Why arn't my legs gaining muscle/size?

J

JamieD12

0
Hi everyone noob poster here :)

I'm a regular gym goer but not to obsessed though i'm approaching 40 & have consistently been going at least 3 times per week for just on 3 years.

My goal was to bulk up my legs as i have your typical v-shaped body with broad shoulders & skinny legs. I'm 5'10, 176 pounds / 80kgs & was originally squatting my body weight & today i'm squatting around 300 pounds / 135kgs something which i am proud of. I have also been working my calves to the max in my workouts along with leg press & lunges.

The problem is my legs have not put on any size what sover including my calves?

What am I doing wrong? as I know if I try to bulk up my upper body it does happen even though i've always had a high metabolism so find it hard to gain size.


Thanks for reading my post

J.
 
In what period have your legs not put on any size whatsoever? 3 weeks? 3 months? The full 3 years stated before? Have you actually measured the size of your legs in the allocated time frame? When I first started really bulking up, I didn't notice myself getting bigger -- I noticed other people seeming not so big. As your body changes, you don't necessarily notice the changes. What improvements in strength have you made in that time frame (I know you're now squatting 300lb, but that means nothing if 3 years ago your were squatting 290, ya'amean?)? In the allotted time, have you increased your body weight by any serious amount? What are you doing for legs other than squats, lunges and calf raises, and how are you doing each of the above exercises?
 
Hey Fourth Set thanks for your reply :)

Im exactly the same size I was 3 years ago. My body weight was 80kg when i started. I'm 80kg today.

My body dimensions are exactly the same as 3 years ago when I started though Body fat has gone down from 15% to 13.5%.

Only things that has changed considerably is the weight i can squat is gone from 176 pounds (my body weight) to 300 pounds x 3. Leg Press 350 pounds to 620 x 8

I had my 6 monthly fitness test last week & was shattered tbh. At least my strength has no doubt increased.

The first few years I was squatting at least 3-4 times per week & after fitness test at xmas there was no change in size so I decided to cut back to twice per week & let the muscles recover with more time. 6 months later & hasn't made a difference i'm afraid.

I only train light on my upper body to tone as I know if I go heavy I will bulk up & look totally disproportionate to what I already am.

My motivation to keep going to the gym now has been sapped. I'm starting to think dont bother & maybe just do some light cardio & light weights just to stay healthy.

It just does not make sense.
 
I know guys who are leg pressing <400 lb and still have small looking legs. I believe it's just a matter of genetics. People have different proportions of muscle fiber types in their bodies, which, simplified, can be generalized between slow-twitch fibers (the "endurance" type), and fast-twitch (the "short burst of power" type).

So the fact may be, you might just have a higher amount of slow-twitch fibers, which hypertrophy at a lower rate even though they can still gain significant amounts of strength.
 
JamieD12 said:
Hey Fourth Set thanks for your reply :)

Im exactly the same size I was 3 years ago. My body weight was 80kg when i started. I'm 80kg today.

My body dimensions are exactly the same as 3 years ago when I started though Body fat has gone down from 15% to 13.5%.

Only things that has changed considerably is the weight i can squat is gone from 176 pounds (my body weight) to 300 pounds x 3. Leg Press 350 pounds to 620 x 8

I had my 6 monthly fitness test last week & was shattered tbh. At least my strength has no doubt increased.

The first few years I was squatting at least 3-4 times per week & after fitness test at xmas there was no change in size so I decided to cut back to twice per week & let the muscles recover with more time. 6 months later & hasn't made a difference i'm afraid.

I only train light on my upper body to tone as I know if I go heavy I will bulk up & look totally disproportionate to what I already am.

My motivation to keep going to the gym now has been sapped. I'm starting to think dont bother & maybe just do some light cardio & light weights just to stay healthy.

It just does not make sense.
Click to expand...

Bolded is your number 1 reason. No muscles are going to do much growing if the body itself isn't growing. If you've gone from 80kg to 80kg, then what room for growth is there? You've made a little bit of muscular development by recomping (losing fat mass and increasing muscle mass), but you need to adjust your diet to enable growth. It's not that your muscles aren't getting enough stimulus or recovery, it's that you're not feeding them to utilise that stimulus and recovery to produce new muscle mass. My first piece of advice would be to start increasing your daily calorie consumption by 200-500kcal/day, preferably in the form of something protein and nutrient-rich. Keep training at the same approximate frequency and workload, get that extra food in you, and you should start gaining 1-2kg each month. Some of that will probably be fat, but some of it will be muscle, too. Once you've gained a significant enough amount of muscle mass, enter into a calorie deficit to get rid of the excess fat, while keeping up the strength training.
 
Jrahien said:
I know guys who are leg pressing <400 lb and still have small looking legs. I believe it's just a matter of genetics. People have different proportions of muscle fiber types in their bodies, which, simplified, can be generalized between slow-twitch fibers (the "endurance" type), and fast-twitch (the "short burst of power" type).

So the fact may be, you might just have a higher amount of slow-twitch fibers, which hypertrophy at a lower rate even though they can still gain significant amounts of strength.
Click to expand...




This is the best theory I have heard & seems to make sense & unfortunately I think you are right.
 
Goldfish said:
Bolded is your number 1 reason. No muscles are going to do much growing if the body itself isn't growing. If you've gone from 80kg to 80kg, then what room for growth is there? You've made a little bit of muscular development by recomping (losing fat mass and increasing muscle mass), but you need to adjust your diet to enable growth. It's not that your muscles aren't getting enough stimulus or recovery, it's that you're not feeding them to utilise that stimulus and recovery to produce new muscle mass. My first piece of advice would be to start increasing your daily calorie consumption by 200-500kcal/day, preferably in the form of something protein and nutrient-rich. Keep training at the same approximate frequency and workload, get that extra food in you, and you should start gaining 1-2kg each month. Some of that will probably be fat, but some of it will be muscle, too. Once you've gained a significant enough amount of muscle mass, enter into a calorie deficit to get rid of the excess fat, while keeping up the strength training.
Click to expand...



Cheers.

This looks like the best option.

I had a few weeks off from the gym to rethink my goals & i've decided i'm not going to give up.

If I havnt made any gains by xmas. I seriously think I need to find a new interest & just stick to light weights & some cardio @ the gym.
 
Hey JamieD12,

Interested to know how you went. I have a similar problem, re. struggling to see size increases on the legs.
Care to share what you've been doing, and if you saw any changes?
 
What a load of crap... if you only leg press 400 lbs then how the hell do you ever expect your legs to grow. You WILL have legs that look like that is all you lift. Jesus christ I have a 160lb woman leg pressing 1000lbs plus and box squatting 350lb... in the same damn workout. I have 60 y/o woman leg pressing 350 and a 73 yo male leg pressing 500 plus. 400 lb on the leg press is a beginners weight. The workout scene is fast becoming a place for ****ies that want to talk themselves up all the time and DON'T want to put in the effort... then want to come to these sites and bitch and moan and get consuled by others that don't have a ****ing clue what they are talking about. Unfortunately the whole gym scene is becoming a huge joke and full of people that keep coming up with all these ****ing excuses to NOT train scientifically or with courage and determination... ignorance is NOT an excuse.



JamieD12 said:
This is the best theory I have heard & seems to make sense & unfortunately I think you are right.
Click to expand...
 
JamieD12 said:
Cheers.

This looks like the best option.

I had a few weeks off from the gym to rethink my goals & i've decided i'm not going to give up.

If I havnt made any gains by xmas. I seriously think I need to find a new interest & just stick to light weights & some cardio @ the gym.
Click to expand...

LIGHT weights are your problem. Who is taking conducting you 6 monthly assessments. It has to be a trainer surely... and if this is the case then why are you not asking him/ her about this. THEY are the best person/ people to give you advice. But if you have been squatting 3 years and not above 300 lb then your not training properly and want to seek professional advice from someone that can watch you perform and give you advice on how to lift properly. I have a 160lb woman that has only been lifting 18 months that can leg press better than 1000 for reps and box squat 350 for 3. I could easily put on 100lbs on your squat in 3 months if you have good form and some courage. You have mentioned nothing about your set/ rep/ weight/ rest period set up what other exercises your performing during your workout. Are you periodizing your workouts?... what is the frequency/ intensity split... here are 2 little bits of advice for you... if your trying to bulk up then DON'T EVER do steady state cardio, even when you want to lose bf then steady state cardio is the WORST thing you can ever do. It has been researched and commented on ad nauseum on trainer sites that the worst program to use on the treadmills for fat loss is the "fat burning zone". The other... tune into the MuscleCollegeRadio pod cast. And also follow Dr Lane Norton Phd who is the MCR host and read up all the educational materials you can from one of the true legends of weight lifting and a leader in the industry for better than 30 years Dr Fred Hatfield Phd.

I am not soliciting business but if you want real advice contact me and I will be happy to help you out and educate you on how to lift for size and strength... free of charge of course. You will get more and better information on the science of weight lifting than you will ever get here in a life time...

cheers
 
wow, maybe you should lay off the juice a little.
as for "fat buning zone", it worked for me. i did about 50 min to an hour every night on ellipticals for 2 1/2 months and lost 30 lbs or so.
i'd ask you to help me with squats, but dont want injury
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top