Am I training legs incorrectly or am I just impatient?
LittleOneLoveLife
Posts: 47 Member
Long story short i'm a female who weight trains. Been training on and off for 3 years. Only this year since Dec/Jan have i actually stuck to it properly though. And only very recently (on the 3rd week now) have I stopped with the I need to lose weight attitude (I started at 44Kg so not really much I could lose lol) and now I want to gain muscle/bulk up a bit. I'm in a calorie surplus of 300 Kcal a day, eat well 80/20 while following IIFYM (Macros currently 40% Carbs30%fat30%Protein) eat about 8 meals a day (I'm greedy) have 1 meal a week I don't count. i'm putting on 0.4Kg on a week. Supplement side of things I have Creatine twice a day and Casein Protein before bed.
The Good News - My upper body is looking great and progressing really quickly - especially my back.
The Bad News - Like most women I want an AMAZING *kitten* and Legs (as well as a good upper body). And I am not seeing the same progress.
My training schedule -
Sun - Back
Mon - Shoulders
Tue - Legs
Wed- Rest
Thur - 5/6km Run (am) Chest (pm)
Fri - Arms
Sat - Rest
(repeat)
I lift heavy, 6 exercises each day with 1,1/2 minutes rest between sets, with weights I struggle to get 4 sets of 6 reps out!
Am I doing something wrong or am I being impatient, will my bum begin to grow soon?
The Good News - My upper body is looking great and progressing really quickly - especially my back.
The Bad News - Like most women I want an AMAZING *kitten* and Legs (as well as a good upper body). And I am not seeing the same progress.
My training schedule -
Sun - Back
Mon - Shoulders
Tue - Legs
Wed- Rest
Thur - 5/6km Run (am) Chest (pm)
Fri - Arms
Sat - Rest
(repeat)
I lift heavy, 6 exercises each day with 1,1/2 minutes rest between sets, with weights I struggle to get 4 sets of 6 reps out!
Am I doing something wrong or am I being impatient, will my bum begin to grow soon?
0
Replies
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*kitten* lol? i mean A R S E or bum for the politically correct 1
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I'm not sure that weights could give you an amazing kitten haha
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Your volume is too low. 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps is usually the optimal for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.LittleOneLoveLife wrote: »Long story short i'm a female who weight trains. Been training on and off for 3 years. Only this year since Dec/Jan have i actually stuck to it properly though. And only very recently (on the 3rd week now) have I stopped with the I need to lose weight attitude (I started at 44Kg so not really much I could lose lol) and now I want to gain muscle/bulk up a bit. I'm in a calorie surplus of 300 Kcal a day, eat well 80/20 while following IIFYM (Macros currently 40% Carbs30%fat30%Protein) eat about 8 meals a day (I'm greedy) have 1 meal a week I don't count. i'm putting on 0.4Kg on a week. Supplement side of things I have Creatine twice a day and Casein Protein before bed.
The Good News - My upper body is looking great and progressing really quickly - especially my back.
The Bad News - Like most women I want an AMAZING *kitten* and Legs (as well as a good upper body). And I am not seeing the same progress.
My training schedule -
Sun - Back
Mon - Shoulders
Tue - Legs
Wed- Rest
Thur - 5/6km Run (am) Chest (pm)
Fri - Arms
Sat - Rest
(repeat)
I lift heavy, 6 exercises each day with 1,1/2 minutes rest between sets, with weights I struggle to get 4 sets of 6 reps out!
Am I doing something wrong or am I being impatient, will my bum begin to grow soon?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Please don't use big words like "sarcoplasmic hypertrophy" haha! What does that mean?
I was under the impression that for optimal muscle growth was 4-6 very heavy reps. Like most things I am probably wrong.0 -
is that the only issue you can see with my regime? is just once a week a sufficient amount of training for my legs? I want to get the right balance of building muscle and not working it away.0
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http://www.muscleforlife.com/guide-to-muscle-hypertrophy-muscle-growth/ I just read this and quote
"This would help explain why research shows that emphasizing heavy weights (80%+ of 1RM) in your training is superior to lighter weights for muscle building purposes.
For example, one well-designed study published earlier this year separated 33 physically active, resistance-trained men into two groups:
mikead1-900x900
A high-volume, moderate-intensity group that did 4 workouts per week consisting of 4 sets per exercise in the 10 to 12 rep range (70% of 1RM).
A moderate-volume, high-intensity group that did 4 workouts per week consisting of 4 sets per exercise in the 3 to 5 rep range (90% of 1RM).
Both groups did the same exercises (which included the bench press, back squat, deadlift, and seated shoulder press), and both were instructed to maintain their normal eating habits (which was monitored with food diaries).
And the result?
After 8 weeks of training, scientists found that the high-intensity group gained significantly more muscle and strength than the high-volume group."0 -
If you're lifting under 6 reps with a progressive resistance program, then you'll build more strength than actual muscle. This runs along the line of myofibrillar hypertrophy (think power lifter here). Bodybuilders who work on increasing muscle circumference train in the 8-12 rep (and sometimes higher for legs) for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
Do I believe it works? As a novice bodybuilding competitor back in my 20's, I trained this way for 3 years before doing my first contest. And each year after, put on more muscle training the same. I've also done the same for clients who wanted to do it. Here's an example of one:
Before
After
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Unless one is an actual body builder, I prefer hitting each muscle group 2x a week and hitting all rep ranges for both strength &hypertrophy2
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vegangela_ wrote: »I'm not sure that weights could give you an amazing kitten haha
Weights (to build the glute muscles) will improve the *kitten*.0 -
I agree with @ninerbuff s comments on rep range (if you struggle to hit 8-12 reps, reduce the weight) and it looks like diet wise you have it nailed.
I would, on leg days at least, increase the rest between sets slightly since I find that I need at least 2 mins to recover between sets and I worry that for you a shorter rest period will result in reduced weights or reps on subsequent sets.
I see no problem (with sufficient rest, optimum nutrition etc) working legs twice per week but if you chose to do so, set your work outs to give maximum recovery between the two.0 -
LittleOneLoveLife wrote: »Please don't use big words like "sarcoplasmic hypertrophy" haha! What does that mean?
I was under the impression that for optimal muscle growth was 4-6 very heavy reps. Like most things I am probably wrong.
Yes, as niner said you are working within the wrong rep range and volume is too low.
For hypertrophy training the recommended volume is:
6-12 repetitions
3-5 sets
90 -120 seconds rest
I go ahead and make it 3 sets of 8 for convenience. I personally train "legs" twice a week:
Day one:
Back Squats / Front Squats (i change this every week)
Romanian Split Lunges with pause
seated leg extensions
seated abduction
Day two:
Deadlifts
Barbell Hip thrusts with pause
Laying hamstring curls
seated adduction
I personally choose not to do anything special for calves and of course you can change this up.
But i do these workouts 3-4 days apart from each other, meaning i do other workouts in between.
I just like to switch up between pushing/pulling, anterior/posterior, isotonic/isometric, etc. I personally find that most people neglect to work their backside as much as their front simply because they can't see it and most women have over-trained quads and underdeveloped glutes. This is what works for me, so feel free to give it a try.
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Increase volume via sets, reps or frequency0
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I train legs twice a week. I do 8 different exercises each time with a set of 4 with 8-12 reps and do HIIT inbetween. Like say a minute of burpees between each superset. I increase weight as I progress.0
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What leg exercises are you doing currently? Also, if you want to work on your A R S E and legs more you should probably up it to 2 times a week. Protein is super important for muscles so keep that up! You look smashing and your hard work will pay off. Like the others said, I'd shoot for 8-10 reps per set. I'm also doing Operation Get A Booty. 0
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I think that you are impatient. If I read your OP right, you've only started trying to build muscle/stopped dieting over the past three weeks. You train legs once a week. So you've had three training sessions since deciding to build. That's not nearly enough time to see a difference.2
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What a range of advice so far, so I figured I would drop some of my own, and see what you think. *NOTE* I am not a trainer, so this just advice and from my experience. If your looking to grow your legs, focusing on hitting that muscle group 3 times week at a lower rep range will help with muscle growth versus hitting it once a week. For me, I do a full body work out 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday I do a light workout, with bands to focus on weak body parts. I break up my intensity through the week, so I am not crushing chest one day, and back another, but I will hit chest, legs, back and shoulders all in one day, then come back and do it again in a couple days. I have seem more definition, and muscle growth this way then with the old tradition split training. I would also recommend looking into Mind Pump. They are a fitness podcast on iTunes. They are who I follow, and that I lift their programs, and in my experience, they are the best written workouts on the market. Best of luck to you!0
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What a range of advice so far, so I figured I would drop some of my own, and see what you think. *NOTE* I am not a trainer, so this just advice and from my experience. If your looking to grow your legs, focusing on hitting that muscle group 3 times week at a lower rep range will help with muscle growth versus hitting it once a week. For me, I do a full body work out 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday I do a light workout, with bands to focus on weak body parts. I break up my intensity through the week, so I am not crushing chest one day, and back another, but I will hit chest, legs, back and shoulders all in one day, then come back and do it again in a couple days. I have seem more definition, and muscle growth this way then with the old tradition split training. I would also recommend looking into Mind Pump. They are a fitness podcast on iTunes. They are who I follow, and that I lift their programs, and in my experience, they are the best written workouts on the market. Best of luck to you!
define
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rainbowbow wrote: »What a range of advice so far, so I figured I would drop some of my own, and see what you think. *NOTE* I am not a trainer, so this just advice and from my experience. If your looking to grow your legs, focusing on hitting that muscle group 3 times week at a lower rep range will help with muscle growth versus hitting it once a week. For me, I do a full body work out 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday I do a light workout, with bands to focus on weak body parts. I break up my intensity through the week, so I am not crushing chest one day, and back another, but I will hit chest, legs, back and shoulders all in one day, then come back and do it again in a couple days. I have seem more definition, and muscle growth this way then with the old tradition split training. I would also recommend looking into Mind Pump. They are a fitness podcast on iTunes. They are who I follow, and that I lift their programs, and in my experience, they are the best written workouts on the market. Best of luck to you!
define
My old workouts had me do legs on Monday. I would start with 4-6 sets of squats, with usually 8-10 reps, or more per set. Then I would move leg curls, same set/rep range, then leg extensions, again same set/rep range. I would finish with leg press and level with an incredible burn in my legs thinking I was actually doing some work. But I wasn't, I was not gaining any more muscle, and I as I tracked my leg sizes over the course of 3 years, I never seen them grow, or change. Since adapting this new program in March, I have seen more definition in my quads, and hamstrings, and have watched my measurements change week to week. My new work outs have me squat 2-3 times a week, 4-6 sets with a rep range of 8-12 reps. I do laying leg curls, deadlifts, box squats, goodmornings, etc. So instead of hitting a muscle group hard once a week and letting it "recover" for 6-7 days, I am hitting it lighter 3 times a week, and stretching it out using band workouts in between my lifting sessions.0 -
On top of the advice already given- you're lower body makes up OVER 50% of your mass- and yet you're only hitting them once a week. More lower body work- less arms.0 -
If I have a lagging body part, I always work it twice a week. You could probably add biceps to back and triceps to chest to cut out your arms day and then you'd have room for another leg day.0
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rainbowbow wrote: »What a range of advice so far, so I figured I would drop some of my own, and see what you think. *NOTE* I am not a trainer, so this just advice and from my experience. If your looking to grow your legs, focusing on hitting that muscle group 3 times week at a lower rep range will help with muscle growth versus hitting it once a week. For me, I do a full body work out 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday I do a light workout, with bands to focus on weak body parts. I break up my intensity through the week, so I am not crushing chest one day, and back another, but I will hit chest, legs, back and shoulders all in one day, then come back and do it again in a couple days. I have seem more definition, and muscle growth this way then with the old tradition split training. I would also recommend looking into Mind Pump. They are a fitness podcast on iTunes. They are who I follow, and that I lift their programs, and in my experience, they are the best written workouts on the market. Best of luck to you!
define
My old workouts had me do legs on Monday. I would start with 4-6 sets of squats, with usually 8-10 reps, or more per set. Then I would move leg curls, same set/rep range, then leg extensions, again same set/rep range. I would finish with leg press and level with an incredible burn in my legs thinking I was actually doing some work. But I wasn't, I was not gaining any more muscle, and I as I tracked my leg sizes over the course of 3 years, I never seen them grow, or change. Since adapting this new program in March, I have seen more definition in my quads, and hamstrings, and have watched my measurements change week to week. My new work outs have me squat 2-3 times a week, 4-6 sets with a rep range of 8-12 reps. I do laying leg curls, deadlifts, box squats, goodmornings, etc. So instead of hitting a muscle group hard once a week and letting it "recover" for 6-7 days, I am hitting it lighter 3 times a week, and stretching it out using band workouts in between my lifting sessions.
Okay cool. You just said "low" so i wasn't sure what you meant. Most people think of "low" as 1-5, which would be inappropriate in OP's case.
I agree, i lift in that exact rep range/set range and hit my legs twice a week. 1 -
What is your leg routine?0
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I think most people are over simplifying things a little here. There really is no hypertrophy rep range. There are studies that show rep ranges don't matter as long as the person is using appropriate weight for the specific number of reps. Most of these are done with untrained people, but from my experience, it holds pretty true for trained individuals as well.
You're looking to do 3 things to create hypertrophy:
1. Increase mechanical tension (ie using heavier weight) - this is why you should not neglect training in the 1-5 rep range.
2. Increase metabolic stress (ie muscle pump/burning) - this can be done in several ways, but your most common route is working in the 6-12 rep range with limited rest.
3. Increase muscle damage (ie DOMS) - this is often caused through increased volume and really emphasizing the eccentric and concentric portions of the movement.
It is true that your stock 3 sets of 10 with 60 seconds of rest hits the last 2 mechanisms, but it neglects #1. If you spend almost all of your training in the 6-12 range, I believe you will actually see better results from mixing in some heavy 1-5 rep sets of squats and deadlifts.
* If you didn't read of all that, lift in the 1-12 rep range, using primarily compound movements, and be sure that you are training near the point of failure.0 -
Wow thank you for all the responses!
Yesterday for example my routine was "4 sets of 6 reps"
If I complete all sets with good form I increase the following week or the next time I do that exercise .
Back Squat 30Kg (Increase NW)
Glute floor Lower (Body Weight, Repeat)
Seated Calf Press 40Kg - 20 Reps - (Increase NW)
Bench Step Up (20Kg Increase NW)
Floor Glute Bridges (20Kg Increase NW)
Smith (Don't Laugh) Calf Raise 22.5Kg (Increase NW)
When you say lift until failure do you mean per exercise or the muscle group as a whole?
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