leg workouts

[soccer50]

I personally dont believe in leg machines. Upperbody muscles can be worked out by free weights and mmachines. Its not really important to me. But the legs are really important. They support the whole body and are essential for every activity. Leg machines work out certain part of your legs suchs as quads and calves but thats not good. when you run, walk, kick, swim, watver, you use much much more that 2-3 muscles. Machines just give u an imbalance. Thats why I believe that the only real exercise for legs is to use them ie run, kick, etc. Am i right? or am i getting the wrong idea about machines?

 

[lost_tortoise]

I think the answer here, like so many other answers, is dependent upon what you want to achieve. I am not currently training, but I have been lifting weights for lack of so much as a training partner. My goals as I lift weights are quite different than they are when I am training in the combat arts. I am using freeweights and leg extension apparatus for two things...mass and aesthetics. In training, I don't generally use weights for my legs because I believe that if I am training well, my legs will benefit from those specific movements and weight training may even hinder those benefits. Okay, it's been a looong day and I think I might be rambling so I'd better go. Hope I helped a little.

 

[lvwhitebir]

Originally posted by soccer50
Leg machines work out certain part of your legs suchs as quads and calves but thats not good. when you run, walk, kick, swim, watver, you use much much more that 2-3 muscles. Machines just give u an imbalance. Thats why I believe that the only real exercise for legs is to use them ie run, kick, etc. Am i right? or am i getting the wrong idea about machines?

I think you're getting the wrong idea about machines. That's like saying you shouldn't do the curl because you only work one muscle in your arm. Machines (as pretty much all weight lifting) can help you isolate particular muscle groups that you might find very difficult to isolate otherwise. Isolated training is important because you can actually do an exercise and not really target the muscle you want. That's because the ancillary muscles get too tired and you poop out.

Running and kicking are fine exercises, but they won't build muscle mass. They build endurance and help to burn fat. The only true way to build muscle mass is to over exert the muscle through contraction. Otherwise, you'd see a lot of marathon runners in bodybuilding or power-lifting contests.

WhiteBirch

 

[A.R.K.]

I would recommend Hindu squats over machines or free weights.

http://www.cbass.com/Furey.htm

Hope this helps :asian:

 

[Kope]

For building raw strength in the legs, you really only need 4 excercises: squats, lunges, leg curls, calf raises.

For endurance and flexability, Hindu squats and other bodyweight excercises are great.

Plyometric excercises will really help give you explosive power.

Personally, I'm not a fan of weight machines for most excercises as they tend to ignore or minimize the role of stabalizing muscles that are just as (if not more) important for martial artists. However, for some movements, such as leg curls, there's really no good free-weight alternative.

Machines are one of the tools at your disposal in planning a personal conditioning program. If you lack general strength and are new to weight training, machines can do a lot to help you get started. The more advanced you become the more you should move to free weights where possible. And you shouldn't think that weight training is the end-all of conditioning. Strength is only part of the equation, speed, flexability and endurance are important as well and are trained differently (and serpartely) from strength.