The secret to legs with size, strength and endurance

There are countless leg exercises in magazines and books that promise great results. Many are good workouts, but the secret to continued progress is keeping your muscles from adapting, while building on what you’ve already done. What I mean by this is that mixing and matching great workouts just doesn’t work very well. You need to change your workouts frequently to keep your muscles growing, but if you don’t plan properly, you could be wasting your time.

When you plan your workouts correctly, each workout builds on what you accomplished in the previous workout, so keep moving forward, rather than backtracking every time you change workouts. A good example of this is the number of weightlifters who have trained for decades. They start a training cycle using lighter weights for higher reps. The first or second week they can do 3 sets of 8 repetitions. The next few weeks may be 5 sets of 5 reps. Then, they add weight and decrease their reps each week until they are ready to test themselves for a single rep max. This is usually done in a contest, with strict judges and rules. This works well if your goal is to lift as much as possible in a lift for one rep.

In bodybuilding, the weight you use doesn’t have to be that heavy. It is more important to use muscle tension and training volume to stimulate muscle growth. A bodybuilder can choose 4 different exercises for a muscle group and do 4 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise. You will not develop as much strength training as this, as you will train like a Powerlifter, but you must increase your muscle mass and further improve the shape and definition of your muscles.

A triathlete has fantastic endurance, especially in his legs. They can swim, run and bike for hours on end, with great intensity! They are not very muscular and most cannot lift much weight. They train to be able to move the body as fast and far as possible, so great force is not necessary and size is counterproductive.

All of these sports have something in common. They train with a very specific goal in mind. To achieve the best possible results in these sports, they have to. This is even more obvious in the case of the triathlete than in bodybuilding and weightlifting. I think bodybuilders and weightlifters need to train every now and then to get through their stages.

I have competed in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Strongman, and Highland Games, not to mention several mainstream sports. I trained differently for each of them, except for the Highland Games, which I only did for fun while training for Powerlifting. Of all those sports, I have had the most success at Strongman. One of the things I like the most about him is that you have to be well rounded. Without enough strength, you have no chance. If it is too small, you will not be able to move some of the implements. If you can lift a weight but get tired too soon, you will be left in the dust. You must also have incredible mental toughness and a desire to succeed. I mean, let’s face it, Strongman events hurt.

What I mean is, as a Strongman competitor, I need size, strength, and endurance. That is more true for the legs than for any other part of the body. This is also true for other sports that involve both speed and power. Soccer, baseball, rugby, soccer, and sprinting come to mind. To do that, I can’t afford to focus on Force alone, like a Powerlifter. Nor can I waste my time building size for the sake of size. I certainly can’t spend hours running, swimming, and biking if I want to have the power and size that I need. I think I have come across a good leg workout that helps me develop relative Size, Strength and Endurance for my sport. I still do event specific workouts, but that’s mostly for technique.

This workout involves doing leg squats only and doing it only once a week. The first two weeks do 10 sets of 10 reps with just a minute or two of rest between each set. The 10 sets of 10 routine is more commonly known as German volume training and is BRUTAL. I only do this for two weeks, because I also want strength. This workout is great for improving your endurance and will also stimulate muscle growth. Keep in mind that it will be very PAIN for a few days after the first week. The second week, you should be able to add some weight to the bar and you won’t be as sore. I won’t go into the details of nutrition here, but if you want to take advantage of the muscle growth potential of this workout, you’d better eat enough protein and good quality foods.

The next two weeks you squat for 8 sets of 8 reps. This is great for muscle growth because it’s lower in both sets and reps than the first two weeks, so you can use more weight, but it’s still a great volume of work to stimulate muscle gains. Like the first two weeks, you should be able to add some weight to the second week of 8 sets of 8 reps.

Weeks 5 and 6 will be all about gaining weight and transitioning from size training to strength training. The training will be 5 sets of 5 repetitions of squats. Now that we are going heavier, it is especially important to pay attention to proper form. Make sure to keep an arch in your back and sit back and down in the squat rather than allowing your knees to come out in front of your toes. I explain proper squat form in more detail on my weightlifting squat page. You’ll want to do a couple of warm-up sets before hitting the first of your 5 heavy sets. If you haven’t been wearing a lifting belt, it’s time to start when you get to this part of the program. Like the other sections, you should be able to add at least a little weight in the second week (week 6) of this part.

The seventh and eighth weeks are a real power workout. The training will be 3 heavy series of 3 repetitions. Heat up and then do it. Think of pure power and prepare for each series. After these two weeks, you will have completed your 8 week cycle to increase the Size, Strength and Endurance of your Legs. If you’ve done this when preparing for a weightlifting competition, take another week to do 3 sets of 1 rep and then rest for at least 10 days before competition day. If you’re not trying to peak for a strength competition, start over with all 10 sets of 10 and do it all over again. You should be stronger the second time around and well on your way to dramatic improvements in size, strength, and endurance.

Good luck with your training and be sure to save some money for some new pants with bigger legs!

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