Aside from Squats and lunges, what are quick ways to grow my chicken legs?
admin | Dec 31, 2007 | 6 comments
Just_like_George asked:
I’m putting together a great upper body, except for some extra fat but how can I build muscle on these ‘get-a-way sticks’? Squats hurt my back and I don’t think I have enough overall foundation for me to sit and focus on each individual leg muscle (I’m thinking more core excercises to start) and these legs are tiny! You don’t want to see me in shorts!
Anika
I’m putting together a great upper body, except for some extra fat but how can I build muscle on these ‘get-a-way sticks’? Squats hurt my back and I don’t think I have enough overall foundation for me to sit and focus on each individual leg muscle (I’m thinking more core excercises to start) and these legs are tiny! You don’t want to see me in shorts!
Anika
Filed Under: Supplements
power walking on incline.
Workout A
3×5 Squat
3×5 Bench Press
1×5 Deadlift
Workout B
3×5 Squat
3×5 Standing military press
3×5 Power cleans/Pendlay Rows
awesome for adding mass
Squats shouldn’t hurt your back. Unless you have a bad back, that’s a red flag that you need to check your form.
Squats and lunges are great. I also love leg press, hamstring curls, and leg extensions. Burning out on leg extensions will definitely help!
One thing I’d like to add though is to not forget about your calves. They need to be worked like the others to get proportional legs.
To build up the calve muscles:
Stand on the edge of a stair or step with one leg, so only your toes and ball of your foot are touching the stair. Slowly lift yourself as high as you can so that the heel is higher than your toes, and hold for a few seconds. Then, slowly lower yourself below equilibrium, so your heel is lower than your toes, and hold for a few seconds. Repeat as many times as you can with each leg.
For extra definition, do your squats and lunges with weights in each hand.
For additional exercised, try leg lifts or the leg press at your local gym.
Core exercises will, if you pick the right ones, work your legs, but only as a secondary result. Cycling, running, swimming, crosstrainer/striders, etc.
And if that little lot looks rather like a bit of cardio, that’s because it is. And that means that to get your legs in shape you may end up shrinking your upper body just a little (it’ll help shift some of the extra fat too). And when you’re happy your legs are looking in proportion, remember not to leave them out of your mix in future.
While you’re at it you could look at including some exercises to target the muscles in the area of back pain you are experiencing.
You can do Front/Zercher Squats and Leg Presses. There is no pressure on the lower back.