So today we are going to discuss training the legs, the most important muscle group! When I started training in grade 9 my legs were super skinny and I wanted them to be bigger. It turns out I have very short femurs so leg training came very fast and I scaled in weight very quickly. Like anyone who gets quick success, I developed a love affair for training legs.
My statement about my genetics being predisposed to succeed at legs is where we will start, then we will wrap up with the science as to why training legs is most important.
Students come in all shapes and sizes which means we do not all squat equal. The largest influencer is femur length. Yes, we can go deeper into Dr. Stuart Mcgill’s hip capsule shape research but none of us have x-ray vision so from an application standpoint we will chat femur length only as anyone can quickly assess that.
The longer the femur the further the load is from the hip momentum. This causes a deeper need to move the chest towards the floor and for the knees to drift past the toes. Of course, this makes achieving full range of motion squats very challenging for those students who have long femurs. Who are these students, generally the taller kids, so giving them the same coaching cues as students with short femurs will result in them not liking leg training, terrible!
What should you do? Students with long femurs will have a much easier time learning deadlifts. Obviously starting anyone off with something they are good at will have a huge impact on long-term adaptation. You can also use the posterior chain coaching cues for the deadlift, “back flat, feel your hips hinge, keep your shoulders back and push into the ground through the middle of your feet”, to pre-train for the back squat. Once they are comfortable, move them to the squat and begin by elevating their heels about 1” and allow their knees to drift forward as long as they keep their feet flat. The big thing to watch for will be inwards knee collapse, you can use a mini band around their knees for feedback, in the beginning, to help with this as well.
With respect to the short femur folks, things will be easier for them as the hip structure being closer to the bar will mean loads will scale faster and the torso will remain upright at the bottom of the squat. Deadlift on the other hand for short femur folks may be difficult as they most likely have a longer torso so keeping their back flat while hinging at the hips will be a challenge.
Lastly, we will cover the science by listing the top 5 reasons legs are the number 1 priority.
- You will build more muscle. Compound movements help increase testosterone production, don’t panic here, no one is getting huge legs unless you apply the 4 laws to the movement (if you are not familiar with this read the 4 laws article on our website). Testosterone is also badly misunderstood, along with the strength and muscle benefits it plays a vital role in human health.
- You will burn more calories. Using the largest muscles in the body will demand more energy meaning more caloric demand. Research shows that after 90 minutes of compound movements, squats or deadlifts a person’s metabolic rate skyrockets for several hours post-training.
- You won’t look like a chicken. Okay, this isn’t a scientific fact, but let’s be honest here. Unless we start walking around the planet on our hands instead of our feet, legs are kind of a big deal for human health long term.
- All your lifts will improve. Your legs provide stabilization for all movements, even bench press. The stronger your base the better all your movement will get.
- Reduce your risk of injury. Muscle imbalances, poorly conditioned hamstrings and lack of mobility lead to a number of issues like low back pain, ACL injuries strains and pulls.
To summarize, make sure you assess students’ genetic makeup so you coach the right way and promote long-term health by giving them the knowledge and understanding of leg strength and function and its impact on long-term health.
Yours in squatting,
-Coach Cal
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