Legs Legs Legs! The do not want to grow no matter what!!

[ninesecz]

Here is the deal... I used to have a problem with my arms and my legs not growing but as of late, my arm are going great and have put an inch+ on them in about 6-8 weeks so I am very happy.
Now the legs, Have tried everything and still I cant seem to put any good size on them

I want to get that thick slab of beef that is the entire set of quad muscles merging into each other so from the fron the muscle just slopes out above the knee cap

Heres my routine

Stretch

Squats:
135 X 20
225 X 15
335 X 8
365 X 5

Leg Press

7plates X 15
8 Plates X 12
9 Plates X 12
10 Plates X 10

Hack Squats

3plates X 12
4 Plates X 10
5 Plates X 8

Leg Extensions
135 X 15\
150 X 10
165 X 10

Leg Curls
115 X 10
130X 10
145 X 8

Stiff Leg Deads with Dumbells

80's X 12
90's X 12
90's X 8

I am pretty sure all the exercises I am doing are the correct ones, i can not go any heavier on hacks or do lunges cause I have bad knees also!

I have heard low reps for legs and others say the only way to build the legs is 12-20 reps for everything! Not sure which one I should stick with!
What do you guys think?
Going to be starting the juice end of July (always on 200mg trt) and dont know if I should keep this with the high reps or when I start if I should drop to 6-8 reps max and try that way again.

Yes my diet is good, my supplementation is good and all the other Bpdy Parts seem to gain muscularity just fine! Just not the Wheels! they are about 27" right now! Would love to get them to 30" so i do not look like a toothpik

[eatrainrest]

try lowering the sets for quads to 8-10

[Reed]

Are you going to AT least parallel or below on your squats. This makes a huge difference as I prescribe to the old school theory the deeper the squat the more stretch of the muscle which equals bigger legs. It worked for me, as I use to believe I could squat 495 for reps but was only getting to just below a half rep.

If you don't hit parallel then its too heavy and you should lighten it up. This will also give you less chance of knee injuries as most that can't go deep enough are putting too much weight on their knees in which the joints can not handle

Are you pushing yourself beyond your limits and literally giving it hell

Try drop sets, forced reps etc

[Darksyde]

do you do atg squats?

[InsaneInTheMembrane]

- you're doing too much IMHO

- split into 2 days ; ham days and quad days - I just start this split for my current cycle 8 weeks ago and have gained 1.5"

- do SLDLs; DEEP knee-to-nose leg presses; ham curls on hams days

- do Squats, hacks, leg extensions, lunges on quad days

- FYI, ham curls, lying and seated, are not as effective as you think.

[ninesecz]

I go to parralel but with my knees and my back thats it! no below parallel for me! Yeh i push so hard during leg presses my hearing actually starts to distort!! so it is not a matter of intensity ! just bad leg genetics I guess

[InsaneInTheMembrane]

I go to parralel but with my knees and my back thats it! no below parallel for me! Yeh i push so hard during leg presses my hearing actually starts to distort!! so it is not a matter of intensity ! just bad leg genetics I guess

that's a cop-out

[cubnlynx]

Sounds like overtraing drop the sets like the guys said. Also you could drop the leg extensions or the hack squats.

[The Deuce]

Here is my INPUT...

DO 3 exercises ... SQUAT, LEG PRESSES, And EXTENSIONS... Start with extensions to warm up them quads... do not go super heavy but get a good pump going... 2 sets is fine .. for 20 reps.. LIGHTWEIGHT...

Then Hit the SQUAT RACK... 135/10, 225/10, 315/10, (355/6, 365/3 or 4) then drop set this to 225/ and go til Failure

The sets inside the parenthesis you should probably think about knee wraps just for extra precaution... you don't need to .. but I wrap up as soon as I go over 350lbs. And start wearing a belt after I exceed 225lbs. I try not to let my body get adjusted to wearing these things so it knows that it doesn't need em to execute the movement.. IMO

Do them super strict, each and every rep.. HIT PARALLEL !!

Now last exercise of the day before you call it quits on LEGS DAY...

Leg Press- The way you have it laid out I can't tell if it is overall number of Plates or Plates per side.. I am guessing per side... but I could be wrong.

8 plates/15, 10 plates/10, 12 plates/10, 14 plates/ til Failure drop down to 8 plates again and go until you simply can not do another LEG PRESS !!

This is my OPINION on what you should do ... adjust weights accordingly.. but from the numbers posted above I do not think that this is unreasonable... Obviously as the size and strength come.. UP THE WEIGHT !!

But if you stick to this Basic outline I can tell you.. YOU WILL GROW.. I designed this myself, and it shot my legs from 24" to 27" within 6 months... ON JUST THIS ROUTINE ALONE... ok so maybe muscle memory had something to do with it.. but still... I GOT WHEELS !! I focus on my legs.. they are my strong point.. I dont BENCH a lot, due to a shoulder injury Labral Tear (Torn Labrum from a dislocation) so I tended to focus on my LEGS more than anything of course while I was healing from the surgery and that is when I decided to DROP ALL THE EXTRA NON NECESSARY WEIGHT LIFTING MOVEMENTS.. Like Lunges and Hack Squats and all the other things that I had been doing...

OBVIOUSLY YOU DONT NEED TO FOLLOW THIS ADVICE AND SOME PEOPLE MAY DISPUTE IT.. BUT MY THOUGHTS IS MORE IS NOT BETTER... I DUNNO.. DO WHAT YOU WANT, EVERYONE IS GONNA TELL YOU TO DO THIS OR DO THAT.. YOU MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND AND DECIDE WHAT YOU THINK WILL WORK.. I HAVE DONE MY PART.. I MADE MY OPINION. HOPE YA LIKE IT Got any more questions just ask...

I might have left stuff out.. my head is a mess right now...

[cubnlynx]

[QUOTE=The Deuce;4738045]Here is my INPUT...

DO 3 exercises ... SQUAT, LEG PRESSES, And EXTENSIONS... Start with extensions to warm up them quads... do not go super heavy but get a good pump going... 2 sets is fine .. for 20 reps.. LIGHTWEIGHT...

Then Hit the SQUAT RACK... 135/10, 225/10, 315/10, (355/6, 365/3 or 4) then drop set this to 225/ and go til Failure

The sets inside the parenthesis you should probably think about knee wraps just for extra precaution... you don't need to .. but I wrap up as soon as I go over 350lbs. And start wearing a belt after I exceed 225lbs. I try not to let my body get adjusted to wearing these things so it knows that it doesn't need em to execute the movement.. IMO

Do them super strict, each and every rep.. HIT PARALLEL !!

Now last exercise of the day before you call it quits on LEGS DAY...

Leg Press- The way you have it laid out I can't tell if it is overall number of Plates or Plates per side.. I am guessing per side... but I could be wrong.

8 plates/15, 10 plates/10, 12 plates/10, 14 plates/ til Failure drop down to 8 plates again and go until you simply can not do another LEG PRESS !!

This is my OPINION on what you should do ... adjust weights accordingly.. but from the numbers posted above I do not think that this is unreasonable... Obviously as the size and strength come.. UP THE WEIGHT !!

But if you stick to this Basic outline I can tell you.. YOU WILL GROW.. I designed this myself, and it shot my legs from 24" to 27" within 6 months... ON JUST THIS ROUTINE ALONE... ok so maybe muscle memory had something to do with it.. but still... I GOT WHEELS !! I focus on my legs.. they are my strong point.. I dont BENCH a lot, due to a shoulder injury Labral Tear (Torn Labrum from a dislocation) so I tended to focus on my LEGS more than anything of course while I was healing from the surgery and that is when I decided to DROP ALL THE EXTRA NON NECESSARY WEIGHT LIFTING MOVEMENTS.. Like Lunges and Hack Squats and all the other things that I had been doing...

OBVIOUSLY YOU DONT NEED TO FOLLOW THIS ADVICE AND SOME PEOPLE MAY DISPUTE IT.. BUT MY THOUGHTS IS MORE IS NOT BETTER... I DUNNO.. DO WHAT YOU WANT, EVERYONE IS GONNA TELL YOU TO DO THIS OR DO THAT.. YOU MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND AND DECIDE WHAT YOU THINK WILL WORK.. I HAVE DONE MY PART.. I MADE MY OPINION. HOPE YA LIKE IT Got any more questions just ask...

I might have left stuff out.. my head is a mess right now...[/QUO





good advice

[Ronnie Rowland]

Here is the deal... I used to have a problem with my arms and my legs not growing but as of late, my arm are going great and have put an inch+ on them in about 6-8 weeks so I am very happy.
Now the legs, Have tried everything and still I cant seem to put any good size on them

I want to get that thick slab of beef that is the entire set of quad muscles merging into each other so from the fron the muscle just slopes out above the knee cap

Heres my routine

Stretch

Squats:
135 X 20
225 X 15
335 X 8
365 X 5

Leg Press

7plates X 15
8 Plates X 12
9 Plates X 12
10 Plates X 10

Hack Squats

3plates X 12
4 Plates X 10
5 Plates X 8

Leg Extensions
135 X 15\
150 X 10
165 X 10

Leg Curls
115 X 10
130X 10
145 X 8

Stiff Leg Deads with Dumbells

80's X 12
90's X 12
90's X 8

I am pretty sure all the exercises I am doing are the correct ones, i can not go any heavier on hacks or do lunges cause I have bad knees also!

I have heard low reps for legs and others say the only way to build the legs is 12-20 reps for everything! Not sure which one I should stick with!
What do you guys think?
Going to be starting the juice end of July (always on 200mg trt) and dont know if I should keep this with the high reps or when I start if I should drop to 6-8 reps max and try that way again.

Yes my diet is good, my supplementation is good and all the other Bpdy Parts seem to gain muscularity just fine! Just not the Wheels! they are about 27" right now! Would love to get them to 30" so i do not look like a toothpik

1) You need to gain body weight to get a large muscle group like the legs to respond.

2) Use a little less weight, better form and work on getting down to parrallel while feeling the quads work.

3) Do half you squat sets with a wide stance to put more emphasis on inner thighs where most of the upper leg mass is located. Do other half with a very close stance (feet only 2 inches apart). This will hit the outer thighs hard! USE ONLY THOSE 2 EXERCISES FOR QUADS!! Do 5 intense work sets of wide stance and 3 intense sets of close stance once a week (8 sets total for a reload). Do 3 wide and 2 close for deload. Keep reps at around 8-12 reps per set! Do 2 warm up sets on squats (after high rep leg ext) before doing intense work sets!

4) For hams during reload try 4 sets of lying leg curls and 2 sets of stiff legged deadlifts. For deload try 2 sets of leg curls and 1 set of stiff legs.

5) 2 high rep sets of leg extensions should be used as a knee warm up before squats!

6) Eat more protein and carbs during reload!

7) Gain some weight!

8) Use APT knee wraps!

NOTE: Tom Platz made his best gains using only the two quad exerices I have suggested. It's what made my legs start gaining again as well-wide stance then close stance squats!!!!!! Now the reason some have done better with higher reps is due to more time under tension. Keep reps under control by controlling negative and no bouncing and you will see results. Drop the ego and take each work set to good muscle failure!!!!!!!!!

[ninesecz]

that's a cop-out

What sounds like a cop out? I eat great I have a ton of intensity, my form is perfect i go real heavy ...what is it that I am using as a cop out/ The fact I said i have bad genetics? Do you not thi nk it is possible for someone to have decent genetics but the legs just have a horrible time growing? I do ot think that is a cop out!

[FireGuy]

BTW, 27 inch legs are not small. If you are lean they are going to look downright awesome at that size. Post a pic of them for reference.

[ninesecz]

1) You need to gain body weight to get a large muscle group like the legs to respond.

2) Use a little less weight, better form and work on getting down to parrallel while feeling the quads work.

3) Do half you squat sets with a wide stance to put more emphasis on inner thighs where most of the upper leg mass is located. Do other half with a very close stance (feet only 2 inches apart). This will hit the outer thighs hard! USE ONLY THOSE 2 EXERCISES FOR QUADS!! Do 5 intense work sets of wide stance and 3 intense sets of close stance once a week (8 sets total for a reload). Do 3 wide and 2 close for deload. Keep reps at around 8-12 reps per set! Do 2 warm up sets on squats (after high rep leg ext) before doing intense work sets!

4) For hams during reload try 4 sets of lying leg curls and 2 sets of stiff legged deadlifts. For deload try 2 sets of leg curls and 1 set of stiff legs.

5) 2 high rep sets of leg extensions should be used as a knee warm up before squats!

6) Eat more protein and carbs during reload!

7) Gain some weight!

8) Use APT knee wraps!

NOTE: Tom Platz made his best gains using only the two quad exerices I have suggested. It's what made my legs start gaining again as well-wide stance then close stance squats!!!!!! Now the reason some have done better with higher reps is due to more time under tension. Keep reps under control by controlling negative and no bouncing and you will see results. Drop the ego adn take each work set to good failure!!!!!!!!!

Gain Bodyweight!! I am 6' tall 263# with 15%BF Dont think I need anymore bodyweight!
My form is perfect! I pride myself on having very strict form. and I do go just to paralell but cant go any further because i have 3 herniated discs in my back and bad knees!
I do 1-2 sets of leg extensions usually 35--50 reps with low weight to pump the blood into the quads!
Sorry but I am not gaining any more weight until I do my cycle!
I eat plenty of protein and carbs just as I should
I have a $65.00 pair of wraps because I have really bad knee joints and cant squat without them

[Ronnie Rowland]

What sounds like a cop out? I eat great I have a ton of intensity, my form is perfect i go real heavy ...what is it that I am using as a cop out/ The fact I said i have bad genetics? Do you not thi nk it is possible for someone to have decent genetics but the legs just have a horrible time growing? I do ot think that is a cop out!

Of course some people have inferior leg genetics. Give what I suggested a try and let us know how well it worked. I think you'll be happy.

[Ronnie Rowland]

gain bodyweight!! I am 6' tall 263# with 15%bf dont think i need anymore bodyweight! okay
my form is perfect! I pride myself on having very strict form. And i do go just to paralell but cant go any further because i have 3 herniated discs in my back and bad knees! do you have access to a hammer strength squat machine?
i do 1-2 sets of leg extensions usually 35--50 reps with low weight to pump the blood into the quads! okay
sorry but i am not gaining any more weight until i do my cycle! agreed
i eat plenty of protein and carbs just as i should
i have a $65.00 pair of wraps because i have really bad knee joints and cant squat without them i feel the back trouble is holding you back!

above in bold..

[ranging1]

jesus christ i dont know how u people grow doing this many sets
this is my current leg routine and works great for me and hasnt failed, never needed steroids for them either
2 sets squat machine 195kgx8 reps, 185kgx 10 reps
2 sets 45 degree leg press 460kg 10 reps, 420 kg as many as possible
2 sets leg curls (drop sets) 96kg 12 reps then drop set it, 88 kg15 reps drop set it
2 set calf raises using 45 degree leg press 260kg 15 reps, 270 kg 12 reps

thats it

i do stff leg deadlifts or normal deadlifts on my back day, i do 2-3 sets
usually as following
180kg 12 reps
200kg 8 reps
if i do a third set (rare) ill do 6 reps of asmuch as possible
also i dont place the weight back on the ground until the set is over
i know alot of people who touch the ground wen the stiff leg deadlift or just normal deadlift, i dont and never have, found it works better that way

i know my routines low in volume, but its worked for me up unitl now and i dont think ive ever changed my routine for my legs, it stays same volume all i do is switch exercises minorly
eg instead of leg curls ill do single leg curls
or instead of machine squat ill do squat

hope this helps

by the way ive only been training my legs for past year n half, never use to train them, started just coz i needed a workout day to fill in some space of my week
i train legs once every 5 days, 6 if i feel they still havent recovered

[ranging1]

sorry also i noticed u have knee problems
dont know if u do this but alot of people lock their knees wen they do leg exercises which leads to knee damage
wen u train ur legs u should never fully lock ur knees, u should stop short of locking ur knees
good luck mate

[ninesecz]

I do not have access to a HS leg machine! The gym i am using right now is kind of WIND UP!! I will try the methods you suggested! and the back issue is definately hurting me! I am a lot stronger and could probably squat 500# for 1 easily right now if I did not feel like my back is going to explode! It is a real Bummer. I can only do 2 medium weight sets of Deadlifts because it hurts so bad it is almost no worth it! I will try the lower sets and see what happens.. thanks guys

[InsaneInTheMembrane]

What sounds like a cop out? I eat great I have a ton of intensity, my form is perfect i go real heavy ...what is it that I am using as a cop out/ The fact I said i have bad genetics? Do you not thi nk it is possible for someone to have decent genetics but the legs just have a horrible time growing? I do ot think that is a cop out!

everybody will always have some muscle group that responds better to some workout strategies than others - until you have tried ABSOLUTELY everything, anything chalked up to bad genetics is a cop out IMO

looking at your leg workout already screams OVERTRAINING

I used to have shitty delts for a long time; I started going low reps- super heavy and boom; they grew - they're the best bodypart now

I thought my legz were cr@p; I took my friends advice; went lighter and super deep on everything and split the ham/quad days .... boom, my legs have grown nicely so far

dont mean to come off as an ass bro; but until you give every method of training a go (like so many these boyz have suggested) and see how your body responds, you shouldnt pull the genetics cards - not for us but for yourself...dont give up so easily on yourself

cheers

[Ronnie Rowland]

I do not have access to a HS leg machine! The gym i am using right now is kind of WIND UP!! I will try the methods you suggested! and the back issue is definately hurting me! I am a lot stronger and could probably squat 500# for 1 easily right now if I did not feel like my back is going to explode! It is a real Bummer. I can only do 2 medium weight sets of Deadlifts because it hurts so bad it is almost no worth it! I will try the lower sets and see what happens.. thanks guys

Forget the dead-lifts. They may cripple you! You don't need them!

A smith machine is better than free weight squats in your situation.

[Ronnie Rowland]

everybody will always have some muscle group that responds better to some workout strategies than others - until you have tried ABSOLUTELY everything, anything chalked up to bad genetics is a cop out IMO

looking at your leg workout already screams OVERTRAINING

I used to have shitty delts for a long time; I started going low reps- super heavy and boom; they grew - they're the best bodypart now

I thought my legz were cr@p; I took my friends advice; went lighter and super deep on everything and split the ham/quad days .... boom, my legs have grown nicely so far

dont mean to come off as an ass bro; but until you give every method of training a go (like so many these boyz have suggested) and see how your body responds, you shouldnt pull the genetics cards - not for us but for yourself...dont give up so easily on yourself

cheers

Good points!