So my upper body is pretty well built, but my legs are definitely not — and it definitely shows.
I've been working my legs regularly with squats for the better part of the summer and fall just to condition them for, hopefully, really hardcore mass-gaining training over the winter/spring—which I want to start within the next few weeks.. My question, however, is this: what should I do with my upper body during this period?
On the one hand, I don't want to build any more mass there until my legs get bigger, as my upper-lower body imbalance is already too noticeable, and that's what I'm trying to fix. At the same time, I don't want to necessarily lose upper body mass either. Maybe the answer is to just focus on toning my upper body while building my lower body??
Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks all!
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12-07-2016, 01:24 PM #1
How to train my relatively built upper body while I'm working to fix my chicken legs?
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12-07-2016, 01:39 PM #2
- Join Date: Jan 2007
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I would never recommend avoiding working part of your body because something else needs to catch up. If legs are relatively underdeveloped, they will grow faster anyway. Muscle growth is not linear and you'll regret wasting the time.
Legs respond to lots of volume. Many sets of squats in the 6-15 rep range. Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusters, calf raises, hack squats etc.
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12-07-2016, 03:38 PM #3
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12-07-2016, 04:25 PM #4
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Train your upper body the way you have been, unless that stops working well, in which case, figure out why it isn't working as well and make the necessary adjustments.
What have you been doing, squat wise?
Why the wait to do "mass-gaining training"?
I can think of no valid reason to avoid adding muscle to your upper body due to lack of lower body/leg progress.
You can't really focus on "toning your upper body". Tone = more muscle and less fat. If you are trying to build muscle mass on your legs, you should be trying to build muscle mass on your upper body then, too.
Squat. Multiple times every week.
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12-07-2016, 05:44 PM #5
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12-08-2016, 05:49 AM #6
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12-08-2016, 09:07 AM #7
- Join Date: Feb 2015
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I'm not an expert but if I were it would be in the squat(I squat 3-4 times a week) and I can tell you squatting 2-4 times a week with heavy sets of 8 will produce great size and strength. As well as help develop your upper, middle, and lower back. Just make sure you focus on technique to stay as safe as possible and squat deep! I now have thighs and an ass so big I have to go up a waist size so I don't have to jump to get my pants on...
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12-10-2016, 11:09 AM #8
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I agree upon the above.
I'd recommend low to moderate volume for the upper body and high volume and frequency for the lower body. This allows for at least maintenance (but probably progress) for the upper body and guaranteed progress in the lower body, granted that you use load and volume that you can succesfully recover from.
edit: I noticed someone mentioned not changing the way you train upper body, but I think you have to keep in mind that:
-If you want to optimize hypertrophy in the lower body you will have to increase the volume, where more volume (as long as you can succesfully recover from it) will work better;
-You can't train every muscle group with high volume (at the same time), this will be too much: fatigue will come unmanagable.Last edited by Kneebola; 12-10-2016 at 11:28 AM.
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