Total body weights and leg training
- Thread starter kariev
- Start date
DirtDiva
Cathlete
Its going to depend on the dvd workout and how you want your legs to look.
Some full body workouts are way easier then others and that's going to play with the results and if you are looking for well-defined quads (that VMO look) glutes and calfs, workouts like Gym Style Legs are going to be the most effective.
Personally I think split workouts are more effective anyway and that's usually what I do 95% of the time. I also LOVE full body workotus and add them in during the week as change ups. Probably do a full body workout once a week really.
If I was going for a more honed, cut look, I'd add in a leg-specific workout in addition to what you are doing.
Legs and Glutes
Lower Body Blast
Slow and Heavy Legs
Gym Style Legs
Pyramid Lower
STS Legs Meso 1 & 2 and Squat Rack
Last edited:
lisa_la_machina
Cathlete
Hi Kariev,
I get the best results when I change my approach, and for me "results" means maintaining or improving my fitness levels and simply enjoying the workout generally. Obviously, these are goals for most of us, but what I specifically mean is that I am not currently training for a competition or marathon or looking to lose weight. If that makes sense...
Here are some different combinations that I have enjoyed, and keep in mind that I do cardio or yoga on the other days:
1 circuit (like HSTA or HSC or CircuitMax or AT) + 2 Total Body workouts (MM, ME, MIS, etc)
3 Total Body/week (although I'm pretty sure I recently read Cathe only recommends total body 2x/week, I still have weeks where I like to do this--just putting a cross training day in between the weight work)
1 circuit + 1UB workout (like Pyramid UB or Total Body Trisets UB) + 1LB workout (any STS leg workout, Gym Style legs, B&G, etc)
1 Total Body workout (like on a Monday) + 1UB workout + 1LB workout later in the week (like UB on Thurs and LB on Fri or Sat)
HTH!
I get the best results when I change my approach, and for me "results" means maintaining or improving my fitness levels and simply enjoying the workout generally. Obviously, these are goals for most of us, but what I specifically mean is that I am not currently training for a competition or marathon or looking to lose weight. If that makes sense...
Here are some different combinations that I have enjoyed, and keep in mind that I do cardio or yoga on the other days:
1 circuit (like HSTA or HSC or CircuitMax or AT) + 2 Total Body workouts (MM, ME, MIS, etc)
3 Total Body/week (although I'm pretty sure I recently read Cathe only recommends total body 2x/week, I still have weeks where I like to do this--just putting a cross training day in between the weight work)
1 circuit + 1UB workout (like Pyramid UB or Total Body Trisets UB) + 1LB workout (any STS leg workout, Gym Style legs, B&G, etc)
1 Total Body workout (like on a Monday) + 1UB workout + 1LB workout later in the week (like UB on Thurs and LB on Fri or Sat)
HTH!
maddiesmum
Cathlete
Dirt Diva nails it with her answer. But I would just add: it's not just a question of how you want your legs to look, but how you want them to feel and function?
What I mean is, I train my legs differently at different times depending upon my larger fitness goal. When I am doing a lot of running, or trying to lean out the legs a little, I engage in a lot of leg-heavy cardio days rather than over loading with the heavy weights on leg weight training days. In this respect I am trying to build a more endurance leg week and an endurance leg feel. I don't want to hit the ground running with legs that feel like lead because of very heavy weight training or an exhaustive weights for legs session the day before. The heavy leg feeling is anathema to me when running. I want my legs to feel worked, but not depleted, I want them to feel more elastic than heavy, if you catch my drift.
So, I might do a selection of the following type workouts across a week, 10 day, 2 week period, all depending:
--LowMax (blasts that target the legs, no weights, endurance training),
--Xtrain Cardio leg blast or whatever it's called! ( plyo, HiiT blasts for legs mixed with medium weights to fatigue the muscles, again aiming for endurance effect because the work on the legs never lets up during this workout)
--two short CTX step cardios back to back (my faves are CTX All Step and CTX Step & Intervals, both end with interval work, leg intensive)
--Imax 2 (leg intensive blasts)
--One leg training day like GS Legs, PLB
--Runs at the gym on the treadmill which I follow with 1 hour of leg weight training with machines (leg press, hamstring machine, glute blaster, adductor and abductor machines), interspersed with core work after each leg exercise and a load of non-weighted walking lunges, between 20-300, all of which supports stability and strength for running
--12 mile power walks outside when weather good
When I do this kind of work, I am going for the functionality of the leg muscles to improve and assist my running. How my legs will look is the result of that functionality. But the end effect, for me, is lean and strong. The overall aim is endurance.
I don't tend to do a lot of total body weight workouts. My upper body is ectomorph and I'm a hard gainer in the upper body. I need to lift heavy for the upper body and I find the weights on total body workouts are not really what I need. I tend to train the upper and lower body separately, as Dirt Diva does.
Clare
What I mean is, I train my legs differently at different times depending upon my larger fitness goal. When I am doing a lot of running, or trying to lean out the legs a little, I engage in a lot of leg-heavy cardio days rather than over loading with the heavy weights on leg weight training days. In this respect I am trying to build a more endurance leg week and an endurance leg feel. I don't want to hit the ground running with legs that feel like lead because of very heavy weight training or an exhaustive weights for legs session the day before. The heavy leg feeling is anathema to me when running. I want my legs to feel worked, but not depleted, I want them to feel more elastic than heavy, if you catch my drift.
So, I might do a selection of the following type workouts across a week, 10 day, 2 week period, all depending:
--LowMax (blasts that target the legs, no weights, endurance training),
--Xtrain Cardio leg blast or whatever it's called! ( plyo, HiiT blasts for legs mixed with medium weights to fatigue the muscles, again aiming for endurance effect because the work on the legs never lets up during this workout)
--two short CTX step cardios back to back (my faves are CTX All Step and CTX Step & Intervals, both end with interval work, leg intensive)
--Imax 2 (leg intensive blasts)
--One leg training day like GS Legs, PLB
--Runs at the gym on the treadmill which I follow with 1 hour of leg weight training with machines (leg press, hamstring machine, glute blaster, adductor and abductor machines), interspersed with core work after each leg exercise and a load of non-weighted walking lunges, between 20-300, all of which supports stability and strength for running
--12 mile power walks outside when weather good
When I do this kind of work, I am going for the functionality of the leg muscles to improve and assist my running. How my legs will look is the result of that functionality. But the end effect, for me, is lean and strong. The overall aim is endurance.
I don't tend to do a lot of total body weight workouts. My upper body is ectomorph and I'm a hard gainer in the upper body. I need to lift heavy for the upper body and I find the weights on total body workouts are not really what I need. I tend to train the upper and lower body separately, as Dirt Diva does.
Clare
DirtDiva
Cathlete
Right on!
When I'm training for a race (mountainbiking) the last thing I'm going to do is load my legs up. Currently I'm lifting heavy and building muscle for the upcoming season. I'll change up around mid May and lighten up the weight considerably and increase to high reps.
maddiesmum
Cathlete
Dirt Diva:
yep!
Clare
yep!
Clare