Leg Workout??

[day65]

I have a shitty low back. I have been out of commission for almost 2 years! I herniated 2 discs several years ago. I have had and still do, alternative treatments -chiropractic ansd acupuncture for the maintenence of my weak low back. It doesn't bother me unless i really do a lot of lifting, not in the gym. I have modified my posture and focus on concentration vs. heavy heavy weights. I use to bench 405 and squat 675. I am on a test prop / deca cycle currently and am getting wonderful results.

My question is ---
I have no problem with upper body. I can only do leg extensions, leg curls, weightless, or body weight squats, and of course sitting calves. My calves are good, but my legs lack the thickness. They are shredded and very defined, but my upper body is getting unproportionate..

Any suggestions?? Anytime i do any leg presses or squats no matter the amount of weight, i hurt for weeks...... It sucks.

NEED SOME HELP!!!!!!!

 

[getfitdoc]

I'm in a similar situation.

When i do regular squats i suffer from severe pain in my sciatic nerve.

I have found that FRONT squats on the smythe machine dont bother me.

I started really light and have been slowly working my way up.

*1.Just start with the bar. NO weight.
2.do one set of 15 reps (OR less) stop at any time if you feel pain.
3.Focus on:
A)keeping your shoulders back
B)chest out,
C)Keep the the stomach muscles TIGHT (not flexed, but drawn , in so to speak)
D)go to about 90 degrees at the knee joint.

Hopefully these wont bother you.

Again be really carefull, Start off by doing 1 set, then see how you feel the next day.

If your ok then move it up the reps and the resistance slowly.

 

[day65]

I'll give it a try! thanks bro.. I have done hack squats after leg extensions to fatigue them and it worked okay for about 3 sets. The next leg workout i did 5 sets and it hurt the next few days. So i will try less and work on form and feeling the legs.

Thanks for your input!

 

[SCG2]

I too have a very bad low back. In terms of treatment, I suggest looking into Prolotherapy. (www.prolonews.com) I started getting great results with it, but had to discontinue treatment for financial reasons. I plan on starting back up in the very near future.

As far as training: I use to not train lower body at all because of how bad my back hurt. Through experimentation, I found a number of lower body exercises that don't bother my back, and have resulted in significant leg development. I use a lot of the the following: walking lunges with dumbells (a KILLER exercise! you could do only this exercise and get amazing leg development.), barbell hack squats (picture a deadlift with the bar behind your legs instead of infront of them. try it.), dumbell step-ups, single leg squats with the back leg elevated. for hamstrings, GHR's work great, and I can occassionally get myself through a few sets of stiff-leg deads/RDL's, depending on how my back has been doing. between those exercises, i never run out of stimulus. I still cannot squat, for the record. Like you, if I try, I'm in intense pain for two weeks.

 

[day65]

I thought about walking lunges... Ill try that. thanks! how far do you walk? Long - Time? I have never done lunges.

I too have tried prolotherapy for 8 treatment with a well known physiotrist-MD.. It didn't do anything for me except make me so soar, like a heavy loaded Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) shot! LOL. Acupuncture saved me. as soon as i get it i feel 100% the next day...good shit. Chiropractic helps as well, but not as quick as acupuncture. The Chinese herbs are absolutely nasty...They taste like bad breathe or dirty socks smell like....couldn't do those.

 

[SCG2]

damn... i'm sorry to hear you didn't have any luck with the prolotherapy. i too got very sore from the treatments, but it always felt like that type of soreness that means good things were happening. i've gotten accupuncture as well, and it did nothing for my back. funny the way that works...

as for the walking lunges, i usually just do sets of 16 steps total, 8 per leg. its a lot more demanding than you'd think. i would use 60 lb dumbells and be FRIED after 2 sets. it well work your wind as well as your legs.

 

[dienerfan]

As far as the back, I have heard people say that pilates have really helped them out. And with leg definition, I have a really fucked up left knee, and a right knee that is none too fresh either. As a consequence I risk a lot of injury if I do a lot of press or squat weight. Recently I have found good results with high intensity elipticals jack up the resistance. I am getting some good toning in th eareas that were really affected by about a year off of exercise after I discovered my malady. About 20 minutes of that incorporated into your normal cardio may help you out. But here is the sticker, I naturally have big/bulky legs my calf is some 22 inches around. So I never really have seen much bulking in them even when I was lifiting hard iron with em. This may not work well for you, if you have "sprinter's legs"