big in vegas
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
I found this on another website and thought I'd put it on here since it's pretty informative and some common sense.....
Forgive the cliché, but it says it best: With great power, comes great responsibility. Without question, your legs are the strongest and most powerful parts of your body, and if you give them the attention they deserve, you’ll also reap the benefits in all other areas of training. With dedication comes the risk of overlooking the details that support long-term success and safety. If you ignore the seemingly minor blunders on leg day, eventually, you’ll end up flipping the switch and shutting down all that power.
This month we’re taking a look at some of the more common mistakes that bodybuilders of all experience levels make on leg day. Most of them only require a few minor adjustments, and if you tackle them swiftly, they’ll pay dividends in size, strength and safety.
1. BLUNDER: LIFTING YOUR HIPS OFF THE PAD DURING LEG PRESSES
Excessive range of motion can contribute to lower back soreness or injury.
BEHIND THE BLUNDER
We’ve all made blunder No. 1 at one point or another, and many of you probably still do. But what you need to realize is that when you lift your hips off the leg press pad, you’re doing much more harm than good. First off, if you’re stuck in this habit, you’re probably not controlling the weight as well as you should. The key to any exercise is being able to completely control the negative portion of the repetition, since it’s during the eccentric path that much of damage to the muscle fibers occurs. So you definitely don’t want to rush or waste this contraction in any way. In addition, if you use momentum or rush the weight on the downward phase by trying to bounce out of the bottom with your hips, you end up losing many of the benefits the exercise has to offer. Second (this might not resonate with younger bodybuilders), if you allow your hips to rise, you could be putting too much stress on the disks in your lower back.
THE FIX
Instead of allowing your hips to lift off the seat in order to target your hamstrings and glutes to a greater extent, raise your feet a little higher and wider to make up the difference. Then as you slowly lower the weight, don’t try and force your knees to your chest, but gradually stop the momentum before that point, so you won’t lose the tension in the quads. Finally, try lowering the weight just a bit ¾ not all the way. Anytime you compensate form to accomplish a heavier load, the strict adjustment could be a shock, so take a couple plates off and get used to doing it right.
2. BLUNDER: POINTING YOUR TOES EXCESSIVELY INWARD DURING THE HACK SQUAT (OR OTHER CLOSED-CHAIN MOVEMENT)
Save the rotation of your feet for open-chain moves like the leg extension, lying leg curl, or single-joint calf exercises.
BEHIND THE BLUNDER
We’ve said before how important it is to turn your toes inward or outward on exercises such as the leg extension, because it helps target the outer and inner quads respectively. The same goes for the inner and outer parts of the hamstrings, whereby turning them outward and inward helps shift the emphasis to different parts of the back of the leg when doing lying leg curls. However, those exercises are called open-chain movements, which means your feet aren’t pressed against a stable object. You should never attempt to turn your feet inward on exercises where your feet are fixed, as in squats, leg presses or hack squats. Turning your feet inward could cause serious havoc to your knee, hip and ankle joints with no appreciable benefits.
THE FIX
The key is to find a comfortable, balanced position where you can easily allow your feet to remain flat on the platform at all times, while letting yourself press through your heels and the balls of your feet for maximal power and strength. For most bodybuilders the foot position most comfortable is a toes-slightly-outward stance as well as the one shown here.
3. BLUNDER: LETTING YOUR KNEES TRAVEL TOO FAR FORWARD DURING LUNGE-TYPE MOVEMENTS.
Keep your knees behind the plane going straight up from your toes for knee safety.
4. BLUNDER: LIFTING YOUR HIPS OFF THE PAD DURING THE LYING LEG CURL
Keep tension on the hamstrings by keeping your hips down as you lift the weight up.
5. BLUNDER: ROUNDING YOUR BACK ON ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS.
It’s not always wise to try and get a longer range of motion. Keep your back flat for spinal safety.
Forgive the cliché, but it says it best: With great power, comes great responsibility. Without question, your legs are the strongest and most powerful parts of your body, and if you give them the attention they deserve, you’ll also reap the benefits in all other areas of training. With dedication comes the risk of overlooking the details that support long-term success and safety. If you ignore the seemingly minor blunders on leg day, eventually, you’ll end up flipping the switch and shutting down all that power.
This month we’re taking a look at some of the more common mistakes that bodybuilders of all experience levels make on leg day. Most of them only require a few minor adjustments, and if you tackle them swiftly, they’ll pay dividends in size, strength and safety.
1. BLUNDER: LIFTING YOUR HIPS OFF THE PAD DURING LEG PRESSES
Excessive range of motion can contribute to lower back soreness or injury.
BEHIND THE BLUNDER
We’ve all made blunder No. 1 at one point or another, and many of you probably still do. But what you need to realize is that when you lift your hips off the leg press pad, you’re doing much more harm than good. First off, if you’re stuck in this habit, you’re probably not controlling the weight as well as you should. The key to any exercise is being able to completely control the negative portion of the repetition, since it’s during the eccentric path that much of damage to the muscle fibers occurs. So you definitely don’t want to rush or waste this contraction in any way. In addition, if you use momentum or rush the weight on the downward phase by trying to bounce out of the bottom with your hips, you end up losing many of the benefits the exercise has to offer. Second (this might not resonate with younger bodybuilders), if you allow your hips to rise, you could be putting too much stress on the disks in your lower back.
THE FIX
Instead of allowing your hips to lift off the seat in order to target your hamstrings and glutes to a greater extent, raise your feet a little higher and wider to make up the difference. Then as you slowly lower the weight, don’t try and force your knees to your chest, but gradually stop the momentum before that point, so you won’t lose the tension in the quads. Finally, try lowering the weight just a bit ¾ not all the way. Anytime you compensate form to accomplish a heavier load, the strict adjustment could be a shock, so take a couple plates off and get used to doing it right.
2. BLUNDER: POINTING YOUR TOES EXCESSIVELY INWARD DURING THE HACK SQUAT (OR OTHER CLOSED-CHAIN MOVEMENT)
Save the rotation of your feet for open-chain moves like the leg extension, lying leg curl, or single-joint calf exercises.
BEHIND THE BLUNDER
We’ve said before how important it is to turn your toes inward or outward on exercises such as the leg extension, because it helps target the outer and inner quads respectively. The same goes for the inner and outer parts of the hamstrings, whereby turning them outward and inward helps shift the emphasis to different parts of the back of the leg when doing lying leg curls. However, those exercises are called open-chain movements, which means your feet aren’t pressed against a stable object. You should never attempt to turn your feet inward on exercises where your feet are fixed, as in squats, leg presses or hack squats. Turning your feet inward could cause serious havoc to your knee, hip and ankle joints with no appreciable benefits.
THE FIX
The key is to find a comfortable, balanced position where you can easily allow your feet to remain flat on the platform at all times, while letting yourself press through your heels and the balls of your feet for maximal power and strength. For most bodybuilders the foot position most comfortable is a toes-slightly-outward stance as well as the one shown here.
3. BLUNDER: LETTING YOUR KNEES TRAVEL TOO FAR FORWARD DURING LUNGE-TYPE MOVEMENTS.
Keep your knees behind the plane going straight up from your toes for knee safety.
4. BLUNDER: LIFTING YOUR HIPS OFF THE PAD DURING THE LYING LEG CURL
Keep tension on the hamstrings by keeping your hips down as you lift the weight up.
5. BLUNDER: ROUNDING YOUR BACK ON ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS.
It’s not always wise to try and get a longer range of motion. Keep your back flat for spinal safety.
