New Training Split for more Mass in Legs

[ScottyDoc]

I am trying a new workout in order to put more emphasis on my legs. I do not consider my legs a lagging body part. My legs are fairly symmetrical and well shaped, but being 6’2” with long appendages, I would like to attempt to fight my genetics and grow them to to be slightly disproportionately larger than my upper body. I am aiming for the typical running back appearance... bodybuilder caliber legs and slightly smaller, but well built upper body. In my attempt to accomplish this goal, I have split my workout differently and added an additional day to my week. Below is my training split labeled New & Old training split. It is not worth going into detail as to what I do for my body parts, as that changes week to week, sometimes day to day. So besides my legs, I do a lot of sets, with high reps (15-20), with medium to light weight, and I usually perform 1 drop/burn-out set to failure per body part.

New Training Split:

Monday: Shoulders, Traps, & Calves
Tuesday: Heavy Legs
Wednesday: Back & Calves
Thursday: Chest & Abs
Friday: Biceps, Hamstrings, & Calves
Saturday: Triceps, Quadriceps, & Abs
Sunday: REST

Old Training Split:

Monday: Shoulders, Traps, & Calves
Tuesday: Legs & Abs
Wednesday: Back & Calves
Thursday: Chest & Abs
Friday: Biceps, Triceps, & Calves
Saturday: REST
Sunday: REST

As you can see, I have not changed my workout very drastically at all. I did this so I could dedicate an entire workout to very heavy compound leg movements. Then, later in the week, do some higher reps / lighter weight, shaping exercises to specifically burn my quads & hams. If anyone out there has any suggestions, or additional information, that would be great. As of now, I have just started and this is my first week at the new split. I know it doesn’t happen overnight, but I am hoping to notice a little bit of a difference in about 3 mos.

[The.Student]

To tell you the truth, I would make sure to incorporate full-range-of-motion squats to each and every leg day (perferrably your 1st exercise, when you're at your strongest). Squats like this make your legs grow hands down, after that you can choose any other exercises you find best to completely exhaust them.

It may be a bit hard at first because of your height, but with practice and proper form squats will do a mighty number on your quads and all around leg thickness.

[ScottyDoc]

Student,

You are so right, and believe me in my younger days I did them like crazy. Unfortunately, due to an injury of one of my hip flexors (Iliotibial band) in my left leg, I can no longer do squats, something to do with the stabilization of it, squat machines and leg presses are ok, even hack squats are ok (if my gym had a hack squat machine), so those are the exercises I try to start with and go as heavy as possible with. Thank you for the advice, it is very good advice, unfortunately I cannot follow, Thanks!

[RED26]

In my opinion...
If you want bigger legs doing more training it's not the solution.

It's kind of hard for me to explain this without entering in training style preferences, since I'm a die hard HIT advocate... But I'll put this with a very simple example, and one that I think we ALL can relate to...

Almost everyone wanted bigger biceps, or bigger arms overall when we started bodybuilding, and what we did? We add more sets, or more volume overall, or more arm days... Did we grew our arms significantly? Maybe at first, but then it came the point of diminishing returns...

Instead of doing arms or bi's everyday we did them only one day a week and VOILA! surprise, doing less = getting more.

In order to continue making progress in terms of leg development and size increases, I think you should revalue your training intensity, recovery, and of course, last but not least, nutrition.

Think about what I said, and then let me know your thoughts.

-Red

[The.Student]

Student,

You are so right, and believe me in my younger days I did them like crazy. Unfortunately, due to an injury of one of my hip flexors (Iliotibial band) in my left leg, I can no longer do squats, something to do with the stabilization of it, squat machines and leg presses are ok, even hack squats are ok (if my gym had a hack squat machine), so those are the exercises I try to start with and go as heavy as possible with. Thank you for the advice, it is very good advice, unfortunately I cannot follow, Thanks!

I'm guessing smith-machine squats are out too then?

I did read somewhere that Dorian Yates never did any squats and he had and probably still has some pretty insane wheels going on. You may want to research his leg training and take what you can from one of the greats. Like I said his legs were not lacking in any way, so you might find some answers/knowledge there.

[...aydn...]

hey bro.. i think your new split will dangerously lead to overtraining your legs hindering growth.
i think train them the same as you had them but switch up the volume or intensity on that day.
or do bodyweight squats for 100 reps for time. arse to grass. takes me about 7 min. legs seems to grow well from the high intensity.

[RED26]

I did read somewhere that Dorian Yates never did any squats and he had and probably still has some pretty insane wheels going on. You may want to research his leg training and take what you can from one of the greats. Like I said his legs were not lacking in any way, so you might find some answers/knowledge there.

He did squat in his early years of training, then he switched to hack squats because he realized hack squats ISOLATE more the quads, instead of squats, when you work a lot of muscles more, lower back, hamstrings, glutes and the body overall... And it starts to get very dangerous as you start to add seriuss weight to the bar.

He also did his hack squats last in his workout, not first, thereby working the quads more effectively.

hey bro.. i think your new split will dangerously lead to overtraining your legs hindering growth.

If I would omitted all that I wrote and put my thoughts in one phrase it would be the one above.

-Red

[ScottyDoc]

OK, Thanks guys! I will definitely take that into consideration! I have a friend who is a personal trainer at my gym and an ex-pro bodybuilder, next time I see him and can corner him, I will definitely ask him what he personally suggests with the fact that I cannot do free weight squats!

Let me just for a second though, reiterate what I am doing as in an example week.
Tuesday: I do warm-up with 3 sets of both abductors & adductors, for about 30 reps a piece, no break. Then I go to the leg press machine, 2 plates on each side for 25 reps, then 4 plates on each side for 25 reps, then 6 plates on each side for 20 reps, then 8 plates on each side for 15 reps, then 10 plates on each side for 12 reps, then my true working sets are 11, 12, & 13 plates on each side for 10 reps each set. After that is complete I go back down from 13 plates to 10 plates for 10 reps, then down to 6 plates for 20 & I'm done for the day. 72hrs later I do 6 sets of hamstrings on the same day as biceps, light weight for like 20 reps per set, but burning, not just easy. The next day, I do the same thing with quads, 6 sets light weight, 20 reps, but burning, not easy with my triceps, then 72hrs later, it is heavy leg day (tuesday) again. Do you still think that is over training?

[ScottyDoc]

I don't do leg press every week, the following week, I might do something very similar, but with hack squats on my heavy day as my main exercise!