Leg Routines

[LHSpolevault]

Leg workouts... anybody know of any really intense leg routines? Mine's starting to get dull and I wanna mix up the intensity a bit. Thanks ahead for the replies.

[MightyMouse]

I know what you mean, I have a hard time doing the same leg workout for an entire season. My latest "exciting" routine is a spin off of the traditional lunges. Which do little for fast twitch muscle. I do a set of 30 lunges, but instead of moving slowly, do them "exploding" forward as far as you can. * making sure to hesitate between jumps to get your balance, and let your knee go 2inches above the ground* The next set I do with the same explosive mentality, but working on jumping as High as I can. I would do them on the grass, because it can be pretty high impact. Watch how many sets you do because its easy to overdo it

Have fun

[ashcraftpv]

go find a long, steep hill and sprint up it 4 times, then run up backwards 4 times, then sprint up forwards 4 times.

legs = jello.

[Marengo139]

Only use this routine if you do not need to walk the next day
To start warmup with a 10 minute run and stretch
Squats: 5 sets 12 reps, after the last set put a smaller amount of weight on the bar and to 20 reps
Leg Press: 3 sets 25 reps
Leg Extension: 3 sets 10 reps
Finally the best part go to the smith machine and do sqauts to failure for two sets

For hamstrings use high reps with leg curl and straight leg deadlift

Good Luck

[dtrack28]

why do so many reps? Unless of course you want to lift like a bodybuilder and just increase mass without as big of a strenght gain as you could be getting. The way to build strength is the get as many of your muscle fibers to fire at once at their maximum strength. The best way to do this is by lifting near your max. Now, a whole bunch of sets and reps will get hose muscles to work just as hard, but you won't be able to lift that same body part as hard for 3 or 4 days in a week because of lactic acid buildup (the burn). There is a reason that those guys on the worlds strongest man competition don't look anything like bodybuilders, they have completely different goals when it comes to lifting and completely different routines.

[OUvaulterUSAF]

go find a long, steep hill and sprint up it 4 times, then run up backwards 4 times, then sprint up forwards 4 times.

legs = jello.

I can testify to that...I just finished running Slayter hill (perhaps the most evil hill made) at lunch time.

Stadium steps destroy your legs also.

[ashcraftpv]

go find a long, steep hill and sprint up it 4 times, then run up backwards 4 times, then sprint up forwards 4 times.

legs = jello.

I can testify to that...I just finished running Slayter hill (perhaps the most evil hill made) at lunch time.

yes, Slayter is evil incarnate. That hill was bred for only 5 purposes:

1) concerts
2) tailgating
3) sledding
4) making track athletes suffer
5) punishing throwers who show up to practice hung over. (Coach made two guys roll down the entire hill after they showed up hung over during a fall Saturday practice)

[Marengo139]

my thinking is when you run its not just one huge push with all of your strength. You do more reps to increase your stamina. Use a light enough weight that you can exploe out of the lifts almost like power cleans. Doing about 100 meters of lunges also helps the stamina becuase you never want to get caught being to tired to complete your last vault to win the meet!

[dtrack28]

You are right, sprinting/vaulting isn't one huge push with all of your strength...it is multiple huge pushes with all of your strength. The purpose of lifting is not to build up stamina for running with a pole in your hand BUT to get those "pushes off the ground" with your legs to be more powerful. what will lifting with light weights accomplish when it comes to strength gains? When you want to build up stamina you should be doing many short sprints. A pole vaulter should never run a sprint for a work out farther than 100 meters (and even this is pushing it). You don't run 4 200 meter runs to build stamina for the 100 meter dash (a total of 800 meters), you run 10 80 meter sprints or 8 100 meter sprints(also a total of 800 meters). Don't want to get tired on your last vault? hit the track with a pole in your hands and run 10-15 (the most vaults you will take in most competitions anyways)100% pole carries with the same approach you would use in a meet. And even this may be unecessary as you may already be getting this workout in on your vaulting days. The only thing 100 meters of lunges will do is start the lactic acid buildup in your legs and leave your muscles incapable of performing their best during the next training session.

[SKOT]

amen. thats about all that is needed