Workout for stronger legs, not bigger

[Endarton]

Hi everyone

my question is about legs. Is it possible to create a workout to mass up all body parts except legs? I ask because my legs have been broken, i got to the gym, i do normal bodybuilding routine for all muscle groups except legs, for legs i've been doing some recovery stuff for muscles and joints - small weight and a lot of reps.

But now i want to have strong legs, for running, basketball and so on. I realize with the increase of strenght muscles will grow, but i don't want them to grow in bodybuilding style.

So is there a possibility to maintain my bodybuilding workout and to create workout for strenght not for mass for legs?

[PharmDraxe]

When you say grow in bodybuilding style are you under the assumption that heavy leg exercises will inevitably lead to having 20''+ legs?

Without going into too much detail, our skeletal muscle can be broken down into two categories. Fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. (slow twitch-Type I fast twich-Type II) The fast twitch group can be separated further into Type IIA and Type IIB. Your genetic expressions will dictate the ratio between the two fiber classes, but there is some studies out there that cite the possibility that exercise can alter muscle fiber composition.

I sadly cannot post links right now because I'm under 50 posts, but here is the title of the journal, "Nature vs. nurture: can exercise really alter fiber type composition in human skeletal muscle?" You can find it online in full text format for free at "Journal of Applied Physiology." or APS journals.

Running would predominately utilize slow twitch fibers assuming its endurance based. Any explosive movements and short burst high intensity would recruit the fast twitch fibers. (Difference between Type-IIA and Type-IIB is that B is exclusively catering towards total anerobic functions as A is more intermediary in its selectivity regarding anerobic/aerobic movemnts)

Now incremental increase to strength can occur from a few different processes. As you exercise you better fine tune the CNS and its effective control on skeletal muscle tissue. I've generally associated the beginner lifter strength gains to CNS adaptation for majority of the net increase. The latter would be your commonly sought after muscular hypertrophy. However you must consider that the hypertrophy that lead to massive legs didn't happen in a few years. Also if you were to train consistently with high repetitions and low workload without too much variation then you would eventually encounter your potential threshold for further anabolism and begin to hang out on the dreaded plateau.


If ANYONE wants to try to say anything about sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy I'm going to poop my pants from amusement.

[Partyrocking]

I don't think so. If you're lifting with your whole body + eating at a surplus, then you'll grow everywhere. Your legs won't get huge overnight (this takes years-if it happens at all), but you can't train for strength with a surplus and expect your legs not to grow.

Your options are to train at maintenance (and not have growth or at the very least very slow growth) or train at a surplus and put muscle everywhere.

[Get-n-fit]

First- have you been cleared by your Dr. to work your legs?

Second- huge legs doesn't happen by accident. It's that same old thing that girls say about not wanting to lift bc they'll get huge. It takes a lot of EXTRAORDINARY work and dieting to get large. If you have been cleared to lift, then go for it.

And don't forget about sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy

lol

[PharmDraxe]

First- have you been cleared by your Dr. to work your legs?

Second- huge legs doesn't happen by accident. It's that same old thing that girls say about not wanting to lift bc they'll get huge. It takes a lot of EXTRAORDINARY work and dieting to get large. If you have been cleared to lift, then go for it.

And don't forget about sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy

lol

I hope that was sarcasm! I'm sure the term "sarcoplasmic hypertrophy" is thrown around here quite a bit. However I can only assume you're smarter than that from the posts you've made. It's a tie betwen fat turns into muscle and claming sarcoplasmic hypertrophy holds any logic when you understand anatomy and physiology.

[NinjaBody]

Minimum sets/reps/exercises.

[Get-n-fit]

I hope that was sarcasm! I'm sure the term "sarcoplasmic hypertrophy" is thrown around here quite a bit. However I can only assume you're smarter than that from the posts you've made. It's a tie betwen fat turns into muscle and claming sarcoplasmic hypertrophy holds any logic when you understand anatomy and physiology.

Yes, it's a joke, I was just taking a jab at you, hence the lol at the end

[Endarton]

Hmmm... I understand. But maybe I will try to put it differently. Is is possible to mix workout in the way you do for example chest like a powerlifter, and shoulders like a bodybuilder? Assuming you can keep up with your diet, having proper rest time and so on - will the results be different in muscle form?

[davisj3537]

Hmmm... I understand. But maybe I will try to put it differently. Is is possible to mix workout in the way you do for example chest like a powerlifter, and shoulders like a bodybuilder? Assuming you can keep up with your diet, having proper rest time and so on - will the results be different in muscle form?

Not really that different. Bodybuilders train low reps and powerlifters train high reps. If you train and eat enough to grow you'll grow everywhere...given you're working all muscles.

There is no real way to keep legs small (unless you don't work them) and put tons of mass on the upper body. You can't pick and choose like that.

[SuperiorWarrior]

Neglecting ANY muscle is a bad thing. Honestly, men need to man up and stop making excuses for squatting. I laugh if I see small legs on a "large" upper body. It looks really feminine. (Honestly, girls won't care ether. If they would not consider marring you because of your legs they are not worth your time.)