Leg Development

S

Seabush

Cathlete
Do you think a person gets the same kind of leg workout (strength or endurance) with weight training tapes using barbell and dumbbells as opposed to going to the gym and using cable machines? As guess I'm curious to know whether you think doing squats, lunges, floor legwork, etc. is really as as effective as using a leg extension, leg press, leg curl, hip adductor, and hip abductor machines in the gym?

Crystal
 
Hi Seabush!

As someone who has regularly lifted at the gym and at home with barbells/dumbells, I find that they are both effective in building muscles, but challenging in different ways. At the gym, you can obviously handle more weight and perform different types of exercises. It is pretty impossible to do 70 pound leg curls at home! So, I do like working out at the gym at least once a week for leg curls, presses, and hip abductors. However, I also have found that using the free weights (i.e., dumbells and barbells at home) has been helpful because those exercises also require the use of my stabilizing muscles. I also fatigue my muscles in different ways. So, I guess my answer would be that I think both are important.
 
Hi Crystal! Active girl has summed it up accurately, but if you do not have access to a gym you can still feel very confident that you are getting very effective home exercise workouts by using dumbbells and barbells.

I will say though that I have found that the leg extention and hamstring curl machines are the only machines that do not seem to have an equivalent match in the home exercise environment(unless of course you have these actual pieces of equipment in your home).
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-06-02 AT 01:32PM (Est)[/font][p]Cathe, I've found that rubber resistance tubing can duplicate the exercises on those machines.
 
Honeybunch,

What sort of resistance tubing do you use? Do you hook it to a door or something? Can you tell how much resistance you're getting?
 
I got the stuff from Spri products, and use the Xering for leg extentions and the Ultratoner for leg curls. They come in different resistances according to color. I have the black ones, which have the most resistance, and the next level down which is blue.

I have to tell you that when they brought out the black tubing a couple of years ago, I was the only woman who ordered them for a long time! The black resistance is good for legs and most other upper body exercises, but tough, tough, tough for the chest press.

They do have a door attachement but I don't use it for these exercises. The leg extension you do in a seated position, and the leg curl in a standing position.

You can actually do a lot of exercises that mimic gym equipement like the lat pulldown and the tricep pressdown. For that you use the Xertube and the door attachment.

This is the stuff you want to throw in your suitcase when you travel! It's really not that expensive either.

Happy pumping rubber!

http://www.spriproducts.com
 
Hey Honeybunch --

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-07-02 AT 08:31AM (Est)[/font][p]I'm about to order some of the Spri stuff -- your post was so timely because we're going to travel for 15 days and this stuff would be perfect to take along. Have you tried the Lex Loops, which look like they might be good for inner/outer thigh?
Are there other exercises that you use the Spri things for that aren't on their instruction charts? And if so would you mind posting some how-tos?

Thanks so much -- hope the client recruitment's going well. We're all so thrilled for you!


http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif [FONT C OLOR=Blue]Kathy S.[/FONT]
 
Hi Honeybunch! Yes I agree. I'm not a huge fan of rubber resistance (other than for rehab) simply because I feel it is only as equally challenging as weights are for a handful of exercises; leg extentions and leg curls being two of those.
 
RE: Hey Honeybunch --

Spri has a great book called Rubber Resistant Exercises that is very complete. I don't make up my own, I do the ones in the book.
 
Dear Crystal,

Not sure what your body type or present level of conditioning is but I agree that a mix of both free weights and machines is probably optimal. I am a little taller than the average woman (5'8.5") and I have a large frame with a fair amount of muscle fiber to work with (from genetics and a decade or so of committed strength and cardio training) Admittedly, I have recently emerged from a bit of a slump which resulted in too much flab and muscle loss. I thought that using just a cable-weight system for strength training would be the ticket but since free weights force a body to bring more muscle into play to perform the exercize, I knew from experience that I needed both to accomplish my goals. My legs have always responded very quickly to squats, lunges and step aerobics. However, to gain finer definition, I do need to do at least leg extensions on a machine. I have never derived any real benefit from floor work although again, that just might be due to my body type (or my personal dislike for the exercizes!) I might add that this formula has again worked for me but I am not familiar with your particulars.

Best wishes for your success!
Bunchie
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-17-02 AT 00:19AM (Est)[/font][p]>I got the stuff from Spri
>products, and use the Xering
>for leg extentions and the
>Ultratoner for leg curls.

Honeybunch,

I borrowed an ultratoner from a friend and tried to do leg curls with it, but couldn't figure out how to do them. Could you describe how adjust the ultratoner while standing up. When I put it around the opposite leg, it just slid up. Do you step on it with the opposite leg or what?

Thanks for your patience.
 
You step on the middle part (the middle of the "figure 8") with one foot, and step into the loop with the leg you want to work. You can also do it sitting down, but I prefer the standing position.
 
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