Help with legs please!

[Darren Avey]

My poundages go up steadily on bench, deadlift and militarys but i have been stuck on the same 300 lb for 8 squat for ages. I just cant seem to get stronger on squats.
I train Mon - chest and arms
 tue - run
wed - legs
thur - run
fri - back
sat - shoulders
sun - off

does running either side of legs affect it? Thanks for any advice

[Blake]

I'd cut down on the running, or at least space it further apart from your leg days.

[haider]

have you tried NOT running the day before squat day?
Its not possible to tell whether it affects YOUR squat numbers or not, but running definitely can. Personally, I have noticed that all-out sprints tire out my core too much for me to squat safely, so I dont do them until after squat day.

[Darren Avey]

So it would be to run the day after squats but not the day before? i run because i cant stand boring gym cardio.

[haider]

Running, paticularly sprinting is THE best form of cardio, so youre on the right track there..no pun intended.

Yes, try running only after squat days or atleast a couple of days prior to.

whats your routine like anyway? and are u slackin on the diet?

[Arnold jr]

My poundages go up steadily on bench, deadlift and militarys but i have been stuck on the same 300 lb for 8 squat for ages. I just cant seem to get stronger on squats.
I train Mon - chest and arms
 tue - run
wed - legs
thur - run
fri - back
sat - shoulders
sun - off

does running either side of legs affect it? Thanks for any advice

I agree with what most are saying, try and cut out the running the day before.  If your trying to lean out and cardio is really important, even though it might be really boring you might consider doing the elliptical the day before... that would definitely save on some wear and tear. 

Also, how often do yo squat? You might try skipping the squats every 3rd or 4th leg day, also every now and again put them a bit later in your routine... mixing things up like this should help with your stagnation.

Last few things, play with your foot positioning.  If strength is your main concern and not so much development, try standing with a much wider stance when you squat... you will be able to push a lot more weight in this stance. Also, make sure you are giving your entire leg training variety and hitting the quads in every way imaginable: i.e. squats, front-squats, hack-squats, leg press, leg ext, lunges, etc. And mix up the order, set and rep range, mix up everything.  If you are doing this and your legs are still not improving, if your squat numbers are not going up, then someting else is wrong... poor diet, sleep patterns, horrible technique... you get the idea.

[GET_BIGGER]

My legs seem to not grow very well if I do cardio at all.  I usually won't run before or after due to recovery reasons, maybe a day or two in the middle of the rest period......as I do legs once a week.

[SLYY]

I don't know about the rest of you, but after a squat day......there is no chance I can run. 

When I get cut, I do cardio, but I work it around my squat days.  I try not to do cardio directly before or after squats. 

[Bear03]

I don't know about the rest of you, but after a squat day......there is no chance I can run. 

When I get cut, I do cardio, but I work it around my squat days.  I try not to do cardio directly before or after squats. 

the way i do my leg days IS a cardio workout.....

[SLYY]

the way i do my leg days IS a cardio workout.....

I hear that....

[gibberj2]

could you have two workouts for legs? One week heavy... squats and whatever else. next week do a workout without squats and more reps.

[Bear03]

could you have two workouts for legs? One week heavy... squats and whatever else. next week do a workout without squats and more reps.

you COULD....but a workout without squats is kind of a cop out....if you were gonna do this plan, i'd do it twice a week. 

Personally, low reps don't work nearly as well for leg size for me; i do one leg workout every 5-6 days, higher reps, always have squats.

[GET_BIGGER]

Legs you gotta f**king blast every damn week.......

[LatsMcGee]

Have you ever thought about trying 20 rep squats?  Those would probably not only bust you out of your lag and give you great gains.

[triple_pickle]

if you can run after a leg day then your leg workout sucks big time...

[Darren Avey]

Thanks guys, im gonna swich legs to saturdays

[ARTI]

So it would be to run the day after squats but not the day before? i run because i cant stand boring gym cardio.

You can't put on muscle/get significantly stronger & lose fat at the same time time (without gear).

So pick one,
go on a mass gaining phase (naturally). Up the calories to the point where you feel like you're going throwup after each meal.
Do basic Heavy movements, be intense then get out of gym in a hour and eat. Cut down on the cardio and rest/grow instead.
IMO, I would train Legs first on Monday, it's your weak point & you'll want more time between squats & deadlifts (friday).

Train Hard,
-Art

[Arnold jr]

go on a mass gaining phase (naturally). Up the calories to the point where you feel like you're going throwup after each meal.


Train Hard,
-Art

I don't agree with that at all bro, that's just a recipe to get fat, not to put on quality muscle. Sure, he needs to eat a lot, a whole lot if he wants any real progress, but eating smaller meals numerous times per day is a much healthier and more efficient way to go about things. Yes, I am aware that he will still put on some fat eating a surplus of calories, but the whole process will be much easier on his body if he eats smart, clean, and frequently.

[haider]

I don't agree with that at all bro, that's just a recipe to get fat, not to put on quality muscle. Sure, he needs to eat a lot, a whole lot if he wants any real progress, but eating smaller meals numerous times per day is a much healthier and more efficient way to go about things. Yes, I am aware that he will still put on some fat eating a surplus of calories, but the whole process will be much easier on his body if he eats smart, clean, and frequently.

+ maintians cardio

good post

[gibberj2]

light and heavy is good. do lots of leg presses one week and lots of squats the next week. you'll see that your legs will get stronger.

[ARTI]

I don't agree with that at all bro, that's just a recipe to get fat, not to put on quality muscle. Sure, he needs to eat a lot, a whole lot if he wants any real progress, but eating smaller meals numerous times per day is a much healthier and more efficient way to go about things. Yes, I am aware that he will still put on some fat eating a surplus of calories, but the whole process will be much easier on his body if he eats smart, clean, and frequently.

The reason I said "eat until you feel like you're going to throw up" is because this guy sounds like a classic ectomorph that doesn't understand how much food is "alot" and even if he isn't he's sure burning a ton of calories lifting and running as much as he is. I told him to go on a mass gaining "phase" not for the rest of his life. After 4-6 weeks go back to cleaner eating and up the cardio and hold on to his new muscle/strength.

[JPM]

Might try putting more weight on the bar and do 5 sets of 3 reps with a weight you do not go to failure with, one rep short of. And than do 2 set of 10-12 reps for quarter squats, which you should be able to use near 100lbs over your regular 300lb squat. Try this twice a week.  Your regular squat poundage should go up very quickly. The idea is to get use to having much more weight on you back when you squat, which in return can build up one's confidence in handling heavier weights. No offense to anyone but a 300lb squat is pretty much moderate weight for a serious BB'er. Lifting is just as much a mental pursuit as it is a physical one, maybe more. Having a picture in your mine that those 300lb squats are childs play for you can also set a positive pattern in your mind. Don't know how long or far you run, unless it's long diatance, but twice a week should not harm your ability to get into some heavy squating. Good Luck.

[Ahmster]

All the above tips are good, but here is one that is a little more unorthodox. I trained for several years training as few as 3 days a week and up to 6 days a week on full body and split routines. I always squatted so my legs grew, but never achieved that real bodybuilder size until I did the following.

For 2 months only lift weights once a week. Only do legs on that one day. When I did that my legs blew up. All of the upper body work I did seemed to limit my leg growth. I did this routine on Saturdays and on Mondays and Wednesdays I hit the heavy bag, did abs, pushups and some light dips and pullups. I did not go to failure on any of those and mainly just tried to get an aerobic workout that didn't involve my legs. My upper body got a little smaller, but not too bad. Another key point is to squat in a power rack with the bars set appropriately for a full squat. When I squat in a power rack I am not afraid to go deep and to failure since the rack will catch the weight which it should after each of your top sets. You should always end the set with the weight on the bottom racks since that meant you went to failure.   

If you really want legs and nothing else is working too well, give this a shot. 

Do the following one day a week:

Squats 4x5 (work up to a top set of 5 over 4 sets...ex: 135x5, 225x5, 315x5, 405x5)
Half Squats 2x5 (already warm so do 495x5, 585x5)
Squats 1x12-20 (make this brutal be taking a challenging weight and using deep breaths and pauses to get high reps ~275 to coincide with example weights)
Leg Press 1x20
Adductors 2x20
Glute Ham Gastroc Raise 3xmax  (If your gym doesn't have one than Leg Curls will do.)
Leg Press Calf Raise 2x20-25
Seated Calf Raise 2x20-25

Do the whole routine in 45 minutes. Any longer and your body will release cortisol which is the enemy of testosterone and growth for a natural trainer. Stretch after each set and of course follow with a protein shake.