Shoud I Neglect Leg Work?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Hi. I’ve pretty screwed up structure. Wide hips and narrow clavicles (still wider than hips, but narrow). At least my shoulders are my best bodypart next to cursed legs. My legs could grow from squatting a can. I was working out for year (since january 2011 I’m 16, 6’2"). I thought I was pretty wide, but after posting a thread in RMP I realized that my structure isn’t my friend. Thanks guys. :slight_smile:

I gave up working out legs from april to september, I don’t know if it was a good idea, but my legs were already big. They looked pretty alright. Now after 4 months of squatting since september they’re so huge in comparison to my upper body, that it looks photoshopped + the structure.

So it’s not like “everybody thinks that their legs are too big”. In reality it doesn’t look so fuc**d up, but most muscular is the only pose on the pics (with legs visible) that my upper body don’t look anorexic (yet still retarded).

But squats make entire body bigger thanks to hormone release. But does it really have such effect on upper body? What you guys think? I’m pretty bigger since september, but also weights went up and other factors I’m still newbie after all.

I’m working out 4 times a week, without legs I could use additional day to bring up my lagging bodyparts. But I’m just curious if it is a good idea. And legs are pretty weak also (due to not working them out and lack of proper equipment), I can row the same weight I squat for more reps.

2

bad idea…and what do you consider big legs?

3

For most people, it’s instantly a bad idea. But this guy has legs that are each as thick as his waist. I still say it’s a bad idea to totally neglect them though - squats have other benefits besides leg growth. Maybe just reduce the emphasis on legs, and increase it in areas you want to target.

4

You need to re-examine your routine and form. Perfect your form on the basics and get your strength to decent levels (relative to your BW) on all lift. This will be a slow process, but stick to it. At 6’2" and 16 years old you definitely will speed up the process by eating a lot to help with recovery. Learn what kinds of foods you should be eating or you might as well stick to calisthenics.

5

[quote]Mateus wrote:
bad idea…and what do you consider big legs?[/quote]

Check this and compare it to waist:
http://www.speedyshare.com/file/UPJJE/download/MOV00783.3GP

So neglecting squats could have negative effect on upper body in term of mass gain? But if this grow even bigger it’s not gonna be fun. But mass all the way, no matter what. So I wait for other comments. I was actually demotivated to do squats after my rmp thread. I could try front squats, so at least my glutes won’t work too much. And most of it will go to quads alone. But I’m afraid it could thicken my waist.

6

Here’s my opinion

You in all likelihood dont have the structure to be Mr olympia.

So you can either embrace your genetically gifted body parts and train them to the max. Or you can try to create a balanced physique through intelligently designed workout routine.

But youre 16. That’s too young to stop training anything.

Youre still at the stage where you should be training to establish a base of muscle. You arent big, you aren’t particularly lean, nothing is OVERDEVELOPED.

You just have some parts that are UNDERDEVELOPED. I use that term very loosely as you look fine for your age. No one is perfect. I think your legs are on par with where they should be but your upper body MAY be a bit behind.

In a few years, when you have a better grasp of your ADULT body, decide if you want to emphasize certain body parts in your training. Youre still a kid and youre still growing, train normally.

7

You’re 16?

Why does your profile say you’re 22?

8

Damn! That does look fucked up lol. I’m with Bonez.

9

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:
Here’s my opinion

You in all likelihood dont have the structure to be Mr olympia.

So you can either embrace your genetically gifted body parts and train them to the max. Or you can try to create a balanced physique through intelligently designed workout routine.

But youre 16. That’s too young to stop training anything.

Youre still at the stage where you should be training to establish a base of muscle. You arent big, you aren’t particularly lean, nothing is OVERDEVELOPED.

You just have some parts that are UNDERDEVELOPED. I use that term very loosely as you look fine for your age. No one is perfect. I think your legs are on par with where they should be but your upper body MAY be a bit behind.

In a few years, when you have a better grasp of your ADULT body, decide if you want to emphasize certain body parts in your training. Youre still a kid and youre still growing, train normally. [/quote]

Phil Heath doesn’t have the structure either. I think the most important part is response to drugs and training when it comes to pro potential. Not that I’m saying I have good response. I will try some aas when I will be 21 or older. Never know.

You motivated me. That’s a good sense of thinking. They aren’t overdeveloped, just upper body is underdeveloped. Thanks. Obviously my chest and back are lacking, but do my delts and arms are way behind as well? I will blast them hard either (especially I recently found a way to train them more effectively), just curious what they’re like now in comparison to legs.

And I have in profile twenty something, because I didn’t want to enter my true date of birth, who cares.

10

[quote]kox wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:
Here’s my opinion

You in all likelihood dont have the structure to be Mr olympia.

So you can either embrace your genetically gifted body parts and train them to the max. Or you can try to create a balanced physique through intelligently designed workout routine.

But youre 16. That’s too young to stop training anything.

Youre still at the stage where you should be training to establish a base of muscle. You arent big, you aren’t particularly lean, nothing is OVERDEVELOPED.

You just have some parts that are UNDERDEVELOPED. I use that term very loosely as you look fine for your age. No one is perfect. I think your legs are on par with where they should be but your upper body MAY be a bit behind.

In a few years, when you have a better grasp of your ADULT body, decide if you want to emphasize certain body parts in your training. Youre still a kid and youre still growing, train normally. [/quote]

Phil Heath doesn’t have the structure either. I think the most important part is response to drugs and training when it comes to pro potential. Not that I’m saying I have good response. I will try some aas when I will be 21 or older. Never know.

You motivated me. That’s a good sense of thinking. They aren’t overdeveloped, just upper body is underdeveloped. Thanks. Obviously my chest and back are lacking, but do my delts and arms are way behind as well? I will blast them hard either (especially I recently found a way to train them more effectively), just curious what they’re like now in comparison to legs.

And I have in profile twenty something, because I didn’t want to enter my true date of birth, who cares.

[/quote]

Phil Heath comparisons aside,

My point was that you shouldnt concern yourself with whats ‘lagging’ or not. Youre too young to truly know this.

Train to grow all over. Focusing on anything in particular would be a mistake at your stage, IMO.

11

@OP
Listen to Skeletor.

If you want a personal take on the matter, read on.

I had truly overdeveloped legs from the get-go, making my upper body look ridiculously small. It went so far that fully clothed, despite low body fat levels, people mistook my proportions for that of a ‘big boned’ fatty. No matter how lean I was: my legs were giving me more of an A shape instead of a V taper. But guess what? I was 16, not yet fully grown.

Here come’s the precautionary tale: seeing how my legs were always big (and somewhat strong), I figured I could totally get away without leg training. What happened by NOT doing squat and deadlift variations was that my posterior chain was shit. My posture started to develop an anterior pelvic tilt with slouched shoulders. All of that might have contributed to me getting herniated discs many years later.

Sometime after that, I started training legs, more out of rehab considerations. Within just a few months of squatting and deadlifting, I made rather impressive progress, although I’d already been almost 10 years in the iron game.

Hints:

  • if your legs truly are big (or even over-developed), train them, but use low volume and / or low frequency as opposed to your other muscle groups
  • grow a good pair of delts, don’t neglect the lateral and posterior portions
  • grow big and thick lats
  • keep that waist in check, body fat - wise
12

can you post a picture of your private parts?

all of them

13

I already trained them every 2 weeks recently. And volume isn’t that high, last time I did 10 sets of squats (6-8 reps to failure) and 3 sets of deadlifts. I think I won’t have problem with delts, lats more likely (high insertions). I got some thickness, but no wideness at all. Don’t have pull up bar or any machines. Just bars and weights. Until january I train that whole year with dumbbells only. And till september I had weights way too light. I think pully rows (or whatever it’s called, you know row, but with movement like pull-up, head-down) will help my lats grow. I did them couple of times (with dumbbells), and my lower back grow immiedately (sorry can’t spell it). Lats are visible from the side relaxed, but in my avi it looks like I have no lats, you can barely see it. So I have to give it a try again. Thanks for advice and personal experience. My legs aren’t that big in clothes that it looks so disproportional yet.

And one question - could front squats thicken my waist? I felt it pretty good when I tried front squatting.

14

It is a bit ridiculous for someone at your stage to be worried about front squats or any other exercise “thickening your waist”.

You look like a beginner…not someone at a stage where they start picking out "lagging body parts.

15

Sorry for bump, but that’s the same case after all. I realized that my body look much better in a shirt, especially a big one. I seem wider and legs seem smaller. Why? Because you can’t see my waist then. But when the WAIST is uncovered IT makes the leg look too overpowering. I know I should not worry about proportions, but that’s just too screwed up to let it grow and look worse than regular person who don’t work out.
I always saw my self from my own eyes, so upper body seem bigger from top angle, than when you look from bottom. And after posting here and realizing what my whole package looks like I lost motivation. So about waist, would this be a good idea if I would train obliques a little? And abs as well. Haven’t train them in a year. Before I started to really workout I’ve done pushups and ab work since I was 13 so I still have visible abs (flexed) regardless my bf. I know the priority is to just add mass in upper body and make the proportion look fine, but I also think that tiny waist is not a good thing (at least to some degree). But my obliques are almost invisible, so maybe that would make better proportions if I would do them?

16

Dude, if you waste your time worrying about sh** like this, you’re going to spend the next three years completely spinning your wheels.

If you decide not to work legs, I doubt anyone on this forum is going to talk you out of your decision. Because you’re probably just going to end up doing whatever you want. But if you want validation for your concerns, you’re probably not going to find it on these boards.

Just find whatever exercise routine you like, and do it.

17

^^It’s not about legs. I bumped this thread for another reason. I already decided that I will do little volume with little frequency and don’t ask for validation. If they would be too small due to small amount of work spent on them I would blast them and they would outgrow upper body in 2 months.

It’s about wide hips, narrow waist. Want to know if it will be a good idea, to train obliques or is it gonna make it worse? Just to get rid of that hourglass shape.

18

Focus on your lat width, and teres major development. Not your obliques. You should train your abdominals (including the obliques) traditionally. Not emphasize them; that’s dumb

19

Certainly back mass gonna help. But it’s not like my lats can cover whole waist. Unfortunately I have pretty high inserted lats. Maybe when I will do some ab work it’s gonna get better fast. I haven’t done them in a year, so maybe they will be a little fuller rather than soft. Hopefully I can add some serious mass to upper body while not growing legs. I look at a picture when I was 12 and I think I really have screwed up girl-like structure. Now it’s better, at least this better that I didn’t know I was narrow till I posted there, because some friends were telling me that I’m wide, so maybe it’s not that bad. When I will get some good mass wide hips will fade away, and nobody would be able to state that I have hourglass figure, but that’s a long road. I was wondering if there is something that could widen my waist so it would fit the empty space and there would be no lovehandles. But it will get bigger in time. As I lift and eat it’s rather impossible for it to stay down. Okay so I will just better shut up, lift, eat, wait and grow.

20

If I could have legs as big as my waist I’d go for it. Tailored pants from the internet are cheap and damn nice.

Keep training legs. Try to get your squat up; that shouldn’t make them that much bigger either. With a way bigger upper body and bigger legs you could have a great physique.