Leg Strength

[TAMU_2008]

My friend, Will, who actually leaves for San Clemnete Island today to finish up his last five weeks was telling me last week that one of the MAJOR mistakes guys make that train for BUD/S is that that they do not build up their leg strength...

He said that most of the guys in his class DOR in 1st Phase because their legs couldnt pull their weight with log and boat P.T and then they couldnt make their four mile timed runs because their legs were so shot..so I was wondering...

I know that the crossfit WODs focus on leg strength in a way (clean squat jerk...ect..) but is there any straight up leg intensive beatdowns I could get my hands on? would love to build up my leg strength while keeping my flexiblity though

Thanks

Gig'em

[asumtnrbb]

i know certain there are tons of workouts (at your preference of course) at bodybuilding.com. i would think the best idea would be to focus on explosive lifts. i need to have alot of leg strength due to the demands of catching for our ball team so our instructor has us to a variety of explosive leg moves to build strength.

-deadlift (my favorite because it doesnt include the negative portion of the normal squat rep)
-back squat
-front squat
-cleans (full clean)
-RDL's
-leg press (i usually do these after by leg routine to completely burn out)
-overhead squat (if you want)

i dont ever do all of these specific lifts at the same time but i try to keep a steady mix of them twice a week during leg lifts. i won't count out doing bodyweight squats or a jump circuit to build muscular endurance, but because of the need for explosion i tend to count those out.

dont stress too much on the weight used at first, but once you can make your way up then continue to beat your legs down, giving ample time to recover of course. and as usual make sure to recover, sleep, and eat right in order to revitalize for the next workout. hooyah

-G

[bigv123]

Somewhere, spread across the great expanse that is the United States, every single person I've ever trained is giggling under their breath. A few of them are probably cussing my name as well.

Crafting a leg workout that will beat you into submission is EASY. The problem is that it's also very easy to do too much. Activity levels and exercise toleration differ greatly from one person to the next. This makes it next to impossible to lay out a single "plan" that will yield meaningful results for those who integrate the plan conscientiously.

BUT...here's a couple morsels for you to chew on.

Squats. Nothing fancy. Just you and a bar draped over your shoulders. All you have to do is plant your feet, go down where the tops of your thighs slightly pass parallel to the ground, and stand back up. Now, load up a weight that you think you can only get 8 reps with. Find a good spotter. Do 20 reps w/o stopping for more than 2 seconds after each rep. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat. Throw up. Move to the leg press machine.

Load up a weight you know you can do for a max of 8 reps. Do 20. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat. Throw up again.

Rest 15 minutes or until you get some semblance of feeling back in your legs. Attempt to walk to your car/truck (make SURE you avoid all stairs, up OR down). Get in car. Rest another 15 minutes. Throw up again. Drive home. Eat. Collapse into semi-coma.

Arnold once said "you haven't had a good workout until you throw up". Now, how bad do YOU want it?

V

P.S. Tomorrow is hams and calves. ;)

[gioberg11]

squat

squat

squat

squat

more squats.............

but in all seriousness.....try some 20 rep squats. 3 sets of 20 will be a great burn. do front squats as well because they hit a few different areas of the thigh and hamstring.

never been a huge lunge fan but i think that because they are tough. use dumbbells or barbell. i always like to use barbell on my back and then lunge forward.

another good exercise is the step ups. keep barbell on back of neck again, like back squat or lunge, and step up onto a bench. for example, barbell on neck with bench in front of you. step up with right leg onto bench and fire left leg into air parallel to ground. step back down. step up with left leg, fire right leg into air parllel, etc..... sorry not the greatest explanation.

definitely do 20 rep squats though. they are great.

[gioberg11]

when i say parallel to ground i don't mean extended leg. i just meant that your upper leg is parallel to the ground.

[asumtnrbb]

so i guess it all boils down to squats squats and more squats. its the best move to build leg strength. and i love doing leg press after squats, its the best feeling when i cant make it out to the car to drive home, much less walk up the stairs to my apartment, you might want a spotter for that too, or a wheelchair ramp

[bowtieman81]

Like was said, leg workouts vary person to person. I like to do the usual moves that hit large muscle groups. Squats are great. I typically don't use a whole lot of weight but go for higher reps. Sometimes I just use my own bodyweight.

Now, if you really want to kill your legs lunges did it for me. The first time I had an intense leg workout including lunges I felt like a cripple the next day. My legs were so sore that a massage from my wife hurt.

Word of caution: I would not recommend truly trying to kill your legs. I overdid it on the above mentioned workout. Not only were my legs really sore for 3-4 days, but it also aggravated the tendons above my knee. So be smart about it.

[TAMU_2008]

Yeah I know squats well from when I was playing ball in hs and my first year in college...guess Im just nervous that Ill bulk up again (I was an easy 255..squated 615 at my highest point)...guess I could just hit the squats again..but higher reps...and lots of explosive workouts..thanks alot guys!

Gig'em

[bigv123]

so i guess it all boils down to squats squats and more squats. its the best move to build leg strength.

I could make a good argument that it's THE best movement to build strength and power...PERIOD. The barbell, heavy squat has been shown to illicit a stronger and longer release of testosterone into the blood stream than any other single movement (with comparable volume).

While heavy squats certainly aren't the cornerstone of someone training for BUD/s, each one of you should have them in there somewhere. And, be prepared to feel a kind of pain the likes of which you've never felt before. it'll take about 40 - 48 hours to really set in. You, quite literally, may not be able to walk.

V

[TAMU_2008]

Rest 15 minutes or until you get some semblance of feeling back in your legs. Attempt to walk to your car/truck (make SURE you avoid all stairs, up OR down). Get in car. Rest another 15 minutes. Throw up again. Drive home. Eat. Collapse into semi-coma.

Arnold once said "you haven't had a good workout until you throw up". Now, how bad do YOU want it?

V


Oh yeah...and that was basically me in college and hs...coaches had a saying that it wasent a workout till I threw up...haha..did everytime..

[nomanmoonme]

There was a great WOD on the main CrossFit site that was definately deceiving as many of them are. It's simple but can add a tone of muscular endurance without the bulk. Lunge 400m for time. One lap around the track executing a standard lunge is suprisingly effective. The first time I did it I was let down until the following three days when I didn't even want to think about moving my legs. The second time I did the workout was outside in about two feet of snow. It wasn't as debilitating but I'm sure that if I did 800, 1200, or a full mile I would be singing a different tune. Take it for what you will. It's a great w/o to throw your routine in for some variation.

[majortrepak]

Are we talking about leg strength or leg endurance as the problem?

What I'm trying to get at is would it be better to squat 450x1 or 275x20-30?

[dasfagds]

running steep hills will make your quads super beastly

[mmaakuma]

It's not just pure powerlifting leg strength. BUD/s leg strength requires both endurance and strength. To add to the already great advice on lunges, hills, and squats:

One of the best ways to toughen up your legs would be to increase the mileage to 30+ a week. This prevents injuries and makes your legs more durable. I believe most people are shocked when they find out they have to run miles and miles a day after training for weekly 4 mile runs and the PST.

[blodgettrunner]

Though not advisable to those with knee problems, running downhill actually builds quadricep muscle faster, due to the fact that the legs are supporting much more force going downhill. You'll feel fine until you can't walk the next day. Downhill running works very well for getting used to a faster leg turnover and it makes some serious quads, but it's very easy to get injured, so make sure you do it in moderation and don't overextent your stride.

[christian gotcher]

I'm not going to downplay the emphasis towards squats here because, having only just started doing them last month, I'm a huge convert to their effective power (when done properly).

Still, don't forget some of the standard bodyweight exercises which, when done with variety at high enough reps/intensity can destroy you.
Frogjumps, starjumps, walking lunges, mountain climbers, hill sprints, calf raises, tuck jumps, air squats, and the air chair.
There's something about the legs that, since they carry you all day long and can't afford to fail, will continue on, it seems, indefinitely, until you wake up the next morning in dire need of a wheelchair.

[bk0078]

ever do clean, 2 lunges (one for each leg), then a jerk. do 30 for time and see how you.

[rsctt83]

I would suggest that you need to strive for fully functional leg strength that will enable you to spend hour after hour on your feet pushing it hard.

Here is what I do

three days a week I hit it very hard, overhead squats, thrusters, back squats, jump to bench, two count step up to bench. The key is to drop the weight and do a sick amount of reps. On a typical day I will probably do 400 to 500 reps all told. This will give you functional strength coupled with endurance. Every once in a while I will go max weight and low reps just to mix it up.

[J9579S]

What do in your workouts daily

[imddrummer]

I haven't worked my legs since I sprained an ankle in September. Well, to day my weight lifting coach made me do legs for the first time since then. I did squats, dead lifts, leg extensions (they kill after doing the previous two exercises), and then leg press. I can barely make it down the stairs. I think it is smart to include flutter kicks if you plan to go to buds. I hear they are second only to push ups to get dished out by instructors. Run too.

[TAMU_2008]

I would suggest that you need to strive for fully functional leg strength that will enable you to spend hour after hour on your feet pushing it hard.

Here is what I do

three days a week I hit it very hard, overhead squats, thrusters, back squats, jump to bench, two count step up to bench. The key is to drop the weight and do a sick amount of reps. On a typical day I will probably do 400 to 500 reps all told. This will give you functional strength coupled with endurance. Every once in a while I will go max weight and low reps just to mix it up.


Wow man 4-500? thats sick..I just started workin in a crossfit Gym here in College Station and it is a pretty good beating on the legs endurance wise..lots of reps on power clean overhead sqt ect...since Im hittin that every day (5days a week) you think I should maybe just beat down the legs on like tuesday thursday?

Thanks for all the advice guys it is very helpful

Gig'Em