# My own observation at the gym...



## x~factor (Dec 1, 2012)

Maybe its just me... and this has been on my mind for a while now so please bare with me... the guys that I see at the gym that don't work out their legs have AWESOME upper body. I'm thinking this is because whatever nutrition they put in their mouth goes to rebuilding their upper body. Since legs don't really need it, their body ONLY needs to repair half their physique. So the result they get is achieved in half the time. 

This being said, this should also work vise versa. If I want an awesome looking legs, I should stop working the upper body and do legs twice, three times a week.


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## ctr10 (Dec 1, 2012)

gotta work legs


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## x~factor (Dec 1, 2012)

ctr10 said:


> gotta work legs


Agreed!


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## dieseljimmy (Dec 1, 2012)

I'm not a pro body builder.. Never will be. I do it for the fun.  I really like working out. I don't like doing legs... I do them once a week. One week is squats then one is machine work, back and forth.  I only do it to keep the proportions close, but  honestly the intensity is different .  I could understand someone not wanted to go through any leg work... I mean it looks stupid at a point but I don't really care why anyone but me(ok maybe some ladies) are at the gym. I got a guy at my gym who has freakshow arms. Nothing else remarkable, works them every day, gram of t, all he wants is big ass arms and he's got em. I used to think wtf is this guy doing. Now I think he's happy so what else is relevant.


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## CaptainNapalm (Dec 1, 2012)

That's nonsense.  Your body fights for symmetry.  Building big lower body and doing lower body and full body lifts will aid in overall development including upper body development.  I can tell you from experience that I could never get a big upper body until i understood the benefits of squats and deadlifts.  If those same guys you see at the gym invested in a proper leg day they would likely be even bigger upper body.


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## exphys88 (Dec 1, 2012)

Law of specificity: if you only train certain muscles or specific energy pathways, you'll only see benefits on those muscles or energy pathways.

With that being said, guys that don't train legs look ridiculous.


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## bdeljoose (Dec 2, 2012)

^^^ especially wearing shorts and a wife beater with chicken legs.


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## Powermaster (Dec 3, 2012)

x~factor said:


> This being said, this should also work vise versa. If I want an awesome looking legs, I should stop working the upper body and do legs twice, three times a week.



Larger muscle groups (legs & posterior chain) take longer to recover.
Just saying it might work better hitting legs harder than doing more volume more than twice a week.


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## fit26 (Dec 3, 2012)

exphys88 said:


> Law of specificity: *if you only train certain muscles or specific energy pathways, you'll only see benefits on those muscles or energy pathways.*
> 
> With that being said, guys that don't train legs look ridiculous.


Thanks for that info.  I have a big pair of calves even though I train them only once a week.  But my arms are not so big.  I think I have to skip legs, chest and back workout and pay more attention to my arms for a while.  I am thinking about hitting my arms about three times a week until they get big enough match with my legs.


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## supaman23 (Dec 3, 2012)

I have big thighs (compared to my upper body) and recently had ankle and foot injuries. So I had to stop training them for 2-3 months now. I only had like 2 leg workouts in 3 months and they still maintain their size and definition fine. This gave me the idea of just training them once every few weeks to maintain and focus more on my upper body. It's working great so far, I have more time and energy to focus on my upper body and I can notice the improvement already.

P.S: I wouldn't advise to d othat off-cycle though


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## cck99352 (Dec 3, 2012)

fit26 said:


> Thanks for that info.  I have a big pair of calves even though I train them only once a week.  But my arms are not so big.  I think I have to skip legs, chest and back workout and pay more attention to my arms for a while.  I am thinking about hitting my arms about three times a week until they get big enough match with my legs.




good plan - skip enough workouts and sooner or later your chest, back and legs will shrink up to match your growing arms! 

seriously though, I can see prioritizing muscle groups and focusing/emphasizing weaker body parts - but not skipping training body parts. 

However, I am a power lifter so my outlook is a little different (focus is strength, not symmetry).


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## flex365 (Dec 3, 2012)

x~factor said:


> Maybe its just me... and this has been on my mind for a while now so please bare with me... the guys that I see at the gym that don't work out their legs have AWESOME upper body. I'm thinking this is because whatever nutrition they put in their mouth goes to rebuilding their upper body. Since legs don't really need it, their body ONLY needs to repair half their physique. So the result they get is achieved in half the time.
> 
> This being said, this should also work vise versa. If I want an awesome looking legs, I should stop working the upper body and do legs twice, three times a week.


don't stop altogether just prioritze your leg training for growth and simply maintain the rest.


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## flex365 (Dec 3, 2012)

bdeljoose said:


> ^^^ especially wearing shorts and a wife beater with chicken legs.


reminds me of a light bulb!!


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## The Prototype (Dec 3, 2012)

I use to hate legs and working out my legs but after 11 years of lifting I've grown an appreciation for strong legs. After a few good leg workouts, I can see my legs growing more so than any other body part.


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## chocolatemalt (Dec 3, 2012)

fit26 said:


> Thanks for that info.  I have a big pair of calves even though I train them only once a week.  But my arms are not so big.  I think I have to skip legs, chest and back workout and pay more attention to my arms for a while.  I am thinking about hitting my arms about three times a week until they get big enough match with my legs.



This... might work for you, and there are different schools of thought on it, but here's a tutorial from Dorian Yates essentially saying you've got the wrong strategy and should focus on recovery instead of over-training:  Dorian Yates' Blood & Guts Trainer: Dorian's Tips - Bodybuilding.com - YouTube  It's worth a listen.


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## The Prototype (Dec 3, 2012)

chocolatemalt said:


> This... might work for you, and there are different schools of thought on it, but here's a tutorial from Dorian Yates essentially saying you've got the wrong strategy and should focus on recovery instead of over-training:  Dorian Yates&#39; Blood & Guts Trainer: Dorian&#39;s Tips - Bodybuilding.com - YouTube  It's worth a listen.



Those were some bad ass videos. Never thought of only doing one working set. I still do it the old school way of four sets per exercise but that was very interesting.


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## supaman23 (Dec 3, 2012)

^^^ Doesn't work for everyone. I tried all kinds of low volume training styles and it never worked for hypertrophy for me, just strength.


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## D-Lats (Dec 3, 2012)

Pin quads


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## Merkaba (Dec 3, 2012)

Well. Just typical gym, Type - A type of shit.  I would say the OP's observation is well founded and accurate.  Nothing much to do but joke about it.  I mean yea, at the end of the day, you can go to the gym to do curls in the squat rack and go home if you want to.  What grinds my gears is when these types want to start talking or training or acting like they are special in ANY regard.


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## Valkyrie (Dec 4, 2012)

So you have never seen a guy that doesn't train legs but has only a decent upper body?  I have never seen an INCREDIBLE upper body attached to.non trained legs.  I disagree with your theory and refute your sample lol



rippedgolfer said:


> Those were some bad ass videos. Never thought of only doing one working set. I still do it the old school way of four sets per exercise but that was very interesting.



Check out dogcrapp.  The key is the INTENSITY of the set.  Anyways its good to mix it up..  tie. Break from your standard rep scheme and go to two working sets.  One max x5 and then drop weight to max x8.  Run it for four weeks see what happens.


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## supaman23 (Dec 4, 2012)

Agentyes said:


> So you have never seen a guy that doesn't train legs but has only a decent upper body? I have never seen an INCREDIBLE upper body attached to.non trained legs. I disagree with your theory and refute your sample lol



I am againt neglecting a body part and strongly advise to have a proportional physique, but your logic here is flawed. You might never see an INCREDIBLE upper body attached to non trained legs cause BBers who are serious enough to have an incredible body are committed enough to train all body parts equally.

Go check out some videos on youtube of handicapped BBers (in wheelchairs). They have INCREDIBLE upper body


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## Valkyrie (Dec 4, 2012)

supaman23 said:


> I am againt neglecting a body part and strongly advise to have a proportional physique, but your logic here is flawed. You might never see an INCREDIBLE upper body attached to non trained legs cause BBers who are serious enough to have an incredible body are committed enough to train all body parts equally.
> 
> Go check out some videos on youtube of handicapped BBers (in wheelchairs). They have INCREDIBLE upper body





Oh you HAD to pull the handicapped card!  :/ I almost feel ashamed of myself.  I can't agree with your theory though.  In fact I have long suspected that having big legs motivates the body to make the rest of the muscles big too.  It has to do with either testosterone, or symmetry.  It's very scientific.

~A


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## supaman23 (Dec 4, 2012)

Agentyes said:


> Oh you HAD to pull the handicapped card! :/ I almost feel ashamed of myself. I can't agree with your theory though. In fact I have long suspected that having big legs motivates the body to make the rest of the muscles big too. *It has to do with either testosterone, or symmetry. It's very scientific.
> 
> *~A



This is valid if the trainee is not on steroids or PEDs. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter really. The more you focus on a muscle the more it will grow.


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## ALBOB2 (Dec 5, 2012)

CaptainNapalm said:


> That's nonsense.  Your body fights for symmetry.  Building big lower body and doing lower body and full body lifts will aid in overall development including upper body development.  I can tell you from experience that I could never get a big upper body until i understood the benefits of squats and deadlifts.  If those same guys you see at the gym invested in a proper leg day they would likely be even bigger upper body.




^ This X 1,000.  If you don't develope your legs you're holding your entire body back from becoming what it COULD.


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## ALBOB2 (Dec 5, 2012)

rippedgolfer said:


> Those were some bad ass videos. Never thought of only doing one working set. I still do it the old school way of four sets per exercise but that was very interesting.



High Intensity training is awesome.................if done correctly.  In that one set you have to take the target muscle to total muscular failure and actually beyond.  That involves doing negative reps after you can't do anymore positive reps.  You also have to be incredibly careful and use ultra strict for, otherwise you'll destroy your joints in short order.


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## Metallibanger (Dec 18, 2012)

x~factor said:


> Maybe its just me... and this has been on my mind for a while now so please bare with me... the guys that I see at the gym that don't work out their legs have AWESOME upper body. I'm thinking this is because whatever nutrition they put in their mouth goes to rebuilding their upper body. Since legs don't really need it, their body ONLY needs to repair half their physique. So the result they get is achieved in half the time.
> 
> This being said, this should also work vise versa. If I want an awesome looking legs, I should stop working the upper body and do legs twice, three times a week.



1) IQ? A standardized test exists.
2) Sexual orientation? I noticed you don't look at the guys at the face precisely.
3) Just in case have you tried shovin your finger up you rear end?


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## robbymorals (Dec 27, 2012)

flex365 said:


> don't stop altogether just prioritze your leg training for growth and simply maintain the rest.



Agreed.


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## Mr.Guvernment (Jan 2, 2013)

exphys88 said:


> Law of specificity: if you only train certain muscles or specific energy pathways, you'll only see benefits on those muscles or energy pathways.
> 
> With that being said, guys that don't train legs look ridiculous.




exctly, these huge upper bodies and spanned backs with little tiny legs!!   those legs have to support the weight of everything else, me and the wife just joined the gym and first thing i need to work is my legs to take weight off my ruined knees!


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## x~factor (Jan 18, 2013)

Mr.Guvernment said:


> exctly, these huge upper bodies and spanned backs with little tiny legs!!


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## Knucks (Jan 19, 2013)

x~factor said:


> Maybe its just me... and this has been on my mind for a while now so please bare with me... the guys that I see at the gym that don't work out their legs have AWESOME upper body. I'm thinking this is because whatever nutrition they put in their mouth goes to rebuilding their upper body. Since legs don't really need it, their body ONLY needs to repair half their physique. So the result they get is achieved in half the time.
> 
> This being said, this should also work vise versa. If I want an awesome looking legs, I should stop working the upper body and do legs twice, three times a week.



Interesting. In a bizarre sort of way.


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## BigAl22 (Jan 24, 2013)

I purposely work out only my legs and totally ignore my upper body so I can have the opposite look, seems to impress the ladies


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## jay_steel (Jan 24, 2013)

i use to all ways miss leg days because it would fall on a friday, no i hit them on tuesdays and chest on friday. This makes it so I never miss a leg day and I am a glory hog. Some people build motivation for prework out, but I have a ego trip in the gym that every one is watching me and cheering me on so it motivates me to push heavy weight and there is nothing more bad ass then racking 500 lbs on your back and busting out a few reps.


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## Gorm (Jan 24, 2013)

I haven't seen anybody with great upper bodies an no legs. From my own experience I have the greatest mass gains when I do squats at the beginning of the week and deadlifts at the end (doing the 5x5 routine). Those are intense lifts that recruit more muscles than any other lift, which in turn stimulates GH/Test production and bone growth.


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## robono (Jan 26, 2013)

flex365 said:


> reminds me of a light bulb!!


...a light bulb w/ a wife beater on!!


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## JT. (Jan 26, 2013)

The gym is a quite a fasinating place.





That post was courtesy of a pathological liar.


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## Gissurjon (Jan 26, 2013)

Focusing on just upper body is cool if one wants to look retarded but you guys might be missing the most important point of all. The fact that you are able to train at all is because you have your health. Go ahead and skip training legs if you want but if you want to still look good, move around easily, play sports with your kids/grand kids, at 50, then you might want to consider the "health" of your lower body.


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## Synde (Feb 6, 2013)

Gissurjon said:


> Focusing on just upper body is cool if one wants to look retarded .



Totally disagree.


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## cck99352 (Feb 6, 2013)

I am now training at a commercial gym (close to my house) and frankly, I am appalled at how few people in that gym actually train legs. 

Gym has one cage, one squat rack, one hack squat, two leg presses, and two smiths and they are almost always empty.. except for the two guys who chalk up their backs, wrap up their knees, etc to squat 275...


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## LAM (Feb 8, 2013)

x~factor said:


> Maybe its just me... and this has been on my mind for a while now so please bare with me... the guys that I see at the gym that don't work out their legs have AWESOME upper body. I'm thinking this is because whatever nutrition they put in their mouth goes to rebuilding their upper body. Since legs don't really need it, their body ONLY needs to repair half their physique. So the result they get is achieved in half the time.
> 
> This being said, this should also work vise versa. If I want an awesome looking legs, I should stop working the upper body and do legs twice, three times a week.



there is no micro-trauma induced in the legs when they are not exercised, no progressive resistance so no reason for them to adapt and grow stronger/larger.

overall growth is maximized when the entire body is exercised.  anabolic hormones like free test, GH, etc. circulate through the entire body their effects will only be maximized where they are utilized the most efficiently in areas that are being exercised.  overall strength and muscle growth occurs when the entire body is stimulated and feed properly.


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## Booby (Feb 22, 2013)

Squats will add mass to your entire body...They will also strengthen your core which will only make you stronger in every other lift...If your goal is to build as much muscle mass as you can squats are a must, so are deadlifts...Everytime my squat max goes up so does my benchpress max...Heavy squats have gotten my other body parts over plateaus many many times...This is all from a guy who really isnt crazy about leg day, but i never skip it!


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## Spaullba (Feb 22, 2013)

I would say there is likely some merit to the OPs observation, however there are obviously benefits to lower body lifts that would work the other direction (help upper body).  Large, multi-joint structural lifts like the squat, deadlift etc increase acute hormone levels much more than you could by just working upper body alone (if you are taking exogenous t then this may not be as big of a factor).  Hormones facilitate muscular growth, thus one of the huge benefits of large "lower body" compound lifts (not to mention all the synergistic & stabilizing muscles activated in these lifts that are not in most upper body lifts).  Also, as someone else pointed out above, you need to think about your general health and well being.  Lower body strength is much more functional and vital to every day life and thus important to train.  Also, think about the strain on your lower back, knees and hips from not training them at all, while adding 20,30 40 lbs of muscle to your upper body..  Your lower body has to support that weight, but you are not helping it to do so at all..  Just my $0.02.


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## sassy69 (Feb 22, 2013)

The older I get, the more I appreciate the elegance of the human body in its design - it is an amazing work of push/pull balance. When you intentionally create or genetically have an imbalance, it will eventually start to propagate and create basic functional issues for you. I think it looks silly to see guys in the gym all beefed up on top and then scrawny little sticks coming out of the baggy shorts. But now I see it more as people who are going to have issues w/ flexibility, strength in the lower back, and general ability to get around as they get older. Seriously, shit starts to fall apart after 45 and all those imbalances will start to show up as hip pain, knee pain, ankles, plantar fasciitis, etc. And equivalently if all they ever did was train upper body, probably rotator, elbow & wrist issues from overtraining & repetitive motion damage.

I'm working hard to bring myself to make yoga a regular part of my training these days... I'm as flexible as I've ever been, once I"ve warmed up for 20 minutes.. w/o the warmup I'm actually worried to move too fast, get up too fast, attempt to squat and just get stuck, etc. THAT is something I"d like to change..


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