Doing Squats and SLDLs every workout

P

Peak_Power

New Member
Hey guys, so far I've been alternating Squats (paralel narrow leg for to hit the quads), and SLDLs to hit the Hams, every 2nd workout, cause I need my legs to be tip-top for other things (I find the SLDLs leave my hams hurting, cause I never used to work them). I do really heavy weights on the legs (especially squats) and do so much on my feet all day, so much walking etc, and cardio as well (running and cycling), that my legs are pretty much sore all the time. Also until now growth in the legs haven't really been a priority.

But I haven't noticed the same strength increases in my legs as in my upper body, I'm thinking I should work each muscle every workout, which means Squats and SLDLs every workout. What do people think of this?

Also as of next cycle I'll prob put in deadlifts, and was going to do alternate all 3 on each w/o day.
 
Having done both at the same time, I'd recommend against it.

I'd pair squats with leg curls, and maybe do SLDL once per week (i.e. your three sessions would be squats + leg curls, squats + leg curls, squats + sldl). Progression on SLDL would obviously be separate from the rest of your HST stuff this way, but it seems a better compromise to get both in.
 
Unfortunately I don't have a leg curl machine
sad.gif


Yeah I was thinking doing Squat/DL/SLDL Mon/Wed/Fri, or something like that. People who have done this, are they generally happy with the growth and strength increases in their legs relative to their upper body?
 
I'm only two weeks in to my first HST cycle, but I have been doing front squats and single-leg romanian deadlifts (with dumbbells) every workout and have been very pleased with my results.

This is really the first time for me to incorporate a single leg exercise, but I'm getting a great sweep to my hams so I currently have no plans to go back to SLDL.  

Anyway, just based on my limited experience I am not having any issues including both front squats and SL RDL every workout and am having good results.  Both of these allow you to hit the legs hard w/o overstressing your lower back.  I am doing a workout every 48 hours continuous (i.e. not taking the weekends off).

Here's a link on the romanian deadlift with BB:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa63.htm

(note: I wouldn't try to incorporate the leg curl even if you had access to the machine if you are doing any kind of athletics.  I've seen the leg curl getting a lot of negative press in sports articles and by PT's...the article above also refers to the leg curl as a non-functional exercise in terms of biomechanics.)
 
<div>
(Peak_Power @ Oct. 09 2006,03:54)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Unfortunately I don't have a leg curl machine
sad.gif


Yeah I was thinking doing Squat/DL/SLDL Mon/Wed/Fri, or something like that. People who have done this, are they generally happy with the growth and strength increases in their legs relative to their upper body?</div>
For me, it was to much. I guess where all a bit different, but neither my low back nor my inner thights could handle that frequency (doing 2 sets per excercise).

J-son
 
i do squat an dl and have no problem i wouldnt ad sldl aswell though..that might be a little to much..why not try this
a)squat sldl
b)leg-press dl
cool.gif
biggrin.gif
 
Peak: I think your situation will be different to a lot of folks who's work requires less activity.

I have had great success doing squats and SLDLs up to 10s and then dropping SLDLs during 5s and doing squats Mon and Fri and normal deads on Wednesdays. I recover pretty well from this as I have a desk job most of my work day and have made good strength gains for the last 5 cycles. It will no doubt depend on the loads you are using though. My deads are now over 400lbs and my squats are around 330lbs. If you are lifting much more than this and doing all your extra activities you may have to just squat twice a week and leave it at that. I imagine you are having to eat a ton of food?
 
this is a personal preference issue.
personally i do squat, sldl and deadl in the same w/o for 10s and 15s. only when i get to 5s to i alt. squat and sldl with deadlifts. some would find that to be too much while others have no trouble with it. since i squat/sldl 1st and do deads last i dont find doing one affecting the other until the wgt starts to get real serious (5s).

to me the real question is how much of a priority is leg growth? imo working quads AND hams (squat and sldl) will be necces. if they truely are a priority. it seems the outside stuff (other then your w/o) is whats giving you problems ....running, biking, cardio. if this is all work related then theres not much you can do about it. if not, then maybe cutting back on some of that cardio while you focus on legs would be a good idea.

for what its worth. ive seen plenty guys with big legs running but most had big legs to start with. ive never known a guy with &quot;smaller&quot; legs who ran (for distance) while trying to gain size and actually be successful.

good luck
 
Well the cardio isn't work related but after reading that g-flux article I got motivated to start doing cardio again, and I enjoy it.

But the thing is I might have to show 5 people in a day how to do squats or leg press, even though I usually keep light weights when demonstrating, I feel it after I've done my HST workout.

Its actually my hams and gluts I want to focus on, my quads are pretty big already. So I might lay off the heavy squats and just do maintainance for a while?
 
How much weight would I expect to have to drop off? I figure I won't be able to do nearly as much weight.

As a fitness instructor I've always taught and been taught to only do to paralell, but then we all know that's just safety for newbs, not necesssarily gosbel truth.

So if I do full rom I cut out SLDLs completely?
 
I agree with liegelord. My hams grow from full squats and conventional deads, but it might be different for you...
 
I mix my squats up. I do one set of full ROM olympic squats and one set of feet wide parallel squats, trying to get as deep as possible but not far past parallel.

I also do SLDL on the same day - immediately after squats.

I split my workout into two halves and in the second half - I start out with Conventional Deadlifts.

My hams are or I should say were my weakest part. I found that the wide squats off of a box slightly below parallel works them best and now I don't even need the box to focus on them anymore.

In addition to squats and deads I hit the quads with leg extensions and the hams/glutes with good mornings.

I don't worry about overtraining due to frequency - we are working with submaximal weights with HST remember? By the time you get to your RM day for the training block you are doing 15, 12, 10, 8, 5, or whatever - your RM for that number of reps is no longer your RM, you've gotten stronger. Or that's the way it's worked for me anyway. I'm only on my 2nd HST cycle and wasn't that strong to start with. But I've done 8 2 week training blocks so far (I extended my first cycle a bit).

When I was doing maximum effort workouts ie Max OT and PL stuff, I was always getting overtrained because I have an inadequate CNS which doesn't recover. So far with HST, I haven't overtrained yet. I did hurt myself once, but that was my own fault for doing something kind of stupid. OK, not kind of stupid, really stupid.
 
<div>
(vagrant @ Oct. 11 2006,01:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't worry about overtraining due to frequency - we are working with submaximal weights with HST remember?</div>
Man I'm in my post-5s I don't know what &quot;sub-maximal&quot; means anymore...
 
<div>
(Peak_Power @ Oct. 11 2006,08:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(vagrant @ Oct. 11 2006,01:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't worry about overtraining due to frequency - we are working with submaximal weights with HST remember?</div>
Man I'm in my post-5s I don't know what &quot;sub-maximal&quot; means anymore...</div>
think about sding
biggrin.gif
biggrin.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top