For those who have turned their chicken legs into tree trunks (pics)

[CYNDER_BLOCK]

I was thinking about this one day. I thought about all the guys in the gym who never train legs that end up huge on top, and no legs at all. Now, if these guys are always training their upper bodies and never training their legs, wouldn't the opposite effect happen to a guy who train's nothing but legs, but totally neglects his upper body on purpose? I mean, aside from squats suddenly becoming a mainstream trend among females, and the fact that most regular females want that nice ass, hams, quads, and calves without becoming huge up top, is it safe to assume that these chicks are increasing their lower body training frequency a lot, and decreasing the training frequency of their upper bodies?

Naturally, my upper body genetics are great. I grow with ease on top, but not below my waist; however, I did add a lot of weight to my legs while on cycle a few years back, so I know I'm capable of building my legs provided I train them like a beast.

I'm currently 6'3" at 220lbs, and I am borderline at the point where my legs don't match my upper body. I'd like you guys to be the judge of how proportionate I look from the pics. I need brutal honesty here, guys! I know my calves need a shit ton of work....I'm trying.

I'd like to know if any of you guy's who have the same issue I do have just stopped using weight to train upper and train legs as heavy as possible, 3 times as often as you do your upper. What were your results?

 

[TrinityD]

First of all, your quadriceps look pretty much in proportion ...somebody tell me if I'm wrong. Your hamstrings on the other hand...well, I feel like you REALLY need to improve them big time? This is a common "Syndrome" though, hah, so don't feel bad.

Anyways, I don't believe in this kind of stuff at all. I don't think it works in gaining size.... and I don't see much scientific or anecdotal evidence showing otherwise. Maybe somebody can chime in and tell me I'm an idiot.

If you need to bring your legs up, start figuring out which exercises work best for you. Don't just follow what everybody else does, because it doesn't always work. I was squatting 460 and had absolute crap quadriceps, and great glutes. As soon as I dumped the barbell squat and started focusing on hacks, my quads literally added inches in 1/2 a year.

It could be exercise selection,or form,or your volume is too high/too low,or it's genetics,or a combination of all. Don't throw out these possibilities before trying to do something drastic.

I have heard of what you are trying to do work for STRENGTH, but not for size. In fact, I ran smolov a long time ago for squat and it definetly proved to me it works for strength.

What's your current hamstring routine anyways?

 

[CYNDER_BLOCK]

I take what you both said in stride. My issue with high cals is that I'm carb sensitive and really don't like that idea of eating a megaton of food to go up in weight while also gaining water/fat.

There are pros/cons to this approach. With my approach, I'm always more comfortable eating mass amounts of food while on cycle using compounds that keep me lean while going up.

I understand that some will say you'll have to sacrifice your leaness in order to add substantial size, but I hate being fat.

More feedback on how often you guys train legs and what excersices have proved to be the most effective for you in regards to building up small legs.

 

[JeanClaude]

High rep leg press 15/20 reps with medium heavy weight. Squats of course. Walking barbell lunges. And of course deadlifts on a diff day ie. Back day. SL deads on hamstring day

I split up quads and hammies on diff days otherwise my lower back gets super fucked

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[TrinityD]

Leg Extension 2x15
Leg Press 2x12
Hack Squat 2x10
Lying Curl 2x12(use good mmc here)
Stiff Deadlift 2x10(alternate Standing Curl)

Try this every 6th day or so and no other lower back work on other days IMO. I am only writing work sets, warm ups shouldn't be taxing. If you're not PRing pretty consistently, I would drop some exercises to even just 1 work set, like Leg Press just 1set for example.

 

[CYNDER_BLOCK]

I appreciate the feedback.

 

[nategeezy82]

I don't think your quads are disproportionate at all. Definitely need to bring up the hams, maybe the back some also.

 

[marshallmadman]

Squats with your heels on a board.

 

[nategeezy82]

Squats with your heels on a board.

Squats are one of my favorite exercises. I use to suck at them until I perfected my form and learned how to fully target the quads and mostly take my glutes and lower back out of the exercise. Squats won't help fully develop the hamstrings though.

 

[CYNDER_BLOCK]

What is everybody doing for calves? Mine are tremendously stubborn.

 

[M_T Pockets]

Calf raises
Running up and down my local High School grandstands
Cycling also
Calf presses on a leg press machine

 

[nategeezy82]

What is everybody doing for calves? Mine are tremendously stubborn.

Calves usually are the most stubborn for a lot of people. Seated hits the soleus which responds better to higher reps. Standing hits the gastrocs which respond better to moderate reps. I hit calves 3 times a week. Mon is 3 sets of 20 seated calve raises, wed is 4 sets of 10 standing calve raises, fri is 3 sets of 15 donkey raises.

 

[lyndonlawrence]

calves

there is a video on this board showing after the weighted calve raises he got up and held a wall and just did calf raises while standing until fail using just his body weight after each set. I did this before my cartiledge surgery and saw great results

 

[AshopRep]

What is everybody doing for calves? Mine are tremendously stubborn.

Mine grew from 45 minute, 40sets, twice per week.

 

[sammy555]

I take what you both said in stride. My issue with high cals is that I'm carb sensitive and really don't like that idea of eating a megaton of food to go up in weight while also gaining water/fat.

There are pros/cons to this approach. With my approach, I'm always more comfortable eating mass amounts of food while on cycle using compounds that keep me lean while going up.

I understand that some will say you'll have to sacrifice your leaness in order to add substantial size, but I hate being fat.

More feedback on how often you guys train legs and what excersices have proved to be the most effective for you in regards to building up small legs.

I totally get where your coming from but at 6 ft 3 your probably need to take the hit for a while just to get the weight and size on. Your symmetry is fine imo but your height will always make you look thin without adding some serious mass. I'm only 6ft and at 245 I have visible abs and good vascularity in my arms, shoulders and traps and some in my back/stomach. I still have a somewhat scrawny look from some angles. After a while pounding the cals and carbs your body will adjust and bloat goes down, your stomach stays flatter etc. I'm on 5000 plus calories and anything between 400- 800g carbs per day depending on if im training or not. Some days I'm hitting over 6000 clean calories depending on hunger. It's still a head fuck going to bed with a distended stomach but its flat again when I wake up. Short term pain long term gain imo.

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[sammy555]

You never really stated what your end goal was I don't think. Do you want to get bigger or are you happy with your size in general. I do often pick a body part and train it twice a week for a while and it seems to work well. Your legs don't look disproportionate to me though. I think you have a very good symmetrical base to build on. Calves are a basterd if your ain't got the genetics for them. Mine are only 16.5 inch which for my bodyweight is a disgrace. That said I need to focus on other things at the moment and just tick them along

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[wizim]

"There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that provides the level of central nervous activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density enhancement, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning than the correctly performed full squat.” -Mark Rippetoe

i used to have skinny legs. not so much anymore. squat, squat and squat some more.

 

[Bio]

For calves, get in a smith machine, load up the bar with some serious weight, and do raises flat off the floor...You can stretch them on another exercise. You'll force some growth!

 

[CYNDER_BLOCK]

I should have mentioned that I aim to be a solid 240lbs and nothing more. If I could be a cut up 240-245lbs, I'd be content with life.

I appreciate the responses.

 

[makeitcount]

Gonna have to eat then bud. Building tissue requires a caloric surplus, period.