Best way to build up stick legs?

[Deleted member 4644]

What is the best way to begin to fill out my stick legs?

running? lifting? combo?

In general I do not gain weight easily

 

[SWScorch]

running tends to burn muscle so avoid that. Probably lifting and biking, which is what I'm doing right now, and I am actually almost bulking up (I'm very scrawny and not prone to muscle either). Squats work well, and don't forget to work your hamstrings too.

 

[Geekbabe]

I've been riding a mountain bike everywhere for the past few months. It helps build the legs it really does.

 

[Farvacola]

Id say focus on squats and dead lifting with a bit of muscle specific exercises. Also use the leg press as much as possible. With a regular routine and bit of perserverence, you should get by fine.

 

[TechnoKid]

for calves, heel raises work. they have machines at the gym where you can either sit or stand to do raises. you can do them in your own house by just keeping your toes on a stair step and going up and down without bending your knees, inless you want to do a compound workout.

running will tone muscles, not necessarily burn muscle. running is also one of the best ways to burn body fat. contrary to common thinking, working a specific area will not burn the fat from that area, you are either bulking muscle or toning muscle in that area.

when you do squats, make sure you are using a belt. and its a good idea to have a spotter so he can tell you when your thighs are parallel, you don't really need to to go lower than parallel. Squats also help you produce a lot of testoserone. With a lot of testosterone in you, building muscle in other parts of your body will be easier and faster.

 

[schdaddy]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
for calves, heel raises work. they have machines at the gym where you can either sit or stand to do raises. you can do them in your own house by just keeping your toes on a stair step and going up and down without bending your knees, inless you want to do a compound workout.

running will tone muscles, not necessarily burn muscle. running is also one of the best ways to burn body fat. contrary to common thinking, working a specific area will not burn the fat from that area, you are either bulking muscle or toning muscle in that area.

when you do squats, make sure you are using a belt. and its a good idea to have a spotter so he can tell you when your thighs are parallel, you don't really need to to go lower than parallel. Squats also help you produce a lot of testoserone. With a lot of testosterone in you, building muscle in other parts of your body will be easier and faster.

never heard that one before

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: schdaddy

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
for calves, heel raises work. they have machines at the gym where you can either sit or stand to do raises. you can do them in your own house by just keeping your toes on a stair step and going up and down without bending your knees, inless you want to do a compound workout.

running will tone muscles, not necessarily burn muscle. running is also one of the best ways to burn body fat. contrary to common thinking, working a specific area will not burn the fat from that area, you are either bulking muscle or toning muscle in that area.

when you do squats, make sure you are using a belt. and its a good idea to have a spotter so he can tell you when your thighs are parallel, you don't really need to to go lower than parallel. Squats also help you produce a lot of testoserone. With a lot of testosterone in you, building muscle in other parts of your body will be easier and faster.

never heard that one before

All resistance training will produce an increase in testoterone. Squats, by the virtue of how much muscle they stimulate, help produce significantly more testosterone than bicep curls for example. A measurable increase in free testosterone levels will only be present when the resistance excercise regimen is combined with proper eating and ample rest/recovery.

 

[ThaPerculator]

Lift heavy. Squats. Deadlifts. Eat.

Also, don't neglect the top half of your body, if you work everything in a cycle and eat good, your hormone levels should switch over to be rather anabolic. Especially since you are just starting out. If you go only legs, you are missing out on some metabolic adaptations. You can just emphasize leg work moreso than upper body work.

Some good sites to check out...

www.drsquat.com - look in the articles section
www.davedraper.com - same... has a few decent articles
www.hypertrophy-specific.com - moreso read the forums on this one

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
I've been riding a mountain bike everywhere for the past few months. It helps build the legs it really does.

Ah, so it was you who has been holding up rush hour traffic as you peddle along at 3 m.p.h. ?? :Q

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
I've been riding a mountain bike everywhere for the past few months. It helps build the legs it really does.

Ah, so it was you who has been holding up rush hour traffic as you peddle along at 3 m.p.h. ?? :Q

Naw, that was Fausto.

Zing! jk jk jk

 

[erikiksaz]

I learned that throughout highschool, i was able to maintain fairly muscular legs (i used to sprint). That was mainly attributed to track practice which consisted of running, running, and a wee bit more of running.

But, now i'm in college and don't have the time to spend 2-3 hours sprinting/running. My legs have shrunken quite a bit, and heavy lifting hasn't helped a bit. Sure, my squats and leg presses are increasing, but my legs aren't quite as large and bulky as they used to be.

What this means for me is that maybe leg muscles aren't built in the same fashion as those of your chest. They require many reps to increase in mass, whereas my chest usually responds pretty well to low reppage high weight.

 

[AndrewR]

Squats. If you go below parallel, you hit the calves and glutes a little bit more -- tried that the other day after seeing it in M&F, and it works.
Good mornings (for hamstrings). Don't go too heavy, or you can seriously screw up your lower back.
Hack squats.
Leg presses -- either do these or the hack squats. Depends on what I'm in the mood for.
Leg extensions (usually for warm-up prior to squatting).
Leg curls.
Barbell or dumbbell lunges.
Seated AND standing calf raises. Slightly different emphasis for each so rotate.

Deadlifts. Don't do these and squats on the same day since they are both major compound exercises, and you won't have enough energy to do both well.

You can do without a weight belt for squats until you start putting some heavy iron on there. I'm just getting back into it, but when I start using 250+ in a week or two, I'll need to get a belt again (lost my last one, damn it). Avoid the Smith machine unless you're just starting out because the extra muscles needed to stabilize normal squats can get a decent workout as well which you won't get using the Smith machine. If you set the safety bar to just under your lowest point, you can get away without using a spotter (I don't), but you won't get as much of an opportunity to do some negatives. Female spotters are best for squats.