Leg Exercises?

[danfaggella]

I have a decent upper body workout for mon/wed/fri, but I'm looking for some kind of leg exercises. I'm working mainly on my back and my legs on tues/thurs/sat, and so far I'm doing the following:

-Wall Sits
-Bridges (not neck bridges, just bridging onto the shoulder blades and holding it)
-Superman (lay on stomach, raise on leg and the opposite arm, hold t for a while)

I'm looking to get a well rounded leg workout, but I'm not sure if those 3 exercises work it all.

PS:

I do a lot of pushups, but I find that in grappling I do far more pulling than pushing

PPS:

Sagacious Lu and other people have taked aobut holding various kung fu stances over time to work many parts of the leg. This seems good, but isn't it bad to hold a position where your knee is over your foot (for instance, you are not supposed to do squats and allow your knees to go over your toes, or your hips to go below your knees, for the sake of your joints).

THANKS!!!

[Tom Yum]

What's up, Dan.

Have you considered running? or bodyweight type-calisthenics?

Check out the running thread in this section or PM me and I'd be glad to share a bunch of ideas for leg resistance workouts.

Later

[darkrelevance]

i noticed no parts of your routine involve weights.
do you not have access to weights?

i would suggest squats and dead lifts for legs and lower back.
as for back excercises i would suggest pullups and rows.

as far as non weightroom excercises, you can do bodyweight squats. try squat jumps, box jumps and pistol squats. all those are great for the legs.
also try uphill sprints for explosiveness, and uphill sprints with a pack for strength. fill the pack with anything heavy and you're good to go.

[Tom Yum]

Dan, you got my PM?

Check with your doctor first and foremost!

If you're good to go, there are a ton of non-weight (and light weight) excercises you can do to work those legs.

I'll list them...

Bodyweight Squats
Star Jumps
Leap Frog (requires partner).
Low static stance (like you suggested)
Lunges
Squat Thrusts
8-count body builders
Jumping Jacks
Skipping rope
Toe raises

Let me know if you need a description.

[Sagacious Lu]

Originally Posted by danfaggella

PS:

I do a lot of pushups, but I find that in grappling I do far more pulling than pushing

PPS:

Sagacious Lu and other people have taked aobut holding various kung fu stances over time to work many parts of the leg. This seems good, but isn't it bad to hold a position where your knee is over your foot (for instance, you are not supposed to do squats and allow your knees to go over your toes, or your hips to go below your knees, for the sake of your joints).

THANKS!!!

For pulling rather than pushing try chin ups/pull ups if you have access to a bar. As far as kung fu stances go they are safe but only IF you do them properly. You really need a qualified teacher; I wouldn't try to learn them from a book or internet site.

[Troll Virus]

Here's a good one;

http://www.mattfurey.com/hindusquats.html

[danfaggella]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

About the pullups, I hear they are terrable for your shoulders, thats what the physical therapy guy tells me. Also, about those hindu squats, the PT guy also told me that bending so far (knees WAY over toes) is bad for your knees. I really wish I was a kinesiologist... I want to be able to figure this shit out on my own because I know there are 523049823 oppinions.

[bigred389]

Originally Posted by danfaggella

Thanks for the responses everyone.

About the pullups, I hear they are terrable for your shoulders, thats what the physical therapy guy tells me. Also, about those hindu squats, the PT guy also told me that bending so far (knees WAY over toes) is bad for your knees. I really wish I was a kinesiologist... I want to be able to figure this shit out on my own because I know there are 523049823 oppinions.

Yeah, it's kinda hard to sort through all the opinions out there.

http://www.trainforstrength.com/workout1.shtml

This program introduced me to the whole HIIT concept. When I started, i was coming off a knee problem myself, but I came through it OK...so that should give you a general idea on safety.
A point I should bring up though...when doing the leg exercises, I always make absolutely sure I can perform the exercise with proper form, otherwise I stop.

[Tom Yum]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Lu

For pulling rather than pushing try chin ups/pull ups if you have access to a bar. As far as kung fu stances go they are safe but only IF you do them properly. You really need a qualified teacher; I wouldn't try to learn them from a book or internet site.

Great advice.

[Troll Virus]

Originally Posted by danfaggella

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Also, about those hindu squats, the PT guy also told me that bending so far (knees WAY over toes) is bad for your knees. I really wish I was a kinesiologist... I want to be able to figure this shit out on my own because I know there are 523049823 oppinions.

Yup, I can appreciate it's a tricky onw, with conflicting opinions.
I believe natural 'build' comes into it to a certain degree.
Some people find things that work for them, are bad for others.
PT people tend to go on the latest advice in the media they read, but opinions change over time.

Hindu squats are older than the hills though, and the knee over the toes arguement doesn't really apply as regards them, unless you have monster thighs and calves.

The main danger in leg exercises involving beyond 90 degree descent, is the pressure/levering on the knee joint, exacerbated by big calves etc.
As Hindu Squats should have a controlled descent, that's not an issue, where exercises like Bunny Hops are.
Another field of thought, is that restricting exercise to 90 degree's or less is actually more damaging.

Good luck either way.

[danfaggella]

Thanks, fellows.

I plan to see the PT guy soon if my back keeps acting up, I plan to set out and get myself a good, safe, regular exercise program that works all my muscles.