If you poll most guys and ask them what the most frustrating body part to train is (and most hated!), 7 out of 10 of them will tell you it’s the legs! And can you really blame them?
After all, most of these guys are religiously doing their heavy squats (that are taking their toll on their backs), deadlifts (that are scraping their shins with the bar on the way up (from using substandard form) and leg curls….but nothing changes! No size increases. No significant strength increases. No fun!
But does it have to be this way? Not if you’re train the way the legs ARE CRYING OUT TO BE TRAINED….Explosively! When it comes to lower body workouts the legs seem to respond best to movements that bring out the fast twitch fibers and keep the slow twitch fibers dormant.
Explosive Leg Train
You’ve probably heard the term “plyometrics” before? Well, this is the fancy word for explosive leg training. Basically what you have with plyos are a period of loading and unloading of the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. The switch between the two happens so fast and is responsible for the fast twitch firing!
For instance, when you’re doing a jump squat, the explosive jump is followed by a soft landing and controlled descent. Once the bottom of the movement is reached the opposite side muscle group (in this case the quads) kicks into full gear and contracts forcefully. This reverses the direction you WERE traveling in and now sends you off in the new direction more powerfully than you would have even intended to be.
It’s like a baseball coming into the hitter at 90 MpH and leaving the bat at 125 MPH! Load up the legs with the soft controlled landing and then explode all of that potential energy back into the legs and you’ll be noticing new power from sources you never knew you even had.
So how do you incorporate plyos for maximum results? Simple. Pick four of these bad boys and throw them into a 4 exercise circuit and have at it. Remember, you don’t want to ever sacrifice reps for bad form on these, since they are very high risk high reward exercises. Instead, know that you can confidently perform the exercises with good form and then shift your focus to keeping your rest times minimal and each rep more explosive than the last.
What you’ll start to notice is….not only will be feeling stronger more quickly, but you’ll also see some incredible size gains, vertical jump improvement and quickness gains! That’s the coolest part, especially for you athletes out there reading this! It’s all tied in together. Build explosive legs and your vertical jump will seem like it’s growing by leaps and bounds….literally!
Build explosive legs and your quickness will improve.
Keep doing squats that are killing your lower back and you will see neither. After all, it’s tough to run when you’re back is in agony! If you want to see what this type of Xplosive Leg Workout would look like…then just click on the link and watch how these 4 exercises can completely change the way you train your legs. As a matter of fact, once you’ve completed just 5 of these workouts I’m sure you’ll agree….you’ll be able to say goodbye once and for all to the “chicken legs” and instead start showing off your pillars (and save the chicken legs for dinner!) Stay Strong, Jeff Want to watch celebrity fitness trainer Jeff Cavaliere demonstrate his 4 EXERCISE Leg Circuit Workout and get the same results his top professional athlete clients are getting? Then go to XPLOSIVE LEG WORKOUTS and see how you transform your legs into two sticks of dynamite by training the right way!
Jeff Cavaliere M.S.P.T, CSCS
Jeff Cavaliere is a Physical Therapist, Strength Coach and creator of the ATHLEAN-X Training Programs and ATHLEAN-Rx Supplements. He has a Masters in Physical Therapy (MSPT) and has worked as Head Physical Therapist for the New York Mets, as well as training many elite professional athletes in Major League Baseball, NFL, MMA and professional wrestling. His programs produce “next level” achievements in muscle size, strength and performance for professional athletes and anyone looking to build a muscular athletic physique.