Does Leg Workouts Hinder Athletic Performance?

[VVSKing]

I generally do lower body workout twice a week, Squats, Deadlifts, extensions, Leg curls, calf raises, etc....My legs are always tight....I stretch generally 10-15 mins a few times a week after a workout, and I always do Dynamic Stretching for about 10mins prior to playing basketball, but my legs always feel stiff and tight. It's a rare occasion where they are loose and it ALWAYS positively affects my game when they loose...So my question is does working your lower body (legs) negatively affect your game and if so, what can you do to counteract that?

[daveshit]

Originally Posted by VVSKing

I generally do lower body workout twice a week, Squats, Deadlifts, extensions, Leg curls, calf raises, etc....My legs are always tight....I stretch generally 10-15 mins a few times a week after a workout, and I always do Dynamic Stretching for about 10mins prior to playing basketball, but my legs always feel stiff and tight. It's a rare occasion where they are loose and it ALWAYS positively affects my game when they loose...So my question is does working your lower body (legs) negatively affect your game and if so, what can you do to counteract that?

I think you are overtrained, try with less frequency, try few weeks hitting legs once a week and see what happens. Or try to do it twice, but lower the volume.
It's neccessary to experiment a little bit to see what works for you the best.

[-iLift-]

Originally Posted by dave****

I think you are overtrained, try with less frequency, try few weeks hitting legs once a week and see what happens. Or try to do it twice, but lower the volume.
It's neccessary to experiment a little bit to see what works for you the best.

Yea, I agree. Depending on how often you play basketball, it's possible that you're legs are given enough time to recover from your weight training. There's a reason why DeFranco only has his athletes do any heavy weight training on their lower bodies once a week.

[rugby-04]

I had a problem just like that, except instead of basketball it was playing rugby. What saved me was doing this quick 15 minute routine I found on the internet.

I cant post links but search for "joe defranco agile 8"

It made a huge difference with how loose my legs were

[xxtwistedxx]

sleep. eat. drink.

drink water that is. otherwise its been said probably overtraining and not enough rest. diet might be low or not enough nutrient intake. also sleep is a big factor. try to get another hour or two each night.

[DudeDan]

Stretch your legs a bit more throughout the week and see if you feel any different. I also hear magnesium supplements are used by athletes to eliminate cramping so if you are training a lot according to my chiropracter so you could look for some more info on those if you're getting to tightness in that stage.

[jgood]

Originally Posted by -iLift-

Yea, I agree. Depending on how often you play basketball, it's possible that you're legs are given enough time to recover from your weight training. There's a reason why DeFranco only has his athletes do any heavy weight training on their lower bodies once a week.

Yeah but not just because of off season needing enough time ... athletes on training for sports multiple times per week so he puts it to one lowerbody per week. Then during the off-season the dynamic day is put in there where they can also control training completely.

[Immichaelski]

Well dude I train my legs a lot too, but if I ahve a basketball game or a hike coming up Im not dumb enough to squat 400 lbs the day before it. Its kind of common sense!

[VVSKing]

Originally Posted by Immichaelski

Well dude I train my legs a lot too, but if I ahve a basketball game or a hike coming up Im not dumb enough to squat 400 lbs the day before it. Its kind of common sense!

I don't play basketball the day after I do a leg workout, usually 2-3 days after...