Josh Glover – THIGH TECH plus video!

THIGH TECH VIDEO CLICK HERE Check out the video to follow along with this article!

We have all gone to great lengths, in our quest to be the biggest and the strongest, to maximize the growth of our upper bodies! Its common to see guys performing super-sets for chest, or high rep- volume sets for biceps and triceps, doing endless hammer curls, preacher curls, concentration curls, barbell curls…the list goes on and on. The point is, that rarely do you see such attention, and detail given to the quadriceps, and hamstrings. Strangely enough, many guys with great upper body development are lacking in the leg department. Maybe its not that they have pencil-legs, but more often a lack of balance, shape, and proportion. If there is any quad mass, there is rarely much hamstring development, as hamstrings are usually an afterthought  to quad training. This article will show you how to bring up those wheels to match your upper extremities.

We want our legs to look as good, and be just as functional, if not more so than our upper bodies, allowing us to be more complete and well rounded athletes, as well as giving us the greatest advantage on the competitive stage. The quadriceps muscle is composed of four different muscle heads, the vastus medialis, vastus lateralus, vastus intermedius, and the sartorius. All work uniformly along side each other whenever you are performing any quad exercise, such as a squat, a leg press, or an extension, however when proper focus is applied, one is able to accentuate the stress placed upon one particular area allowing the athlete to make positive strides toward gaining more balanced quads. The inner quad or “teardrop” is called the vastus medialis. Squats performed with a wide stance, leg presses with a wide stance, and leg extensions, especially with toes pointed slightly outward are all exercises that place emphasis on the inner thigh.  A narrow foot placement will in turn place more focus on the outer thigh, or the “sweep” called vastus lateralus. Exercises such as leg presses with feet close together, hack squats with feet close together, and lunges all place most stimulus on the outer quad. Going nice and DEEP on your pressing movements will involve both intermedius and Sartorius muslces and bring them out to their fullest. Going deep will also aid in developing density in the glutes, which can be an Achilles heel when it comes to show time.

As I had mentioned before, I believe hamstrings to be quite neglected by most bodybuilders, and trainers alike. The hams are made up of several very small muscle groups, the semitendinosus, semimembarosus, but mainly the biceps femorus. The hamstring can also be stimulated in different ways to accentuate separate parts of the muscle to promote the greatest amount of detail and density. Stiff leg dead lifts stimulate the ham as a whole and does a good job of bringing blood to the entire muscle while also stretching and breaking the tissue down. Lying or standing ham curls are commonly performed in most hamstring workouts, though the direction in which your knee/and toe face play a role in where you feel most of the tension in the muscle. Toes turned out with a wider foot placement will put more tension on the outer hamstring, mainly the biceps femoris. When the knees remain close together and the toes remain straight ahead or even pointed inward, the emphasis will be placed much more on the inner parts of the hamstring, detrimental to bodybuilders when it comes to the stage, shots from the rear in particular.

A good sample workout for overall thigh balance could go as thus..

Quads-

1. Squats(wide stance) going deep!

4-5 sets 12-16 reps each. Increasing weight each set

2. Leg press(narrow stance)

4 sets 15-20 reps. Heavy enough to be very challenging*

3. Leg extensions(toes turned outward)

7 sets 12 reps each *only 30 seconds in between sets

4. Lunges

3 sets 10 steps each leg

Hams-

1. Stiff leg dead lift

4 sets 8-15 reps. Increasing weight each set

2. Seated leg curl( feet and legs close together)

4 sets 20 reps

3. Lying leg curls

3 sets with feet placed wide(outer hams) 12-16 reps

3 sets  with feet together and toes turned inward(inner hams) 12-16 reps

With all this in mind, make your next 4 leg workouts strong and balanced, and as always followed by proper nutrition, while employing these techniques and see if you cant tell the difference!

Stay tuned for more blogs, photos, and more!

About josh

I am an NPC bodybuilder, personal trainer, fitness and nutrition enthusiast. After a few years of helping friends and friend of friends with training and nutrition on the side, I decided that my 9-5 job wasn’t for me anymore and that I wanted to pursue what I truly am passionate about which is helping others reach their goals and improve their quality of life. I have been blessed to be able to learn from some of the best in the business, and have had my own years of trial and error, a combination or material that enables me to understand and empathize with any goal or situation. Whether you’re a bride to be who needs to look her best on the big day, an aspiring bodybuilder, or even a hard gainer looking to take it to the next level. Whatever the case may be, I love to help others get on the path of progress and success. Come train with the best at Metroflex Plano! View all posts by josh →