Leg Day

[anonymous12345]

So people say "And of course, don't skip leg day." I don't get this obsession. I do moderate squats and dead lift 90 kg. But they're exercises I find discomforting, not fun, sometimes painful. They are demanding. I run maybe 12 km a week, I don't got thin thighs.

I feel like skipping leg day which I've done recently, and instead do exercises that are fun, pleasurable, and that give more direct results (such as upper body).

What are the advantages of leg day?

 

[EyeBRollin]

Leg day is just social media marketing bullshvt. There does not need to be “leg day.” If you run or ride the bicycle often, just incorporate some sprints and hill work.

Squats and deadlifts are great leg builders. However, I wouldn’t recommend doing them while on a running plan. Those lifts are painful because they are physically the most taxing strength exercises one can do.

 

[Kdw8]

I never skip leg day, and hopefully never will. These calves are mighty.

 

[monkeybrain]

If you are going to train, why ignore the strongest and biggest muscles of the body? That is the rational for not skipping leg day. That said you should not experience pain while lifting. Also the adaptation that occurs in response to long distance endurance training is very different that that of strength training

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

Just doing 5x5 heavy squats OR deadlifts once a week is enough, honestly, especially if you run or sprint. You do not need to do any other nonsense like leg press or calf raises on top of that. My legs are strong: calves, knees, and especially quads, and I haven't done anything else for them in several years (besides running/sprints).

"Leg day" is in fact a meme, popularized by people who have no idea what they're doing.

 

[firstbornunicorn]

For runners I recommend checking out kneesovertoesguy on youtube. I run also, resistance training will keep you running well into old age and with healthy knees.

 

[anonymous12345]

If you are going to train, why ignore the strongest and biggest muscles of the body? That is the rational for not skipping leg day. That said you should not experience pain while lifting. Also the adaptation that occurs in response to long distance endurance training is very different that that of strength training

1. Why does it matter that these muscles are the strongest and biggest? I'm interested in looks for which upper body matter most, but perhaps they help burning calories.
2. What is the difference in adaptation, and in what way does it matter?

 

[monkeybrain]

1: Its not that it matters that these muscles are biggest and strongest, they already are for the absolute majority of trainees. Imagine the amount of weight you could squat versus bicep curl. You should be able to squat far more for a reason. If you are shooting for looks you can absolutely take advantage of leg training. The hormonal output that you can accomplish from training you legs will exceed anything you do with your upper body purely because of the relative size of these muscle groups. This of course will affect your entire body.

2: Endurance training will over time modify some of your muscle fibers to have greater endurance qualities. This is good if you want to be a long distance runner. Strength training will make muscle fibers behave like fast twitch short duration fibers. It depends what your goal is ultimately.

 

[EyeBRollin]

1. Why does it matter that these muscles are the strongest and biggest? I'm interested in looks for which upper body matter most, but perhaps they help burning calories.

Believe it or not you get a bigger upper body by doing squats and deadlifts. The reverse is not true. Google posterior chain.

 

[Obee1]

So people say "And of course, don't skip leg day." I don't get this obsession. I do moderate squats and dead lift 90 kg. But they're exercises I find discomforting, not fun, sometimes painful. They are demanding. I run maybe 12 km a week, I don't got thin thighs.

I feel like skipping leg day which I've done recently, and instead do exercises that are fun, pleasurable, and that give more direct results (such as upper body).

What are the advantages of leg day?

The reason not to skip leg day is because leg day typically involves the most musculature than any other training day. The more musculature, especially in the form of basic compound movements such as squats, mean a larger anabolic effect and testosterone release. This amplifies and accelerates gains in all the other muscle groups. Running is catabolic and antagonistic to gaining muscle and detrimental to strength generally. That is unless it is done in the form of sprints or HIIT style. Done this way actually raises growth hormone. And yes, most people skip leg day because it is uncomfortable and difficult. That's why men should do them. Don't be soft. Get accustomed to doing the hard things and life will become easier. Always taking the easy route will make life more difficult. That, and you can't shoot a cannon from a canoe. Again, distance running is catabolic. Sprinting and squats are extremely anabolic.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

^Not only is long distance running catabolic due to eating muscle tissue for energy, but it also increases cortisol through the roof, which ages you and lowers T substantially. Long distance running is cancer, yet people still think it's the best signal of good health.

Better to focus on speed over length. I prefer to only run for 1 mile at a time and just try to improve my time (in addition to full speed sprints).

 

[anonymous12345]

What is considered long distance? Does running 12 km once per week give such negative effects?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

So people say "And of course, don't skip leg day." I don't get this obsession. I do moderate squats and dead lift 90 kg. But they're exercises I find discomforting, not fun, sometimes painful. They are demanding. I run maybe 12 km a week, I don't got thin thighs.

I feel like skipping leg day which I've done recently, and instead do exercises that are fun, pleasurable, and that give more direct results (such as upper body).

What are the advantages of leg day?

Your legs contain much more muscle than your upper body so training them releases larger amounts of testosterone and growth hormone which will have a positive effect on your upper body as well.

 

[BigFoot04]

And to add if your doing alot of weight training for upper body and not doing legs , your going to look a bit weird in shorts weather

 

[anonymous12345]

Your legs contain much more muscle than your upper body so training them releases larger amounts of testosterone and growth hormone which will have a positive effect on your upper body as well.

Sounds good. I have a problem with libido at the moment, so maybe these exercises will have a positive effect on that.

What is the causality for one leg day per week? Is it an effect that lasts "X hours" afterwards, or how does that work?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Sounds good. I have a problem with libido at the moment, so maybe these exercises will have a positive effect on that.

What is the causality for one leg day per week? Is it an effect that lasts "X hours" afterwards, or how does that work?

There is no causality for one keg day per week...people often train them more than once a week and to great effects

 

[TonyJ78]

OP, you need to just go to the bodybuilding.com forums, read the stickies and get on one of the novice programs, which are going to start with full body routines, including squats and/or DL's.