress on those muscles. Its one thing to train hard, but its another to be smart. And this is no implication that you're stupid. you're learning because you haven't done this in a while.

Your body is giving you a message by saying that your leg muscles are sore and it needs rest since you've basically ripped the tissue itself and its going through a recuperation process. Sometimes, the amount of rest you need varies. And the thing I find is, sometimes, the harder you train, the longer it takes for your body to fully heal and recover. Really, I wouldn't train them, wait till they fully recover. Listen to what your body is telling you and go from there.

I must say though that is A LOT of cardio you're doing. Try not to do to much cardio or else you're at risk of burning muscle and overtraining. I recall in one of your previous posts you said your bodytype is ectomorphic. So really you don't have to do that much cardio. You are going to have no troubles getting lean because of your bodytype. However, If you want to put on muscle, or build mass, you should be doing a lot less cardio. Keep your cardio to a minimum. You will get ripped easily even from not doing that much cardio, but putting on muscle will be a challenge for you, and it will be that much harder if you're doing that much cardio.

*Please don't get offended from me saying this, I think you need to make adjustments into your program.

Unless you tell me Mark Sanchez is going to be a HOF QB... I won't get offended.

I appreciate the feedback. I am also trying to train with my daughter, who, unless she is playing basketball... likes to sit and read and do nothing.

[RedThat]

Unless you tell me Mark Sanchez is going to be a HOF QB... I won't get offended.

I appreciate the feedback. I am also trying to train with my daughter, who, unless she is playing basketball... likes to sit and read and do nothing.

Lol...he sure is j/k..no problem bro

[stormtrooper]

there is a thing called overtraining

[SenselessChiefsFan]

For those saying that leg work isn't that important..... I dissagree. #1) Chicken legs are not attractive.

#2) As you work your muscles, your body chemistry changes. These additional hormones, including testosterone help your body build muscle. Given the size of the leg muscles, working these boost the bodies hormone levels as much, if not more than any other body part.

I know it all comes down to goals... but my goals are to be stronger first.... get ripped later. So, I feel like not working my legs will take away possible gains.

Am I off base on this?

[Halfcan]

bike riding is your best option

[Silock]

For those saying that leg work isn't that important..... I dissagree. #1) Chicken legs are not attractive.

#2) As you work your muscles, your body chemistry changes. These additional hormones, including testosterone help your body build muscle. Given the size of the leg muscles, working these boost the bodies hormone levels as much, if not more than any other body part.

I know it all comes down to goals... but my goals are to be stronger first.... get ripped later. So, I feel like not working my legs will take away possible gains.

Am I off base on this?

If you're not working legs at ALL doing ANYTHING, then yes, it's important to do direct leg work. However, if you're constantly challenging your legs with sprinting or bike riding, then it's not as essential to get leg work in. It could lead to overtraining, which will ultimately hurt all progress.

[morphius]

I think some other people have hinted at as well, skip doing the leg cardio stuff the day you life your legs. Especially if your goal is to get stronger as some leg exercises will work out more of your legs than say and elliptical machine. With your legs being some of the biggest muscles in your body, it is also a great way to burn off some fat.

[bevischief]

I think you are doing too much at once. Start out doing cardio like a bike or treadmill and go from there, start adding to that every 2 weeks or so depending on how your body adjusts. I lost over 35 just riding a stationary bike and watching my diet this year.