# Legs - High reps or High weight



## Guest (Jun 15, 2012)

Hi

Basically my legs are lagging behind the rest of my body. I tend to train them 4-5 sets per exercise doing sets of 10 to 8 reps (mixture of squats, leg raises, hamstring curls, leg press etc). My problem is that I never feel comfortable going very heavy due to a bad knee. I hav managed 300kg leg press and 130kg squat but never try to do this regularly as my knee gives me bother for a few weeks if I go to heavy and I have to step it back a bit.

Was reading an article by Chris Cormier regarding using higher reps, up to 20 per set to really target the muscle because legs are endurance muscles.

Just curious really if any1 has tried this with any real success or should I persevere with progressively going heavier over fewer reps?


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## flinty90 (Jul 1, 2010)

Both but keep form correct !!!


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

I tent to stay high weight low volume.....4-6 reps On squat

On Legpress the weights are skewed (can do a one leg 250kg easy but Legpress but a 250kg squat is months away...) so I tend to do More HST on it i.e 8-12 reps


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## Craigyboy (Feb 9, 2012)

If you ain't crawling out the gym on your lips then it ain't working

I anhialate my pins every time and they hardly fvckin grow,it's frustrating but only time and consitency will do the job

My weights are increasing so i know I am growing slowly but still it's progress


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## flinty90 (Jul 1, 2010)

yuour legs can take a lot of hammer, best thing imo is high volume and moderate to high weight... you really got to hammer the legs from as many different things as you can !!!


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## eezy1 (Dec 14, 2010)

wish i could do both but i stick to high weight low`ish rep for squats and then go higher rep with the follow ups


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

flinty90 said:


> yuour legs can take a lot of hammer, best thing imo is high volume and moderate to high weight... you really got to hammer the legs from as many different things as you can !!!


Agree with this. One of the reasons I bought a leg press. As much as squats are the king of leg builders, you have to be smart with legs...which I think a press which allows single leg training and direct calf work comes in handy.

Sure you could squat lighter, but I wanted direct leg work without the stabilisers working.


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## jamiedilk (Jul 6, 2010)

i trained quads yesterday and i did 2 exercises 6-8 reps squats and leg extensions heaviest i could go then finished on the press doing 2 sets of 50 reps at a low weight and boy am i still feeling it today !! tbh i just like mixing it up


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2012)

I tend to notice more size about my legs when Im volume training for cpl months but legs always feel more burst from going heavier with lower reps.

Part of my problem is Im quite paranoid when it comes to legs. Only got 1/3rd of the cartlidge left in my left knee so jst waiting for it to ping when I go for a new PB :whistling:


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

I've recently started leg pressing in the 20 rep range, nice slow deep reps, really burns, don't even need that much weight with short rest breaks.

Noticing a difference already.


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

RS86 said:


> I tend to notice more size about my legs when Im volume training for cpl months but legs always feel more burst from going heavier with lower reps.
> 
> Part of my problem is Im quite paranoid when it comes to legs. Only got 1/3rd of the cartlidge left in my left knee so jst waiting for it to ping when I go for a new PB :whistling:


Yea pretty normal, burst feeling is because the legs are such big muscles they require Huge amounts of oxygen and blood to make them perform....hence the rest of you feels shi.te lol  hit legs hard....reap rewards


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2012)

Cool cool. Gonna hav to try mixing it up then. Probs keep my squatting heavy as much as I hate squats and do some high rep sets on leg press n isolation exercises.


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## antere07 (Sep 29, 2011)

Personally i train legs heavy untill i do calfs then i do moderate for high reps. So heavy squats, extention, curls and press then moderate calf raise but 20-25 reps.


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2012)

Wish I could post links on my phone but has any1 seen the Tom Platz leg extension video on Youtube. Wld love to see peoples reaction in the gym if I ws to start training legs like that


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## MattGriff (Aug 21, 2012)

Both - legs grow like weeds when properly stimulated but most people are to pussy to work them hard as intense leg sessions should leave you unable to get home for a good 30-45 mins after.

Sort your form out, get some knee sleeves to train in and work them hard.


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## Rick89 (Feb 27, 2009)

2 thing that finally started to make my legs grow

1- heavy as fck low reps

2- front squat 3 times a week


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## J H (May 13, 2012)

I tend to stick to between 10-15 but on the last set for each exercise I go heavy and try and squeeze out about 6 or so.


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## mikeod (Jan 20, 2012)

badly_dubbed said:


> I tent to stay high weight low volume.....4-6 reps On squat
> 
> On Legpress the weights are skewed (can do a one leg 250kg easy but Legpress but a 250kg squat is months away...) so I tend to do More HST on it i.e 8-12 reps


if a 250squat is only months away, what are you squatting now?


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

180kg

Months as in months and months and months away lol


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## Big_Idiot (Feb 14, 2012)

I think im discovering leg pressing is causing my knee pain...OP have you checked on this? It could be the same for you. And i wouldn't advise on extensions if you have a bad knee..personally.

I was training heavy (1-5 reps) but now i've changed it around to anywhere between 10-30 reps....the burn is unreal and the sessions feel a LOT harder. I think mixing it up is best. I tend to cycle my rep ranges to give the tendons/joints a break from heavy weight!


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## Guest (Jun 16, 2012)

Big_Idiot said:


> I think im discovering leg pressing is causing my knee pain...OP have you checked on this? It could be the same for you. And i wouldn't advise on extensions if you have a bad knee..personally.
> 
> I was training heavy (1-5 reps) but now i've changed it around to anywhere between 10-30 reps....the burn is unreal and the sessions feel a LOT harder. I think mixing it up is best. I tend to cycle my rep ranges to give the tendons/joints a break from heavy weight!


Yeah heavy leg press isn't the most comfortable.

When I first had my operation (this was about 5 years ago nw) I ws told to do leg extensions to help build it back up but when I asked the guys that worked at the gym they said its a chain movement so wld put a lot of strain on it or something to that effect. The 1 that gets me the worst Is Seated Hamstring curls, the machine thats kinda like the Leg Extension in reverse, I can literally feel my knee shift if I do even moderate weight on it


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

Both. Heavy squats and higher rep leg press


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

Now that I'm no longer powerlifting I rarely go below 8 reps for legs.


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## mikeod (Jan 20, 2012)

badly_dubbed said:


> 180kg
> 
> Months as in months and months and months away lol


180kg is impressive mate, what you weigh?


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

88kg ATM...

Would love just to hit 200kg


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## yannyboy (Jun 20, 2009)

Always try and do at least 10 reps when training legs

As was mentioned previously, form is so much more important than weight!


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## Jef147 (Jun 7, 2012)

I vary my rep ranges! But my god light weight high reps is much much harder than 8 reps as heavy as possible! People who stick to 6-8 reps are seriously missing a trick imo! After a heavy low rep leg session I'm sore the next day and possibly the day after! But I did a super high volume leg session on Monday (abt 600 reps total) and I cud barely walk for 2 days and was still stiff yesterday!


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## martin brown (Dec 31, 2008)

Craigyboy said:


> If you ain't crawling out the gym on your lips then it ain't working
> 
> I anhialate my pins every time and they hardly fvckin grow,it's frustrating but only time and consitency will do the job
> 
> My weights are increasing so i know I am growing slowly but still it's progress


Really? But you admit that your are not growing - so how come you are sure the way you train works? Surely not getting results means it's a pretty **** approach.



C.Hill said:


> I've recently started leg pressing in the 20 rep range, nice slow deep reps, really burns, don't even need that much weight with short rest breaks.
> 
> Noticing a difference already.





MattGriff said:


> Both - legs grow like weeds when properly stimulated but most people are to pussy to work them hard as intense leg sessions should leave you unable to get home for a good 30-45 mins after.
> 
> Sort your form out, get some knee sleeves to train in and work them hard.


Now I'm not that sure I agree with needing to be in pain. Yes, you need to be tired from a lower body session - you need to apply alot of effort to training and it will tire you out. But in terms of legs "burning" or being sore for a week I don't agree. Burn can quite easily be achieved doing 100 burpees. CHange exercise and you'll be sore for longer. Does either constitute a good leg training apporach - nope.

Heavy (ish) compund exercises with moderate frequency works well with a little isolation thrown in there too. 4-10 reps for the big stuff and 8-15 for the small stuff.

ALthough normally it isn't the rep range that halts progress - give me 3 reps per set and a good form squatter with a good strong mental attitude and apporach to training and I will make him grow faster than a half-assed 8-20 reps follower


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## BodyBuilding101 (Mar 8, 2006)

i do both a combination of light/heavy with low/high reps....find what works for you ant stick at it until it needs changing....i change it up after i feel my legs arent growing etc


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## tomo8 (May 29, 2010)

If youve been hitting the 8-10 rep range go for a higher rep range, an also try front squats because you wont be able to use as mich weight which will be easier on the knees an its hgreat for the quads.

I do the normal typical leg workouts most people do, an they ache a bit after. However the other day i only had 15mins to do legs so i did front squat superset with back squat superset with lunges, an my legs where sore for days. So mix it up.


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## mikeod (Jan 20, 2012)

badly_dubbed said:


> 88kg ATM...
> 
> Would love just to hit 200kg


you,ll get there, if youve bn dedicated enough to get to 180 then i cant see a reason why you cant get to 200, well done and good luck


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