Leg Results from HST

R

robthebeast

New Member
hey i am on the 5 rep part of my first HST cycle and while i have put on a few lbs and noticably bigger in my shoulders and arms and chest, my legs havent seen much growth at all.......i do 2 sets of squat, 2 sets leg press, and 2 sets leg curls, all supersets....has anyone tried any other rep scheme or exercises that offer better results?
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I am just a sample size of one and not necessarily representative of what is best for everyone, but my legs respond much better to higher reps. If I do squats for 5 reps I feel it in my knees and hips but almost nothing in the quads. Instead of 15, 10, and 5 - I do 30,20 and 10 for my legs. I know many folks will say you can't grow from 30 reps, but I have plenty of observational evidence to disagree. BTW, I find this particularly true for quads, but not so much for hamstrings. Good luck!
 
I would ditch the presses and curls and go a bit heavier and if your not already , go all the way down in the hole during the squat. Ass to the grass.

YOu could also try 10 x 3 for squats.
 
During my last cut cycle I started doing deadlifts (no box) again and my quads, hams, and glutes increased in size noticably.  My lats grew as well actually.  I was unable to do squats due to lack of equipment, so it was all I did in terms of "leg" exercises.  For me it seems deadlifts work better for me even though I do squats A2G.
 
One problem you may be having is volume. If you are only doing 10 reps total for squats that may not be enough for you. I have found that I need plenty of reps for squats once I hit 5s in order to keep progressing. This cycle I tried for 25 but that proved too much with my top loads so I dropped to 15 reps plus a set of 10 with my 15RM to add in some extra work.

If you can do ATG squats you will be hitting your hams and glutes more too. No need for leg curls. Just hit those squats hard.

As the others have said, deads can do the trick too. It's a combo of enough volume and plenty of load.
 
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(Lol @ Dec. 14 2006,12:15)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">One problem you may be having is volume.</div>
I second Lol... Don't be afraid of doing sets of 15 or even 20. Also, if you are doing any cardio, you may want to cut that out until you see some size changes in your legs.
 
Squats and conventional deads have kept my thighs growing, even when I don't want them to.
 
I am sure you could do a search and find the answer, but this is one easy, so:

ATG means going down as low as you can go, preferably till ur ass touches your calves.
 
Tot, I'll trade problems with you!
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I'm with Nippon: resistant legs. I've done stock HST, MN, DC, 20 rep linear, and now doing 5x5, planning to take Dr.Pierre's advice later and do 10x3's if I can. If the 5x5 and 10x3 doesn't work; there's no hope for me. I expect to see some inches soon though, lowrep and bulk eating has to work.
 
Feet a bit wider so you can't get all the way down with your butt is how I've seen most people squat, done to paralell. AKA power squats.

ATG, just refers to getting as low as possible. So with the feet about shoulder width apart so that your butt can touch your calves - or ankles if you are one of the great squatters...that's ATG. AKA - olympic squats.
 
These guys are the experts, so their advice on squatting and deads is right on.  For some, the squats alone will be enough for your hamstrings.  If you find you need more hamstring work, you should add a  multi-joint exercise like RDLs.  I still mix in some  leg curls, but alone they never did much for me.
 
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(Lol @ Jan. 06 2007,22:01)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Great example here:

Great ATG Squatting</div>
Wow.....that's damn good!

What kind of shoes are you guys wearing when doing your ATG squats?  All I have right now are cross trainer shoes and I have a hard time getting down all the way and keeping good form.  Should I consider buying some weight lifting shoes with the raised wood heel?

And what about deads?  Flat shoes or something with a slight heel?
 
For a bit more inspiration, here's another fine photo of an ATG squat being performed by Ivan Chakarov in 1993 at the World Weightlifting Championships in the training hall. He's lifting 270 kg at 91kg bw with no belt, wraps or spotters (A &quot;No-no-no&quot; squat!) - and he trippled it!

chakarov270_lg.jpg
 
I use $15 Reebok high tops I bought at Footlocker 4 or 5 years ago.  Theoretically, heeled shoes are supposed to be the best for narrow stance squats, and flat shoes are the best for wide stance.  However, I don't think it's such a big deal unless your feet are hurting.  I use narrow stance (as narrow as the guy in that video) and my cheap shoes are flat.  

http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shoexz5.jpg
 
::sniffle sniffle::: ah, if I go that low I'll hurt my little feminine petite knees!

BS: unless you have extremely long legs, then it getsd tricky on the lower back!
 
I keep meaning to invest in some proper oly shoes for squatting. There are some good Adidas ones but they ain't cheap. Hence the reason why I keep putting off buying them. I probably will when my current pair of trainers wears out. These are they of which I speak:

Lifting shoes
 
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