0 Build Freakish Leg Size And Strength

How to Build Freakish Leg Size And Strength, Exercise Selection

Building freakish leg size and strength more than anything else requires a lot of suffering. Even the most genetically elite (and assisted) strength athletes and bodybuilders like Tom Platz (shown below alongside Lou Ferrigno aka The Incredible Hulk), put themselves through absolute torture to build their insane legs.

Tom Platz & Lou Ferrigno aka The Incredible Hulk

But take note of the difference in the leg size between Tom Platz a popular bodybuilder back in the 1980's and Lou Ferrigno who is best known for his non-speaking role in The 1980's TV series The Incredible Hulk.

What makes legs grow so differently? Genetics definitely play a role, but the willingness to suffer is the number one requirement for big freaky legs. (Apparently the Incredible Hulk wasn't very masochistic). After that, exercise selection is the next most important thing for developing freakish leg size and strength.

Deconstruction of The Squat

It has been proven repeatedly that muscles undergo the most growth and increases in strength when the load is applied to a muscle in a stretched position.

And while the Back Squat is hailed as the king of all leg exercises, squats are not the best

exercise for placing a stretch on the quads and glutes. However, in defense of squats, as this article isn't here to bash them, rarely do you see a set of incredibly strong and huge legs where full, deep squats were not part of the equation.

But ultimately when you squat, your legs generally aren't the weak link. The lower back usually gives out before the legs do, which is usually why most people move on to do another leg exercise after squats.

Exercise Selection

Most people follow up their squats with leg extensions, and while they may be the icing on the cake for the elite level bodybuilder, 99% of you need far more hamstring and glute development before you worry about whatever little extra leg extensions might give you.

The Split-Leg Squat is in my opinion the best leg exercise ever.

Types of Split-Leg Squats

Usually we refer to split-leg squats just as split squats.

1. Barbell or dumbbell split squats

2. Barbell held in racked (front squat) position

3. Front foot elevated split squats

4. Rear foot elevated split squats aka Bulgarian split squats (shown in video below)

5. Front and rear foot elevated split squats

6. Lateral split squats

7. Jumping split squats

8. Feet switching jumping split squats

Good Exercise Selection Here

He's doing it right!

Ways to increase overload

1. Increase the load

2. Increase the time-under-tension (TUT)

3. Increase the range of motion (with foot-elevated variations)

4. Increase the speed of the concentric action

5. Decrease the speed of the eccentric action

6. Include isometric segments

7. Include ballistic or plyometric components (jumping)

8. Use of chains with barbell

9. Use of asymmetric loads (with dumbbells)

Darwin's Theory of Evolution Hard at Work!

NOPE!

If your coach or trainer has you doing this... fire them fast!

Benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats

1. Extra stretch in rectus femoris of trailing leg

2. Greater range of motion for front-leg glute

3. Increased recruitment of hip stabilizers

4. Increased recruitment of core musculature

5. Builds muscles faster because of stretch

6. Can train muscles more deeply into fatigue

7. Producing higher growth hormone elevation

8. Which reduces body fat

One of the beautiful things about Bulgarian split squats is that muscle growth occurs more quickly than with any other leg exercise.

Think about this for a minute. If you're currently squatting 300 lbs for 3 reps. And your legs measure 26 inches around, how much will you need to be squatting and how long will it take before your legs are 30 inches?

If you're squatting 300 lbs for 3 reps, and you aren't doing Bulgarian or other types of split squats, you may find you get brutally sore when you first start, so go easy until you're used to them.

But I'd guess you might be able to do 3-4 sets of 15 reps with 35-40 lb dumbbells within a few weeks of starting. But you'll quickly be able to move up in weight and volume and you'll notice a huge difference in the size of your legs.

If you only keep doing squats it might take you 2 more years to be doing 400 lbs for 3 reps, but in that two years if you make your way up to 4-5 sets of 15 reps with 65-85 lb dumbbells, your quads will have exploded much more than if you just focused on squats and leg extensions for example.

Watch this video to learn proper form:

Notes:

- erect torso (no forward lean)

- deep descent (knee to floor)

- front leg weight even across foot

- knee does not extend significantly past toe

So how would you include Bugarian split squats in a training program?

Just like this:

Sample Workout 1

Foam Rolling

T-Spine

Quads

Lats

Hams

Dynamic Stretching

Quads

Hip Flexors

Hamstrings

Glutes

Static Stretching

Pecs

Lats

Activation

Glute bridges

Clams

Mobility

Squat to stand

Cossack squats

Striders

Strength Work

Exercise / Purpose

Squats 5x3 / For overall strength

Bulgarian split squat* 3x12 / Glute and quad activation and hypertrophy

*(with front foot elevated)

Romanian deadlifts 5x8 / Hamstring hypertrophy

Side-lying hip abduction 3x20 / Hip strength

Side-lying shoulder external rotations / External rotation strength

Sample Workout 2

Foam Rolling

Quads

T-Spine

IT Bands

Pecs

Lacrosse Ball

Glutes

Rectus Femoris (top)

Piriformis

Calves

Dynamic Stretching

Quads

Hams

Hip Flexors

Pecs

Static Stretching

Lats

Activation

Glute bridges

Band X-walking

Band pull-aparts to chest

Scarecrows

Mobility

Squat to stand

Band dislocates

Strength Work

Exercise / Purpose

Front Squats 4x5 / For quad strength

Rack Pull Partial Deadlifts 5x6 / For hip extension strength

Suspended Pushups / Shoulder conditioning

Bulgarian Split Squats 5x15 / Quad, glute, and ham hypertrophy

Bent-over barbell rows 4x12 / Upper back strength and size

Farmer's walk 3x50 steps / Core strength / conditioning

There you have it!

Now get to the gym right away and do one of these workouts and let me know how you liked them Bulgarian split squats.

I'll bet they kill your legs more than everything else!

:)

0 Four Year Old Boy Does 1500 Pushups Sets Record

I'm not sure about you, but I feel like there's something wrong here with this picture.

In the video you're about to watch, a 4 year old kid is exercising under the wise (or maybe not so wise) guidance of his grandmother, and mother I presume.

Click here to watch the video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6581900n&tag=mg;mostpopvideo

Now don't get me wrong, I think it's great that kids get lots of physical exercise, but having such a defined exercise "goal" as strength training at such a young age is undoubtedly going to rob this youngster of socializing and unstructured play that will further his athletic development down the road more than his current narrowly focused routine.

I'll admit though, he's doing the best stuff for a kid if you're to do strength work... all bodyweight exercises, no actual weight lifting. But...

The problem I see is that those instructing him, seem not to be leading by example in any way, but rather to be simply enabling his young obsession.

If his exercise routine were only 15-20 minutes per day, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but by 4 years old, managing 1,500 pushups in just 40 minutes... I imagine he's spending at least 40 minutes if not more each day training for such a feat... and of course it's all under the (*ahem*) wise guidance of his expert "in-the-trenches" family members.

As a coach, and as a father, as much as I hope that my kids grow up to embrace strength training as a means to develop a strong and healthy body, I will only encourage it as a means to improve performance in another physical activity (sport)at first.

I will strive to encourage my kids to try many different sports, and become a team player, and at the right age, introduce appropriate strength and conditioning workouts to facilitate improved performance in their sport, and not just for the sake of setting records at young ages.

Coming from India, and judging by the apparent state of dis-repair of the gym they're in, probably a poor part of India, I wonder if this is the parents way of trying to get publicity, in hopes of somehow garnering financial support from what their child is doing.

My thoughts are that if the parents hadn't pushed the kid to keep at it so much, he might have gotten bored with it and just wanted to go play with the other kids. Although he does seem to be enjoying himself in the video.

I don't agree with this kind of thing... but maybe I'm off base.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear your comments on this topic. Please leave them in the comments section below.