LETS SETTLE THIS FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL! regarding legs

[EL Mariachi]

If you want to achieve maximum leg growth, some people swear that you need to go really heavy with low reps 5 to 8.

Well i tried that and i was able to walk fine after the workout, with little muscle-soreness in the next few days.

But if i go easier on the weight, and complete sets for a minimum of 20 reps to failure, i cant walk the stairs after that, my legs feel beat, and i get tremendous msucle soreness for 4/5 days.  Does muscle soreness have anything to do with musclegrowth? And if you cant walk the stairs does that gonna deliver you better gains?

We need a expert on this, my logica tells me that im gonna get bigger legs by high reps, if im wrong explain to me whats wrong. we need a expert on this.

thanks

[NoCalBbEr]

everyone's different. high reps and high weight are the best for mass. going high reps doesn't mean light weights.

my legs grows form about anything. i do abou 10-15 reps

[Cap]

You can't settle an individual training style once and for all.  But like Norcal said, high reps and weight do help.  Gh15 also said this on the G&O.  Higher reps make me work really hard and I love the feeling but there are some who grow their legs with heavier weight and lower reps. 

As far as soreness it could mean many things (you should read the thread about DOMS).  It could mean your body is adapting as well as possibly a need for more rest and better nutrition to aid in recovery.

Try it and see how you like it.  I worked up to 20 reps with 275 doing the 20 rep squat workout and I have never been closer to passing out since then as well as before.  Experimentation is the only way to know what works for you.  In terms of your joints, I would do a combo to strengthen joints, tendons but also give them a break from time to time.  Also experiment with GVT, like JPM has mentioned.  I tried it for a while and with legs it is brutal.

[EL Mariachi]

You can't settle an individual training style once and for all.  But like Norcal said, high reps and weight do help.  Gh15 also said this on the G&O.  Higher reps make me work really hard and I love the feeling but there are some who grow their legs with heavier weight and lower reps. 

As far as soreness it could mean many things (you should read the thread about DOMS).  It could mean your body is adapting as well as possibly a need for more rest and better nutrition to aid in recovery.

Try it and see how you like it.  I worked up to 20 reps with 275 doing the 20 rep squat workout and I have never been closer to passing out since then as well as before.  Experimentation is the only way to know what works for you.  In terms of your joints, I would do a combo to strengthen joints, tendons but also give them a break from time to time.  Also experiment with GVT, like JPM has mentioned.  I tried it for a while and with legs it is brutal.

that i get sore, that got nothing to do with lack of nutrition and rest,i havent trained the whole week, and ate good. when i finished my leg workout friday my legs were so sore(in a positive way) i couldnt even do seated calf raises from sore teardrops for godsakes. i aslo did close feet legpress, and my outer legsweep is still on fire after 2 days. I only get this sore when i push myself real hard. Im experimentating with high reps now, i take a weight where by i reach failure at 20 reps. But we re all humans, there shouldnt be much difference about our training technique's.

[Cap]

that i get sore, that got nothing to do with lack of nutrition and rest,i havent trained the whole week, and ate good. when i finished my leg workout friday my legs were so sore(in a positive way) i couldnt even do seated calf raises from sore teardrops for godsakes. i aslo did close feet legpress, and my outer legsweep is still on fire after 2 days. I only get this sore when i push myself real hard. Im experimentating with high reps now, i take a weight where by i reach failure at 20 reps. But we re all humans, there shouldnt be much difference about our training technique's.

Like I said, one option is that your body might be adapting but the better you rest and have nutrition, the better recovery will be.  Once you adapt it will get better, until you try something new.  No offense but despite the fact that we are all humans, everybody is not going to react the same way or have the same effect when training the same.  Some will get better results on a Milos program and some will do better on a Dorian program.  And nutrition, as I have learned the hard way, will determine a lot of you results.  All IFBB pros juice but they will not all do well, or even attempt, a Platz leg workout or a Milos giant set workout because some may not respond and most will not try.  If everybody could get by doing the same thing then all juicers would look like Flex Wheeler or Dillet with their lazy routines.  I'm just trying to give you perspective.  Many ectomorphs are told to drop their volume but many also do well with it.  Hope that helps.

[leonp1981]

I'm a hardgainer, and I stick to 6-10 reps for squats and leg press, 8-12 for extensions/curls.  Higher reps didn't make me as sore as low reps do.  At the moment, I can barely walk for 3 days after leg day, (don't even mention stairs!!)

Even though we are all the same, for some reason we all react differently.  It could be your individual ratio of slow-twitch to fast-twitch, or how your legs have been forced to adapt as you have grown up.  Either way, we all have to find what works for us and do it.

[EL Mariachi]

I'm a hardgainer, and I stick to 6-10 reps for squats and leg press, 8-12 for extensions/curls.  Higher reps didn't make me as sore as low reps do.  At the moment, I can barely walk for 3 days after leg day, (don't even mention stairs!!)

Even though we are all the same, for some reason we all react differently.  It could be your individual ratio of slow-twitch to fast-twitch, or how your legs have been forced to adapt as you have grown up.  Either way, we all have to find what works for us and do it.

im looking at the intensity, ive tried heavy weight on legpress with 6 to 8 reps, its also good. but when you do 20 reps to failure its much more harder, no doubt about that. when you load up the legpress very heavy, its also hard, but the set is soon over, just the last few reps are very intense.


but if you go over 20 reps, its gonna hunt you from the 15'th rep. much harder to my knowledge

[BigFish]

I understand your perspective and reasoning Mariachi, which is why for the last sixteen weeks i tried both.  i did the first 8 weeks with heavy weight and reps of no more than 10 and the last 8 weeks i went with managable weight at no less than 25 reps gradually adding plates as i went through my sets.  I feel like during and right after the workout on heavy sets/low reps i am fine and could go for mmore but the next few days are hell.  On light sets/managable weight i struggle walking immediately after i workout but the next few days aren't as brutal.  I think i'm going to keep this mix because it's always been said that it's good to add variety to your routine for maximun gains.  To each their own but i truley think either way is beneficial.

[EL Mariachi]

I understand your perspective and reasoning Mariachi, which is why for the last sixteen weeks i tried both.  i did the first 8 weeks with heavy weight and reps of no more than 10 and the last 8 weeks i went with managable weight at no less than 25 reps gradually adding plates as i went through my sets.  I feel like during and right after the workout on heavy sets/low reps i am fine and could go for mmore but the next few days are hell.  On light sets/managable weight i struggle walking immediately after i workout but the next few days aren't as brutal.  I think i'm going to keep this mix because it's always been said that it's good to add variety to your routine for maximun gains.  To each their own but i truley think either way is beneficial.

yes thats the best thing to do.

you know long time ago when i played soccer and got injured. when this massuer was massaging  my quad, he told me that i have a lot of musclefibers in it he was surprised, he never saw that.is that a good thing? i didnt train back then, and had skinny legs.

[BigFish]

i'm no Masseuse so i don't know the answer to that question but i always thought that muscle fibers were deep within the tissue of your legs, so i would guess that it'd be hard to tell if someone has a lot or not. 

[EL Mariachi]

i'm no Masseuse so i don't know the answer to that question but i always thought that muscle fibers were deep within the tissue of your legs, so i would guess that it'd be hard to tell if someone has a lot or not. 

thats what he said, he was giving really deep tissue massage, it hurts like hell, i dont think he said i got a lot of muscles, cause i had chopsticks for legs.

[BigFish]

interesting.  Well then if there is truth to his staement i would think that you should be able to turn those chopsticks into tree trunks.  You can never have too many muscle fibers. 

[BigCypriate]

I've tried a lot of rep/weight ranges throughout the years and have come to this conclusion:

20 REP SQUATS WITH THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT YOU CAN REP FOR 20 WITHOUT REST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thewickedtruth]

I've tried a lot of rep/weight ranges throughout the years and have come to this conclusion:

20 REP SQUATS WITH THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT YOU CAN REP FOR 20 WITHOUT REST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BIG WEIGHT AND BIG REPS!

[jpm101]

There are no absolutes in BB'ing. So the statement "Let's settle this for once and all! regarding legs" is not important. No one way is the right way for most everyone. 3 reps will do for you what 20 reps will not. And vice versa. Explore on your own what is the key for you. My best gains were doing heavy 20 rep breathing squats, of 2 sets, where I gained a lot of pure muscle weigh in a short period. Also gained from 7X3's for squats. Get under a bar and experiment, might surprise yourself. Good luck.

[bigkahuna]

always trained with heavy weights for legs until a few months ago dropped my poundages by about 25%
and increased the reps and improved rom.
this is the best decision i have ever made in regards to legs.

[dizzleman06]

everyone's different. high reps and high weight are the best for mass. going high reps doesn't mean light weights.
my legs grows form about anything. i do abou 10-15 reps

Yeah, it does, if you are training to failure...duh

[Dreadlifter]

My best results in terms of both poundages and development came when i was doing lower reps (6-8) heavy weight one week, higher reps (10-20) moderate weight the next week. Get the best of both worlds that way and it did the trick for me.