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bigger calfs and quads

Old 08-07-12, 07:47 PM
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bigger calfs and quads

I want know to what are the workouts recommend to have big legs and calfs.I do know calf size is mostly genetics.Does cycling give you fast results.
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Old 08-07-12, 09:16 PM
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You get results on your calves with persistent training over many years. I've found the seated calf-raise to be best as it isolates the best. For big quads, I'd recommend combining a leg press and and leg extension. Another good leg exercise is the leg curl, which will give you good definition in the hamstring.
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Old 08-08-12, 05:33 AM
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Originally Posted by velonyc
I want know to what are the workouts recommend to have big legs and calfs.I do know calf size is mostly genetics.Does cycling give you fast results.
IMO the way to larger muscles is to do weights. Leg presses and extensions are the quickest way, bicycle would less of a return for the amount of time/effort invested by comparison.

Of course, more muscles help you with power, but more muscles mean your body needs more oxygen so if you want to be a competitive racer there probably should be some balance.

Last edited by ratdog; 08-08-12 at 05:37 AM.
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Old 08-08-12, 07:24 AM
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Dont forget about the hamstrings. Could building muscle on the quads and calves and not the hams could cause them to work harder and run the risk of injury?

On another note - if you use weights for building these leg muscles, ones that cycling alone takes longer to build, do you loose some when you stop lifting and just focus on cycling only?

Last edited by bfloyd6969; 08-08-12 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 08-08-12, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by bfloyd6969

Don't forget about the hamstrings.
This.

As far as calves go, just stand on a step and do calve raises.

Buy a 25 pound of cat litter (or anything) and do calve raises with that.

Then do a calf raise with one leg at a time.
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Old 08-08-12, 02:09 PM
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Calf raises with weight. Do a sets with the toes pointed out, middle, and in. If your not about to fall over from the burn your not doing them right.
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Old 08-08-12, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by bfloyd6969
On another note - if you use weights for building these leg muscles, ones that cycling alone takes longer to build, do you loose some when you stop lifting and just focus on cycling only?
Yes. 99% of cycling is aerobic in nature and won't help build or maintain muscle mass.

Standing track sprints require a lot of strength but with most cycling intervals longer than a couple of minutes you don't push any more than your bodyweight on the pedals. This doesn't require a great deal of strength. Top cyclists like Bradley Wiggins have skinny little legs.
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Old 08-08-12, 07:45 PM
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thank you everybody for the info.Would bodyweight training help ? Like squats,and pistol squats help?
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Old 08-09-12, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by velonyc

thank you everybody for the info.Would bodyweight training help ? Like squats,and pistol squats help?
Pistol squats annoy me because they strain the knee more than you need to.

You have choices.

Try the old school skier's squat. This is like a curtsey. Your butt drops straight down.
You never drop down much more than 1/3 of your range of motion and you don't need to.
Stand next to a chair and hold onto to it. All you do is steadily go up and down on the one leg.
Get a weight or a 25 pound bag of kitty litter. 30 reps with kitty litter will add some bulk.
You can get iron, of course, that's just a cheap way out.

Here's another one....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7DBE...feature=relmfu

Cycling builds up the front of your legs, deadlifts are good for building up the backside.
If you cycle and do resistance exercises just for the front, you'll make a mess of yourself.

You can do squats, deadlifts and other exercises with Superbands. Get the 1 3/4" band.
Then you cut the seam, and stand on it and use it.
https://www.performbetter.com/webapp/...splayErrorView

I have 2 of those and intend to get a 3rd.

If you want legs like tree trunks, try backpacking.

Which reminds me, if you want to grow musckles, ya gotta feed.
Think like a weight lifter. They eat lots of tuna and chicken breasts.
But not as sandwiches (easy on the carbs).
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Old 08-09-12, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Standing track sprints require a lot of strength but with most cycling intervals longer than a couple of minutes you don't push any more than your bodyweight on the pedals. This doesn't require a great deal of strength. Top cyclists like Bradley Wiggins have skinny little legs.
Which is odd as Wiggins started out a track cyclist, didn't he?
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Old 08-09-12, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by bfloyd6969
Which is odd as Wiggins started out a track cyclist, didn't he?
I don't think he did any of the sprint events which require leg strength. He did the pursuit which is a 4+ min event.
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Old 08-09-12, 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by sternzeit
Calf raises with weight. Do a sets with the toes pointed out, middle, and in. If your not about to fall over from the burn your not doing them right.
Sets of 30, one-legged on a stair step.
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Old 08-10-12, 01:49 AM
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Do it like I did. Stop riding a bike for 20 years, drink way to much, eat way to much all fat and lazy, carrying 310lbs really builds leg muscles. Stop doing that, change lifestyle ride every chance you get and bang, you have big defined legs...
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Old 08-10-12, 02:39 AM
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6 months of riding heavy bikes as fast as I can easily doubled the muscles in my legs. so much so that I measured my thighs and they come out 22 inches with no fat on them at all. My wife doesn't like the look, but I like being able to push 140kg of bike, me, and kid up a hill and still feel good at the top. I think it helps that I rarely move from the largest chain ring. Perhaps not the most effiecient way to get around but it surely does build muscle.
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Old 08-10-12, 07:27 AM
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Squats, squats and squats. To build big dense legs squats are money makers. You can supplement with leg extensions and leg curls, but if you skipp squats you are not going to be as dense. Squatting, especially heavy recruits more muscle fibers than any other leg exercise resulting in a complete workout. Athletes that require strong powerful bodies rely on the core compound exercises such as squats, bench press, military press and dead lifts.
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Old 08-11-12, 08:16 AM
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Originally Posted by late
If you want legs like tree trunks, try backpacking.
+1 on this; my calves gained almost all their size over three successive summers of backpacking with the largest internal frame pack available at the time, loaded to the max. Squats, cycling, etc have maintained the size, but they're the same 17"+ they've been since carrying me and 70 lbs of junk over creek, meadow, and mountain.
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Old 08-14-12, 08:01 AM
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Originally Posted by velonyc
thank you everybody for the info.Would bodyweight training help ? Like squats,and pistol squats help?
Like others have said, weight lifting is what you want to do to get big leg muscles. Just be sure to get schooled on proper technique if you're going to be doing squats! And if you do squats and/or leg press, also do hamstring curls.

Cycling will also get your legs into shape, but a lot of aerobic exercise limits the ammount of muscle you can put on, apparently. I guess it's all about what your goals are- if you just want ripped and muscly legs, do what body builders do (they're not out riding the bike or doing cardio for hours and hours a week). But if you're doing squats and lots of cycling, you'll be healthy and strong and your legs will have to be looking better and better. That seems like the best thing to me.

If you're already in the gym, why not do some upper body excersices too? You can get a lot of benefit going to the gym just twice a week.
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Old 08-14-12, 08:35 AM
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I strength train and do a ton of cardio. The end result is that I have muscular thin legs. Since that is what I want I am happy with it.
I think there is something to be said for less cardio + weight lifting could equal larger muscles.
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Old 08-16-12, 10:03 PM
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The seated calf raises really do isolate your calfs. I also do the seated leg press and hamstring curl.
A great way to measure strength to weight ratio for the upper body is the pull up.
The Navy SEALS could care less how much you can squat or bench press.
They do care how many pull ups you can do - their minimum is 18.
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Old 08-18-12, 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by JoeMan
The seated calf raises really do isolate your calfs. I also do the seated leg press and hamstring curl.
A great way to measure strength to weight ratio for the upper body is the pull up.
The Navy SEALS could care less how much you can squat or bench press.
They do care how many pull ups you can do - their minimum is 18.
Well, that's great if your goal is to go out and kill somebody after trekking through 200 miles of hostile terrain in a hostile country, then trek back home.

I just wanna hang on to a cat 5 crit without getting dropped.
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Old 08-25-12, 02:01 PM
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Quads: Front Squats.
Calves: calf raises . The seated calf raise puts slack on the gastroc, and the soleus contributes more.
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Old 08-25-12, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Ratzinger
And if you do squats and/or leg press, also do hamstring curls.
Hamstring curls are fine. I prefer deadlift variations for various reasons. They do train different functional uses of the hamstrings (knee flexion vs. hip extension).
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