What's your lower body workout?

[Daniel_M]

In a nutshell....

Your legs are your bodies largest muscle, and unless you sit after a workout your using them constantly. Lactic acid accumulates from that "pump" you get during a workout. Spending time on a treadmill helps ease the stiffness and flushes the lactic acid out and lowers the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

I drink a lot of water and do 20 minutes on the treadmill.

 

[Snyd]

I used to run but quit after a meniscus surgery a few years back. Winter it's stationary bike, summer is outdoor rigorous cycling and hiking hills with a pack. But when it comes to strength training for legs/core... It's Time to Squat!!

Squats are the core exercise that everything else should be built around. When you squat you use something like 256 different muscles from your traps to your toes. If you don't have any physical problems that keep you from doing them, learn how to do them properly and DO THEM! Use different "cycles" depending on what else you are doing in life and what you are training for. You can't maintain the same intesity all the time. That's where "cycles" come in.

In winter I downhill ski. I don't go over 185-205 for squats and I do high reps, 15-20 rep sets depending on the day. In the spring and summer when I'm training for sheep hunting, I do cycles where I work up to heavier weight. But... NO CHEATING ON FORM!

I'm 53, 5' 9", 175. Been squating for years. Don't go as heavy as I used to. I also listen to my body and give it time to rest and recover between workouts and cycles.



Down the road, in a gym far away

A young man was heard to say,

"No matter what I do, my legs won't grow!
"
He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too.

Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he'd do!

From the corner of the gym where the big guys train,

Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,

Where the big iron rides high, and threatin' lives,

Where the noise is made with big forty-fives,

A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,

A very big man with legs like trees,

Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,

Chalked his hands and monstrous back,

Said, "Boy, stop lying and don't say you've forgotten!

Trouble with you is you ain't been SQUATIN'!!"

 

[Daniel_M]

Booyah!! I saw this comin.

Down the road, in a gym far away

A young man was heard to say,

"No matter what I do, my legs won't grow!
"
He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too.

Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he'd do!

From the corner of the gym where the big guys train,

Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,

Where the big iron rides high, and threatin' lives,

Where the noise is made with big forty-fives,

A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,

A very big man with legs like trees,

Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,

Chalked his hands and monstrous back,

Said, "Boy, stop lying and don't say you've forgotten!

Trouble with you is you ain't been SQUATIN'!!"

 

[sanchomaes]

It's Time to Squat!!

Squats are the core exercise that everything else should be built around. When you squat you use something like 256 different muscles from your traps to your toes.[/SIZE][/FONT]

I also believe sqauting excercise should be the core of every leg workout. This will help increase stregth throughout a wide range of muscles. That being said I will commonly switch from low rep/high weight to high rep/low weight over a period of time. I do not go below a 3 rep set but often times find myself going 5x5.

Leg workout from last thursday was: sqaut 5x5, stretching, one mile on the treadmill, more stretching, 3x20 on the leg press, more stretching, stair climber for ten min.,followed by hamstring curl superset by hamstring extension 3x15 each. and ten minutes of high intensity on the eliptical.

I felt that workout until yesterday as I was pretty sore. Drink plenty of water!!! I try to hit some cardio every day I go to the gym even if it is just ten minutes on the treadmill or ten minutes on the eliptical. The days that the soreness has set in some slow walking coupled with good stretching will help.

REMEMBER the SMITH MACHINE DOES NOT COUNT AS REAL SQAUTING!!!

Go big or go home.

 

[sanchomaes]

I have been following this workout for just about 11 months now and really do enjoy it.


An excerpt from Jim Windler's 5/3/1 training method:

Training Rules of Being Awesome
1. I will strength train 2-4 days/week
2. I will commit myself to increasing my strength in the basic lifts (squat, press, bench press, deadlift and power clean) as I believe that these lifts have a great carryover to all areas.
3. I will condition like a man 2-4 days/week; a Prowler, hills, weighted vest, sprints or stadium steps will always trump hamster-cages like treadmills and ellipticals.
4. I will stretch hard.
5. I will keep strength training in the weight room and conditioning on the track. I don’t take a barbell to a marathon so keep your mouth breathing out of my squat rack.
6. I don’t need fly-by-night gadgets to get strong; a barbell, rack/squat stands, platform and a bench press is all I need.
7. I will strive to have a great workout on the main lift – and a good workout on my assistance. I recognize which lifts really matter and which are done for support.
8. I don’t get side tracked by the latest and greatest training program or an article or a post on a forum. Programs may change but principles remain forever.
9. I strive to eat well; beef, eggs, chicken, fish, milk, protein powders, fruits and vegetables make the bulk of my diet. I will eat protein. And then eat some more.
10. I recognize the importance of patience in the quest for strength. This is a lifelong pursuit which will serve me in all areas of my life.

 

[ohhiitznik]

I have been following this workout for just about 11 months now and really do enjoy it.


An excerpt from Jim Windler's 5/3/1 training method:

Training Rules of Being Awesome
1. I will strength train 2-4 days/week
2. I will commit myself to increasing my strength in the basic lifts (squat, press, bench press, deadlift and power clean) as I believe that these lifts have a great carryover to all areas.
3. I will condition like a man 2-4 days/week; a Prowler, hills, weighted vest, sprints or stadium steps will always trump hamster-cages like treadmills and ellipticals.
4. I will stretch hard.
5. I will keep strength training in the weight room and conditioning on the track. I don’t take a barbell to a marathon so keep your mouth breathing out of my squat rack.
6. I don’t need fly-by-night gadgets to get strong; a barbell, rack/squat stands, platform and a bench press is all I need.
7. I will strive to have a great workout on the main lift – and a good workout on my assistance. I recognize which lifts really matter and which are done for support.
8. I don’t get side tracked by the latest and greatest training program or an article or a post on a forum. Programs may change but principles remain forever.
9. I strive to eat well; beef, eggs, chicken, fish, milk, protein powders, fruits and vegetables make the bulk of my diet. I will eat protein. And then eat some more.
10. I recognize the importance of patience in the quest for strength. This is a lifelong pursuit which will serve me in all areas of my life.

Remember when using Windler's method to take into account its more catered for pure power/explosive strength. I used it during Football and it sure does pack on size and lbs. But sometimes too much of this type of training will have you lacking in other aspects.
I took this from a post I had on Archerytalk.com

I've also got a theory for back country fitness that anybody can apply to their fitness routine, eating habits, etc.


Think of it in a very Plato esque way...
Have to give credit to one of my favorite philosophers...


I'll call it Nik's Theory of Backcountry Fitness.


Imagine your backcountry fitness ability as a triangle, and that triangle involves 3 equal parts. Each of the 3 parts needs to be equally developed to be the best back country hunter you can become. Strive to achieve balance in the abilities.

Strength
Endurance
Mental Toughness

We as humans tend to gravitate towards our strengths. I'll use myself for example. In my particular situation my strength is just that, strength. I can lift immense amounts of weight. But what good will that do me if I can't go 200 yards without stopping for a breather? Or if I get up to the top of a ridge and I'm gasping for air? Being able to deadlift 700 lbs does me no good if I don't have the drive to push over the next ridge when my legs are burning. Being able to run a marathon non stop is amazing, but what good will that do you if you cannot deadlift enough weight to move your elk into position to quarter it? To become the best back country hunter you can become, instead of focusing on your strengths (which is a natural thing, throw it out the window. I know its hard.) FOCUS ON YOUR WEAKNESSES AS A BACKCOUNTRY HUNTER. Develop your weakness and improve upon it. Use this theory and sit down and apply it to your workouts. Look at the moves in your workouts and really evaluate if they are giving you anything in terms in the theory. Does your workout push you? Or do you just go in hit your sets without breaking a sweat or failing on your second to last rep? You know exactly what you lack in or your strengths are as a wilderness athlete. Start training the weakness and you will become a better back country hunter.

PUSH YOURSELF. IMPROVE YOUR WEAKNESS AND IMPROVE YOUR SUCCESS

 

[sanchomaes]

I have backpacked enough to understand the happy medium I need during a backpack hunt. Windler's 5/3/1 has been good for me with and when I found the correct amount of balance between this weight training and cardio I feel very comfortable in the backcountry.

 

[Snyd]

Instinctive Training.... listen to your body not the calendar... sometimes less is more

One thing that took me a while to get over was "training by the calendar". A 20-35 year old can recover much more quickly than a 40-55 year old. I no longer Squat or Bench or whatever because it's "that" day of the week. I pay attention to my body and look at what I have done over the past few days and then act accordingly. If I plan on squating today but my back is sore from something I did yesterday and I skied my butt off the day before and still fell some soreness, I'll bag the squats, do some cardio, abs and stretching. Or even just take another day of rest and then pick it up the next day.

It's important to be fully recovered. Otherwise a guy can overtrain, not make any gains and risk a strain or injury. I do however make some exceptions to this like when I'm doing weekly training hikes with a pack. Someone mentioned "mental training". Sometimes when I'm tired, it's pouring rain or whatever and I don't feel like doing my training hike, I'll throw some extra weight in the pack and push on through it. But, I won't slap on another 50lbs in the squat rack or try to see what my 1 rep max is when I'm fatigued.

This approach works hand in hand with doing training cycles when you are adding a little weight each routine. If your not fully recovered, skip the routine then pick it up again the next day. Your still in the cycle and can make the gains. Forget about what day it is, listen to your body and make the gains.

 

[jmez]

Squats are definitely king.

For the last 4 weeks I have been doing deep squats, 3 sets of 20. Lower the weight you would normally use and touch your butt to your heels. Keep it slow and controlled though the entire rep. Great start to the leg workout.

 

[Daniel_M]

The great thing about squats- you don't have to try and squat the world. Just a solid medium weight. Even 50% of your 1RM is solid.

 

[Broken Arrow]

I do squats,lunges with weight, dumbell cleans? ex: squat down grab your dumb bells lift them up to the sides of your face standup and then press your arms up come back down the same way. Those are killer for me. Oh and keep your knees behind your toes always! Treadmill on a hill program that goes from 0 to 20 on incline for 2-3 miles with at a min #50 pack twice a week right now will continue to increase weight and miles as it gets closer to sept.

 

[ohhiitznik]

Squats are definitely king.

For the last 4 weeks I have been doing deep squats, 3 sets of 20. Lower the weight you would normally use and touch your butt to your heels. Keep it slow and controlled though the entire rep. Great start to the leg workout.

I hate to break it to you Jmez, but now you are finally squatting the real way

Deep squats are not a specific lift. That is the true squat. ASS TO THE GRASS!

Most people just do parallel squats and that puts more emphasis on the anterior muscle chain than the posterior, which causes an imbalance and uses more quad support instead of more core support. Keep going ass to the grass on all your squats and you'll see results much faster than the heavy parallel squat.

 

[Broken Arrow]

+1 on the ass to the grass squats. Got in a huge debate with a coworker on this had to prove to him that you CAN squat that low without your knees past your toes and it was harder and a better workout with less weight than a parallel squat! He is much stronger than I but he couldn't do as much as a I could doing a real squat. Core is king!

 

[trkyslr]

My crossfit wod a couple days ago was a met for time. 800 meter run then 800 meters of lunges holding a 45# plate overhead (rxd) then finish with 800 meter run. Crazy @$$ leg workout and a lot of core and upper body as well. My time was 18:52. Ive never done so many lunges before and to boot holding weight over head. I recover pretty fast but im still sore from that one. Todays a big trail run....

 

[big10hunter]

+1 on the ass to the grass squats. Got in a huge debate with a coworker on this had to prove to him that you CAN squat that low without your knees past your toes and it was harder and a better workout with less weight than a parallel squat! He is much stronger than I but he couldn't do as much as a I could doing a real squat. Core is king!

Won't debate you on this, but squatting that low puts too much stress on my knees. Used to be able to get away with this, but I go to 90 degrees for squats and stick to lighter weight.

 

[ohhiitznik]

Won't debate you on this, but squatting that low puts too much stress on my knees. Used to be able to get away with this, but I go to 90 degrees for squats and stick to lighter weight.

It wouldn't put stress on your knees if your form was correct. Try to point your toes slightly outward, and when you go all the way down force your knees outward as well. You'd be best off grabbing a crossfit coach/Olympic lifting coach and have them teach you how to squat correctly. If your knees are caving in or are inward of your toes it will cause damage. Parallel squats are also knee damaging because it puts a lot of pressure on the anterior muscle group to hold you and then raise you up. You don't engage your hams or glutes fully when you only go parallel and it can also cause damage to the knee. If squatting is hurting you its only due to form, unless you have past underlying knee injuries that haven't been taken care of or healed properly. Even just doing squats with no weight and correct form will do more for your legs than doing parallel squats with 135. You may have to do more reps, but you will engage all muscle groups by squatting correctly, and balance in your leg muscles helps stave off injury.

 

[Sameir]

Bootcamp 2X weekly. Trainer is a big fan of air the squat. Don't audio too bad until you do about 100 of them. Raise 2X weekly mostly breasts 1 set of each lift until failing capture for 25 reps/lift, 20 air the squat and force ups between raises for a complete of 60 complete up with 20 moments of stairway stepper. Aerobic 2x weekly 45+ moments each period. My feet experience hashed most of the weeks time.

 

[MtnHunter]

If you're not near the mountains, try this workout. It's just a mile, but it hurts. Warm up and get your joints loose by doing a short jog and air squats. Then, go out to the local track and run 200 yards, lunge for the next 200 yards, sprint as hard as you can for 400 yards, run for another 400 yards, do backwards lunges for 200 yards, and then sprint the final 200 yards. It's a good mix of cardio, strength, and endurance. Push yourself and you will be sore...

 

[Racethesunset]

A second and third counterpoint against squats and similar lifts:

A lot of folks are suggesting the cross-fit super-intensity style lifts, squat jumps, squats with weight, but I see these lifts and question if they are really a good longer term approach to health.

It doesn't take much to look at the exercises my Grandpa and his friends can (and can't do) and make a judgement call on where the problems will be in 40 years. The knees, for most of us, will wear out eventually.

When I practice the basic physical motion of a squat, my joints let me know that it's not for me. I'm in my late 20s, and if I listen to my knees, there is an audible creak with a steeper angle, weight, and impact stress on the joint. Been like that forever and there is nothing wrong my knees - have been able to run six minute mile for 15 years, scale, descend, climb, ski, raft, football, baseball, soccer, tennis - whatever and wherever you want to go and do.

If you're wanting mass, become best friends with a hill in your area. Perform intervals as you jog, run, bike, power walk, whatever you like, up it. Use your knees the way they were intended to be used.

Just my two cents

 

[ohhiitznik]

I also have crepitus in my knees that you speak of. I'm also a crossfit coach. When squatting correctly, even with weight, I have no audible crepitus. But if I just bend my knees to raise up from a couch or climbing stairs I have audible creptius. The human body was made to move. It was made to move in certain ways and if you follow those paths it works great and you won't have knee problems. Jump squats and such aren't for everybody. But squatting is a motion that everyone should be able to do and was necessary for life before our modern conveniences. And you're right about the body wearing out. Everyone's body wears out eventually. But you can also look to your grandfathers particular diet as well. They ate a lot differently without a lot of the vitamins and supplements we have today. It's pretty amazing if you look at the diets from your grandfathers vs ours today. You can question the long term effects of these lifts on ones health, but the same can be said about football, mountain climbing, baseball, soccer, tennis, etc.

All things you do have your body wear out, you can't hide from it. But Oly lifting isn't going to be nearly as bad for it as playing catcher in baseball for 10 years, or playing football and getting banged up.