Legs lacking

Cheapshot

Cheapshot

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I need to bring my legs up. Im looking for ideas on stuff to try. Im kinda limited on what I can do with my bad knee. I cant go too heavy. Hack squats and leg extensions seem to affect my knee. Heres all I do now
-Hamstring curl 8,10,12
bodyweight squats 25, 20
Leg press 3x20
 
Hi - I am in the same boat with a bad right knee - partially torn meniscus. After physio - I started with body weight exercises - just deep squats and lots of them. 2 warm up mini sets of 50, 4 sets of 50 reps body weight to parallel. Now I am adding in 20 and 40 lbs - holding dumbells while I do them. Doesn't sound like much but they are toast when I'm done and I train them EOD since I am unable to push with anything more than my body weight. Now, that I will start adding some weight, I will train less depending how I feel.
I do bridges with a 50 lb dumbell on my stomach and a modified exercise - 4 sets of 30-50. I can't recall the name of it but powerlifters do it for bad backs. I lie on a high flat bench with my legs over the end. I will have to look up the name of the exercise. I drop my legs down as far as they go and then back up and contract - works your glutes and hams more than anything else.
My legs have never grown like this before - my pants are getting tight around my quads and butt.

I doubt I will ever squat heavy again - apparently my legs like volume. I don't train my calves right now as I am finally 100% over a 2 year achilles tendon strain in both.
Might not work for you but high volume squats are new to me and I get a decent cardio workout as I don't take long breaks.
 
Banded leg press & banded stiff legged DL are pretty great exercises. Also lunges, reverse lunges.

The "girly" machines are pretty useful too.
 
Figure out what you can do and works well and do a lot of them. Some of these machines actually work really good. Maybe hit legs a few times a week if you cant go heavy
 
I find my legs are growing more by cutting the heavy weight and squats.
Light weight can still feel heavy. Slow negatives and pause/squeeze. I went from sets of 6-8 to 20-30 and making a huge difference. And my knees and back feel better
 
Legs week 1
DB Walking Lunges- 3 sets of 15 steps per leg

Lying Leg Curls- Pyramiding up in weight with each set I want 6 sets of 8 reps each with a 4 count negative... Only the final set is to be to failure at or around 8 (don't stop until fail on the 6th set) Once you fail drop 3 plates and go to fail again... drop 3 plates go to fail again... drop 2 plates and do 20-25 partials from full stretch to about 6" above the full stretch... very small ROM

Extensions- After warming up I want 1 RP set of 25-30... each rep with a 2 count pause at contraction and a 4 count negative.

Smith Squats- 4 sets of 8-10 reps pyramid up in weight with every set... only last set to fail... once you fail drop enough weight that you can get 8 again after a 30 sec rest... then drop again so that you can get at least another 8 reps after a second 30 seconds rest.

RDL- 3 sets of 12-15 reps... final set needs to be absolutely brutal

Bulgarian Split Squats- 3 sets of 12-15 reps... 3 count negative... 2 count pause at the stretch and contraction... at the top do not go to lockout... only about 3/4 of the way up. The final set will be a double drop set.

Legs Week 2
Leg Press- 3 sets of 15-20 each with a 4 count negative

Lying Leg Curls- after warming up I want 1 RP set of 18-20... once you have failed on your final attempt of the RP I want you to take 10 deep breathes and then give ma static hold about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom... hold for as long as possible but shoot for no less that 3- seconds

Extensions- Jose Raymon Style... after warming up you will do two sets as follows- 10 reps from the top of the movement to halfway down... then 10 reps from the bottom of the movement to halfway up... then 10 full reps with a 4 count negative

Hack Squat 1.5's... after warming up I want 3 sets of 12-15 reps progressively going heavier with only the final set being to absolute failure... each rep done as follows: From the top to all the way down, then halfway up, all the way down, all the way up.... that is one rep

DB Stiff Deads- 3 sets of 12-15

High Rep Deads- 3 sets of 20 reps... these are done like traditional deadlifts BUT you do not go all the way up... it is from the ground to just the point where the ham gets fully extended and the weight is about to shift into the lower back then back down.


Legs Week 3
Seated Leg Curls- 3 working sets of 12-15 each with a one count pause at contraction

RDL's- 3 working sets here after warming up... set one is 8-10 reps... set 2 is 12-15... Set 3 is 18-20... obviously dropping the weight with each working set reps going up

Squats- After warming up I want three working sets... set 1 8-12 reps... set 2 is 12-15 reps... set 3 is 20 reps NONSTOP!!!

Smith Front Squats- 3 sets of 10-12... 4 county negative

Extensions- one all out set.... Start with a weight you can get for 25 reps or more... go to fail... drop the weight and go to fail again... continue dropping the weight until you get 75 reps.


Rinse and repeat.

Heavy is relative no need for excessive weight
 
Cheapshot said:
Do you mean a reverse hyper machine?
Click to expand...
Goldenrod said:
Yes - reverse hyperextensions. Forgot the terminology lol.
Click to expand...

Goldenrod your description sounded more like "hip thrusts" to me (?) "bridges with a 50 lb dumbell on my stomach " Both good but different, Rev hypers are the ones Westside promotes (Louie invented?) for decompressing lower back, I don't feel any of that with hip thrusts but the make deadlift lockout feel better.

Rev Hyper:
r hyper.jpg

Hip thrust (barbell):
thrusts.jpg

@Cheapshot - As the others have pretty much said "More Volume" I really like what Zues laid out, do all of those that you can. Some more focus on hammies is usually a good idea with bad knees and for just about everyone IMO actually. Isometrics too...
 
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all great answers, im gonna try a few things and ad more work sets, maybe go twice a week if i can recover
 
Cheapshot said:
all great answers, im gonna try a few things and ad more work sets, maybe go twice a week if i can recover
Click to expand...
Check out any of Meadow's programs for that matter. He has a leg training program.

He programs everything very intelligently so you don't get hurt and can hit them x3 per week.
 
gondar1 said:
Goldenrod your description sounded more like "hip thrusts" to me (?) "bridges with a 50 lb dumbell on my stomach " Both good but different, Rev hypers are the ones Westside promotes (Louie invented?) for decompressing lower back, I don't feel any of that with hip thrusts but the make deadlift lockout feel better.

Rev Hyper:
View attachment 3003
The hip thrusts is what I call bridges and I know it isn’t a main BB lift or mass gainer but for a guy with a bad knee, it allows me to work my gluteus and hamstrings and gain a little poking power for the Mrs. Goldenrod.
Hip thrust (barbell):
View attachment 3004

@Cheapshot - As the others have pretty much said "More Volume" I really like what Zues laid out, do all of those that you can. Some more focus on hammies is usually a good idea with bad knees and for just about everyone IMO actually. Isometrics too...
Click to expand...
 
If you have never used a reverse hyper,it will decompress your low spine,it feels real good after completing a set.
 
I find hex bar deadlifts a great alternative to squats and get a great pump in quads.

Do tons of calves too...nothing makes legs look bigger than big calves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Oldguyjiujitsu said:
I find hex bar deadlifts a great alternative to squats and get a great pump in quads.

Do tons of calves too...nothing makes legs look bigger than big calves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Yes I love the trap bar, better suited for my long limbs
 
Cheapshot said:
Yes I love the trap bar, better suited for my long limbs
Click to expand...


Me too...I made good improvements in quads this year. Doing mostly leg press, trap bar dead, leg curls and kettlebell bulgarian slit squats. I used less weight, slowed reps way down and did drop sets and rest pause
 
Oldguyjiujitsu said:
Me too...I made good improvements in quads this year. Doing mostly leg press, trap bar dead, leg curls and kettlebell bulgarian slit squats. I used less weight, slowed reps way down and did drop sets and rest pause
Click to expand...
If you hold the kettles at your side What is the diff from DB’s?
 
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