Am I on the right track?

[Boss Man]

Hamstring exercises include lunges, regular, not side or front which are more quads, hamstring curls, stiff legged deadlifts, leg press. All those will do.

The quad exercises are ones like smith squats, freebar squats, sumo squats, bulgarian split squats, leg extensions, front and side lunges, (as mentioned above), box step ups and wall squats.

[Jade86]

Awesome Thanks heaps

[Jade86]

what is a regular lunge?? I thought a front lunge was regular?

[Boss Man]

There's a difference between all 3.

What I referred to as a normal lunge, is what I will describe below.

1. You extend one leg behind you then attempt to use a siting down motion until the front leg looks like an upside down L and the other one looks like an normal L,

2. Then you go back to a standing position and repeat with the other leg.

This is one rep, which you repeat for reps.

It looks like this.



As you see the person has planted their leg behind them and used a kind of sitting down position that I described before.

Front lunges are where you plant one foot forwards and then lean into it, then straighten up and repeat on the other leg, which is one rep, then you do the required number of reps.

Side lunges are where you keep one leg forwards, the other sideways and use the lean in technique as you do on front lunges.

The difference is though, you don't switch legs like you would with front lunges, you work the same leg several times, then switch to the other one and work that repetitively.

Hopefully that all makes sense .

[Jade86]

ok yep good to know, I have been doing normal lunges, thanks

[Boss Man]

I just called them normal, because they normally just get called lunges, though there's nothing abnormal about the other two variations

[vamp]

leg curls do hamstrings, leg extensions do quadriceps

You can look up different exercises on her or in an internet search to find out what each exercise looks like and where it focuses on the body. When starting out it helps to do this so you know the terminology of each to make ease of communication with others you talk to about it and it can help you plan your workouts so you are balanced in how much you are working each muscle.

I hope this helps

Chris

[Jade86]

Thanks Chris, I have been doing a lot of research online it all becomes a bit of info overload!! Thanks for the tip I'm slowly getting into a nice routine, might go over it again tonight to see how I can improve it

[vamp]

I guess I should add, try to do an equal number of sets on the quads and the hams in order to keep your balance.

Perhaps something like....

Squats 5 x 5
leg extensions 3 x 12
leg curls 3 x 12
toe raises on a rail or 2x4 (allows greater range of motion for the muscle) 3 x 12

This is just an example for a leg day and does well to hit everything. By no means is it the be all and end all of leg workouts nor should it be the only leg routine you ever use.

Cheers,
Chris

[Boss Man]

The sentiment you gave about equal working of the two muscle groups, is something I also said also and stand by.

Quad or hamstring dominance isn't a good way to go.

[Jade86]

Hey, Just to ask more questions ;P
what do you guys think of leg day I did today?

3 sets 8 reps 2.5 kilo squats
3 sets 8 reps 5 kilo squats
6 sets 8 reps leg press 40 kilos
6 sets 8 reps leg curl 40 kilos
3 sets 12 reps deadlift 20 kilos
6 sets 9 reps deadlift 25 kilos

I left out leg extentions today.. as I thought it would be too much quads.

do you think its enough in a leg day? or should I do more reps or sets? thanks :)

[Jade86]

Also, I'm know I could do heavier on dead lifts.. But am worried I could throw out back? What are your thoughts on that? I'm doing the best form I can .. Knees slightly bent shoulder with apart, straight back ..

[vamp]

weight belt's can have there benefit if worn correctly and are a prevention aid of back injury during heavier lifting. The other way to help is to slowly increase the weight or the reps each workout to give progress and challenge... for example... if doing 3x10, the next workout 3x11 then 3x12... 3x15 and then the following workout go to the next incremented weight (usually 5 lbs) and start at 3x10 again. This allows continuous increases slowly so you can maintain your form and safety.

Cheers!

Chris

[Boss Man]

Weight belts can for some become a dependance and not a beneficial one in many occasions. The belts are best when you're trying 1 rep maxes or you have minor niggles of the back, because when used regularly they can act as an artificial assist, which may cause reduced activation of the abdominal muscles, potentially weakening them.

One question; do you intend this workout to be done once or twice a week?

[vamp]

Thanks Bossman, I forgot about the possible dependence on weight belts... personally I have not used one in years but I know some swear by them.

Cheers!