My top 2 tricks for thick legs!

In the past year I've been asked a lot about how I put so much size on my legs. In this article I'll address two important tips that's helped me go from chicken legs to thick, cut and serrated wheels!

1. High Reps! The legs are a big muscle group and I feel like the best way to get the pump and stimulate growth is to rep HEAVY weight for 12-20 reps! Notice I said "heavy!" Make the weight challenging!!

2. Drop It Low! Range of motion is key in getting the most stimulation to the muscles and I find it extremely beneficial for building mass to drop the hips below parallel. Yes, that means you peeps throwing up a bunch of plates on the bar and twitching with it need to go down in weight ;) Don't be prideful! Your body doesn't know the weight, just the stimulus placed on it and more muscle fibers are recruited when the proper range of motion is utilized!

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EXERCISE TIP:

It is important for novice lifters to build up strength endurance. Especially in the core. All force begins at the core and it is the foundation of the body. The best way to do this is spend about 15-30 minutes on the core before each workout. Advanced lifters can always return to this phase of training to give their bodies a "break" from the normal stressful routine and find a new way to stimulate new muscle growth.

To build strength endurance it is recommended to use light weight and perform about 15-20 reps. You will lift quickly on the concentric move and slowly on the eccentric. Example: while performing bicep curls, the concentric is the upward movement and eccentric is the downward. NOTE: it is very important to spend more time under tension in the eccentric part of the exercise in order to build up strength endurance! Knowledge is power, safe lifting folks!

Bicep Burnout!!

I like to throw in some resistance band curls into arm day. It's a great way to get an insane pump in the biceps! Try it at the end of an arm workout and go until failure!! NOTE: I'm not swinging my arms and I'm forcing a full contraction, or squeeze, at the top of the exercise. For more fitness motivation and nutrition advice follow my 'blog' here or 'Like' me on Facebook at facebook.com/andreazevedotraining !

Pull-Up to Leg Raise

This is one badass exercise. It crushes the whole back and abs like no other, all while burning more calories! NOTE: Do not attempt unless you are an advanced lifter! You should master the pull-up and the hanging leg raise individually first!

Weighted Floor Bridge

In this video I do heavy weighted bridges to hit the hammies and glutes. For novice lifters I recommend doing the bridge without any load. For more workout exercises and tips follow my YouTube channel or go to my 'blog' on my website, www.andreazevedotraining.com.

Leg Routine Aug. 17th 2014

Circuit 1:

•Leg Ext. 4x25

Circuit 2:

•Hex Bar Deadlifts 4x12

Circuit 3:

•Jefferson Squats 4x15

Circuit 4:

-superset-

•Laying SL Curl 6x12

•Seated Leg Curl 6x12

EXERCISE TIP:

Isometric Stomach Draw-In:

This is a great exercise from the novice lifters to the experienced lifters like Arnold. It strengthens the core from inside out! It's seemingly simple, but when done right it should be hard to hold for longer than half a minute.

Start on all fours and suck in your stomach as hard as you can for as long as possible. Try to get a vacuum in the stomach, as if you're trying to touch your belly button to your spine!

NOTE: Be sure to time your sets to track improvement!