Grow quads, grow!

Dfresh2787 · 08-31-2007, 12:33 PM

So yeah I'm having a tough time getting my quads to grow.. I've even changed my legs workout to predominantly quads, with maybe 2 hamstring movements thrown in. This helped a little, but still, hard to come by. Here's what my legs workout looks like right now, done twice every 7-8 days:

Squats- 5x15,12,10,10,8
Lunges- 3x6-10
Leg Press/Hack Squat- 4x12,12,10,8-10
Leg Extensions- 3x10-12
Leg Curls- 3x15,12,10
Calf raises- 4x15,12,12,10
Seated Calf Raises- Quadruple drop set

Also, I've narrowed my stance on squats in hopes that it will put more focus on my quads, but i have to use less weight

I've experimented a little w/front squats but having trouble supporting the bar..

Any suggestions to inflate my wheels?

olinerules87 · 08-31-2007, 12:46 PM

try something completely different liketraining them 4 tiems a week (yes 4). you will have to lower your intensity and volume but it could be just what you need

day 1: front squats 8x3 (put straps around the bar and grip it, this will help)

day 2 lunges (shorter steps will work quads more)

day 3 overhead squats

day 4 leg press

no leg extensions, they aren't gonna build huge legs

tacoop · 08-31-2007, 01:37 PM

Try doing high reps squats. Start doing 15-25 reps for the squat and see if that doens't help your legs.

www.best-bodybuilding-routine.com

Dave76 · 08-31-2007, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olinerules87

day 1: front squats 8x3 (put straps around the bar and grip it, this will help)

Straps? Please explain.

BOLT. · 08-31-2007, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tacoop

Try doing high reps squats. Start doing 15-25 reps for the squat and see if that doens't help your legs.

www.best-bodybuilding-routine.com

Quit spamming **** face.

No one go to his ****ing site it sucks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

Squats- 5x15,12,10,10,8
Lunges- 3x6-10
Leg Press/Hack Squat- 4x12,12,10,8-10
Leg Extensions- 3x10-12
Leg Curls- 3x15,12,10
Calf raises- 4x15,12,12,10
Seated Calf Raises- Quadruple drop set

If you asked me it's way to much ****. I would do squat, lunges OR leg press, leg curls, one of the calf raises.

I think you'd be much happier with the results on this one because it's much less work for the quads and everything else to give it a chance to recieve the stimulus and grow. Just get stronger on a few of those good exercises and that will make your quads grow as they are primary movers.

Dfresh2787 · 08-31-2007, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olinerules87

try something completely different liketraining them 4 tiems a week (yes 4). you will have to lower your intensity and volume but it could be just what you need

day 1: front squats 8x3 (put straps around the bar and grip it, this will help)

day 2 lunges (shorter steps will work quads more)

day 3 overhead squats

day 4 leg press

no leg extensions, they aren't gonna build huge legs

Interesting idea.. definitely different. Just do quads before my regular workout for the day?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BOLT.

If you asked me it's way to much ****. I would do squat, lunges OR leg press, leg curls, one of the calf raises.

I think you'd be much happier with the results on this one because it's much less work for the quads and everything else to give it a chance to recieve the stimulus and grow. Just get stronger on a few of those good exercises and that will make your quads grow as they are primary movers.

Yeah, sometimes less is more. Now i'm debating between the 2 suggestions...

TexAss · 08-31-2007, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave76

Straps? Please explain.

:::JMANN::: · 08-31-2007, 02:47 PM

personally for me less is more. i never really got the results i was looking for when i did a 1x week leg day with high volume. and on top of that my jobs requires me to stand on and use them all day long, so high volume recovery would suck for me too. i stick to the basics, hitting legs 2x week, alternating squats and deads, and having a total of 4-5 lifts each day, including calves.

Dfresh2787 · 08-31-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by :::JMANN:::

personally for me less is more. i never really got the results i was looking for when i did a 1x week leg day with high volume. and on top of that my jobs requires me to stand on and use them all day long, so high volume recovery would suck for me too. i stick to the basics, hitting legs 2x week, alternating squats and deads, and having a total of 4-5 lifts each day, including calves.

How many sets of each lift? 4?

:::JMANN::: · 08-31-2007, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

How many sets of each lift? 4?

no, 3. I also had good results doing the first two sets of squats heavy and then doing the third as a drop set.

StrengthMaker · 08-31-2007, 02:59 PM

deads as much as I can 4 sets pyramid from 10-2
I do heavy sqts pyramiding from 10-2 or 3 for four sets
Led press same scheme
leg curl
leg ext
then smith calf raises for my honkin legs

Dfresh2787 · 08-31-2007, 03:03 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys.. much appreciated. I'm very interested in what everyone has to say so keep it comin

TheGame240 · 08-31-2007, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

So yeah I'm having a tough time getting my quads to grow.. I've even changed my legs workout to predominantly quads, with maybe 2 hamstring movements thrown in. This helped a little, but still, hard to come by. Here's what my legs workout looks like right now, done twice every 7-8 days:

Squats- 5x15,12,10,10,8
Lunges- 3x6-10
Leg Press/Hack Squat- 4x12,12,10,8-10
Leg Extensions- 3x10-12
Leg Curls- 3x15,12,10
Calf raises- 4x15,12,12,10
Seated Calf Raises- Quadruple drop set

Also, I've narrowed my stance on squats in hopes that it will put more focus on my quads, but i have to use less weight

A wider stance will put more focus on your quads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

I've experimented a little w/front squats but having trouble supporting the bar..

Any suggestions to inflate my wheels?

What kind of weight are we talking about here? Are you doing deads somewhere else in your split? How's your diet (enough of a surplus)? Fortunately for me, I've never had any problems with my legs growing.

But here's what I would try for a while. Lower the reps on your squats and up the weight. Something like 5x5, 4x6 or if you like to pyramid it then 9x7x5x3x1. That will accomplish two things. First you'll be able to move more weight. Second, you won't be as wiped on your isolation exercises (leg press, etc) and should be able to move more weight there.

Also, I don't know if that's the order you use or if you just listed the exercises, but I would change that up a bit. Something like Squats, Leg Curls, Lunges, Calf Raises, Leg Press, Seated Calf Raises, Leg Extensions.

I've always been of the mindset of tweak before you rebuild. So I would give some of those things a try for a month or two and see if you can get any results, especially if the rest of your routine is working for you. If you can't get any results on your current split. You may need to add another leg day.

Dave76 · 08-31-2007, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mozelstein

Thanks, Moz. That's kinda what I had in mind.

I also had some horrible thoughts of some n00b misunderstanding and doing squats with straps around his wrists and the bar. Not a pretty picture.

olinerules87 · 08-31-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

Interesting idea.. definitely different. Just do quads before my regular workout for the day?

Yeah, sometimes less is more. Now i'm debating between the 2 suggestions...

yes. use different set/rep schemes each day 8x3, 2x25, 3x10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mozelstein

thats how you do it. thankx for puttin that vid up

BOLT. · 08-31-2007, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

Thanks for all the advice guys.. much appreciated. I'm very interested in what everyone has to say so keep it comin

Just take some of the less important exercises out and focus on the more important ones and your quads will grow!

Dfresh2787 · 08-31-2007, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGame240

A wider stance will put more focus on your quads.

What kind of weight are we talking about here? Are you doing deads somewhere else in your split? How's your diet (enough of a surplus)? Fortunately for me, I've never had any problems with my legs growing.

But here's what I would try for a while. Lower the reps on your squats and up the weight. Something like 5x5, 4x6 or if you like to pyramid it then 9x7x5x3x1. That will accomplish two things. First you'll be able to move more weight. Second, you won't be as wiped on your isolation exercises (leg press, etc) and should be able to move more weight there.

Also, I don't know if that's the order you use or if you just listed the exercises, but I would change that up a bit. Something like Squats, Leg Curls, Lunges, Calf Raises, Leg Press, Seated Calf Raises, Leg Extensions.

I've always been of the mindset of tweak before you rebuild. So I would give some of those things a try for a month or two and see if you can get any results, especially if the rest of your routine is working for you. If you can't get any results on your current split. You may need to add another leg day.

My weight on front squats was like 95lbs.. legs felt basically unworked but holding it killed my freakin shoulders. I normally squat up to 245 for 4-5 reps

Diet is in check.. definitely @ a surplus and increasing each week (until i start showing fat).

I do my deads w/back

I see what you're doing here w/the order of the exercises and its something I have thought about, but not tried. Normally I kill one muscle group, move to the next. Here, you are rotating them, giving one muscle group rest while working a different one. Is this advantageous as opposed to what I'm doing? My reasoning behind my method is keeping the blood flow in one area and then rushing it to the next.

TheGame240 · 08-31-2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dfresh2787

My weight on front squats was like 95lbs.. legs felt basically unworked but holding it killed my freakin shoulders. I normally squat up to 245 for 4-5 reps

Diet is in check.. definitely @ a surplus and increasing each week (until i start showing fat).

I do my deads w/back

I see what you're doing here w/the order of the exercises and its something I have thought about, but not tried. Normally I kill one muscle group, move to the next. Here, you are rotating them, giving one muscle group rest while working a different one. Is this advantageous as opposed to what I'm doing? My reasoning behind my method is keeping the blood flow in one area and then rushing it to the next.

Alternating the muscles worked will help you move a little more weight because of the added rest. Not a lot, but it adds up. Even if it's only 10lb per exercise, with 3 sets of 10 you've upped your total load by 300lbs (100lbs per set) and that's just for one exercise. The little things can make a big difference when you take a step back and really look at them.