I
am often asked what is the best way to train
legs. Everybody loves to look at a great
set of pins so in this feature I am going
to explain the methods that I use and believe
to be the best and most effective ways to
develop them.
Firstly, if you’re not prepared for
a little bit of pain and a lot of hard work
then you might as well resort to being one
of those people who wear long pants all
year round. I always get butterflies in
my stomach before a leg session because
I know too well that the pain will not only
continue through my workout but well into
the following days. Anybody that has had
sore legs can probably sympathise, but the
gains are worth a little pain.
How many reps?
After you’ve warmed up, the first issue
of contention is the most effective rep
range. Most people get stuck in the mind
frame of 8-10 reps. Though this is still
beneficial in my opinion it’s not the
best.
Through my own body-building experience
along with my personal association with
world class athletes and strength and conditioning
coaches, I have found the most effective
range is a minimum of 15. The sky is the
limit – there is no rule on how many
is too many. It has been proven that time
under tension and a high volume of intensity
and repetition is the way to go.
Tom Platz was a body builder from the 80’s
who was renowned for his legs. He was known
to set a stopwatch for 10 minutes and squat
until the buzzer went off; that is a lot
of reps.
Another example is a track cyclist…they
literally do hundreds of repetitions. Just
make sure you have a decent amount of resistance
on your legs.
The other benefits from training at this
intensity is the rate at which you heart
will pump. This will increase your metabolic
rate not just whilst exercising but for
many hours after, so you will effectively
burn fat long after you leave the gym.
Which leg exercises?
When selecting leg exercises, think about
which will be the best to help you gain
the most out of your time.
I have found free-standing squats and lunges
to be the ultimate exercises. These are
the two most functional exercises and require
a good amount of neural drive.
Conclusion
Don’t be scared to think outside the
box. You can super-set your weight training
with jump-squats and stuff like that to
really add to the fun. A lot of people are
stuck in a three sets of 10 reps routine,
and while it is a great benchmark for beginners,
those intermediate and experienced trainers
out there should try and step it up to five,
six, seven or even 10 sets of squats.
If you want awesome legs, then that’s
where it’s at! Doing three by 10s is
simply not enough! If unsure on correct
technique, make sure you consult your local
PTI, especially before adding any resistance.
