Rules of Leg Training

[chris.sakellariou]

some interesting info i came across on the net. feel free to add more to this.



Avoid an excessive range of movement when leg pressing. Never descend to a point where your low back starts to round. Discover your lowest safe position, and never descend below that point. To minimize stress on your knees, avoid forcefully locking out on each rep. Stop each rep about an inch short of lockout.

Position your feet high on the leg-press foot platform so you can push primarily through your heels. Pushing through your heels minimized the stress on your knees. Use a shoulder-width stance with your feet flared like they should be for the squat - at about the five-minutes-to-one position of the hands of a clock, or a little more flared.

Use a maximum of eight exercise per workout; just six are better for many monelite bodybuilders. Cut back your training and give yourself a chance to grow.

In a strength-building phase, do 6-8 reps for most body parts. Thighs and hamstrings may benefit from both medium and high reps. Find what rep range works best for you for each exercise.

Avoid extremes in foot positioning when doing calf raises - they can lead to exaggerated stress on ligaments and tendons, and thus injuries.

Only gifted easy gainers can build mass and refine muscle at the same time. Most of us need to first spend a few years building the required mass.

Don't skimp on warm-up work. A warm muscle is much less likely to get injured that a cold muscle. This rule applies for every muscle exercise. Begin each workout with a general warm-up activity until you break a sweat, then do specific warm-up sets before your work sets for each exercise.

Elevating your heels on plates or a board while squatting is a bad ideal because it excessive forward lean. In addition, look forward or slightly upward while you squat - never down. This also helps to minimize forward lean. Don't permit your knees to come in on the ascent of the squat. The main flaws responsible for harmful buckling of the legs are failing to flare your feet and positioning your heels too close together.

Many trainers don't flare their feet enough in squats. This promotes excessive forward lean, along with inward travel of the knees. Placing your feet as if they're hands on a clock set at five minutes to one, or a little wider, hip-width apart works well for most people. Also elevating your heels on plates or a board while squatting is a bad ideal and can cause lower back and possibly knees injuries.

The deadlift is another one of the most productive exercises for building mass. Master the technique of the deadlift - conventional style or sumo - and then build up the weight to something really challenging. Remember to wrap those knees.

Don't bend your elbows when deadlifting. Consider your arms as hooks attaching your shoulders to the bar. When rising up, push through your heels, not the balls of your feet. Squeeze the bar off the floor - don't snatch at it - and keep your back flat or slightly arched. Remember to protect the lower back by wearing a belt.

When doing stiff-legged deadlifts, keep your back flat. To avoid rounding your back, avoid using an excessive range of motion. Don’t go any deeper than the point at which your back is parallel to the floor.

Only at the top of the stiff-legged deadlift should your legs be straight; keep your knees slightly unlocked at all other times.

[chris.sakellariou]

bump.

[Remy Zero]

i'd like to add more :

1) avoid all leg or cardio exercises involving the legs 24 hrs prior to leg day.

2) play safe and use belts when doing heavy squats.

3) use knee supports.

[wanabeebig]

I lol'd ^

[chris.sakellariou]

the squat rack is for squats and squats ONLY. shoulder shrugs, bicep curls, rows need not be performed in this area.

[raysmith]

Originally Posted by Remy Zero

i'd like to add more :

1) avoid all leg or cardio exercises involving the legs 24 hrs prior to leg day.

2) play safe and use belts when doing heavy squats.

3) use knee supports.

I 100% agree, especially with number 1. Good post.

[uttaresh]

You can use it for shoulder press too; some people can't lift the weight up even though they can press it.

[MySpace Gangsta]

For the most part, I agree with this list

The 1 statement I didn't agree with was "In a strength-building phase, do 6-8 reps for most body parts. Thighs and hamstrings may benefit from both medium and high reps. Find what rep range works best for you for each exercise."--------Strength is gained through a rep range of 1-6 reps. Hammies are explosive muscles, so they'll benefit more from low reps, quads are stabalizers, so use a higher rep range than hams for them.

[unlucky13]

Originally Posted by chris.sakellariou

Position your feet high on the leg-press foot platform so you can push primarily through your heels. Pushing through your heels minimized the stress on your knees. Use a shoulder-width stance with your feet flared like they should be for the squat - at about the five-minutes-to-one position of the hands of a clock, or a little more flared.

i agree with all the rest you said...but there is no set place for your feet on the leg press...dont get me wrong i dont disagree about the fact that its bad to lift your heels off the plate...

different feet positions will work different muscles:

feet high on the plate:
strong use of the gluteal muscles and hamstrings

feet low on the plate:
strong use of the quadriceps

feet spaced well apart:
strong use of the adductors

feet very close together:
strong use of the quadriceps

[Sam C]

Originally Posted by Remy Zero

i'd like to add more :

1) avoid all leg or cardio exercises involving the legs 24 hrs prior to leg day.

2) play safe and use belts when doing heavy squats.

3) use knee supports.

huh, I guess 1 doesn't apply to me. My legs don't feel nearly as stiff, or tight, if I do something with them the day before I train them (run 4 miles). I think they feel a little looser and less sore in fact.

[bucsfan]

what does everyone think about the not going all the way down on leg press?

[Sam C]

I would treat it the same way you would a squat, since it is essentially the same excersize. So no.

[Galactus]

I disagree with the not using your legs 24 hours prior. During HS I ran hurdles and sqatted 1 or 2 times a week. So I was always using my legs. During a 3 year span my squat went from 275 to 515. I don't think running held me back any, and maybe even helped. I also helped me stay extremely flexible. Another bad myth is not doing cardio after legs. The greatest legs ever were on Tom Platz and he would bike 15-30 miles after doing legs to where he could barely walk. He believed the cardio would help push out all the lactic acid and help prevent soreness as well as speed up recovery. Just a thought.

[MillerTime07]

Originally Posted by Sam C

huh, I guess 1 doesn't apply to me. My legs don't feel nearly as stiff, or tight, if I do something with them the day before I train them (run 4 miles). I think they feel a little looser and less sore in fact.

maybe thast why you are only 145 pounds...

[Remy Zero]

Originally Posted by bucsfan

what does everyone think about the not going all the way down on leg press?

not too low...remember to protect ur lower back.