Need Help With Legs

[TrueB2]

I workout 5 days a week (Push, Pull, Leg Split) and my upper body is definitely getting where I want it. My legs, however, are being stubborn. Being 6'2 does not make gains appear as easily/quickly, I know but I feel like my Legs aren't getting anywhere. I recently switched to doing Legs after each Push&Pull workout so it looks like this:

Monday: Push
Tueaday: Legs
Wednesday: Pull
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Pull
Sunday: Rest

You get the idea. Does anyone have any advice for growing Legs? Btw on Leg Day I do RDLs, Deadlifts, Calves, and Squats every time. Sometimes I throw in Lunges or Glute Bridges. And while my calorie intake isn't the best I do try to eat 3,000 calories a day

 

[9715891]

Complex, explosive movements did it for me (I'm 6'1). Heavy back squats, front squats, deads, sled pushes, sprints, etc. Also, I think olympic lifts made a huge difference for me, but if you don't have experience there and want to pursue that kind of lifting, you should get a coach given the complexity and ease with which you can injure yourself.

 

[TrueB2]

Complex, explosive movements did it for me (I'm 6'1). Heavy back squats, front squats, deads, sled pushes, sprints, etc. Also, I think olympic lifts made a huge difference for me, but if you don't have experience there and want to pursue that kind of lifting, you should get a coach given the complexity and ease with which you can injure yourself.

Honestly I've never been a fan of squats (not an excuse haha), but I really should do back squats and front squats, too. I do jog occasionally as well, so there's that. Thank you for the advice!!

 

[socalfreak]

Food intake is the #1 killer of results.
Start there.
Other issues can be:
Not doing enough sets/reps.
Not going to failure.
Resting too long in between sets.
Rep speed too fast.

If you feel that's all on point, then go a different route for a few weeks.
Leg curls, leg extensions, and leg press.

 

[the_gooners]

genetics also.

 

[TrueB2]

Food intake is the #1 killer of results.
Start there.
Other issues can be:
Not doing enough sets/reps.
Not going to failure.
Resting too long in between sets.
Rep speed too fast.

If you feel that's all on point, then go a different route for a few weeks.
Leg curls, leg extensions, and leg press.

I'm hoping how I changed my routine (Legs end up being 2-3 times a week instead of 1-2) helps. Food intake definitely needs to be better, too. And as far as fast reps and rests...well . I'll improve that too

 

[9715891]

Honestly I've never been a fan of squats (not an excuse haha), but I really should do back squats and front squats, too. I do jog occasionally as well, so there's that. Thank you for the advice!!

Haha just squat!! (Safely). It sucks, and sometimes it crushes your soul, but they build mental fortitude and legs/ass that make people salivate. As the saying goes “if it was easy, everyone would do it.”

If you want to look better than average, you have to do more that what the average person will do.

 

[51arledge]

Hey, I'm 6'-2" also, and old enough to be your grandfather but I know the territory!

I didn't start working out until I was 50. I was a working contractor/carpenter and lifted and carried heavy shit 5 or 6 days a week; I ate clean but definitely not enough calories---ever. I was a string bean all those years; muscular but very lean. Everyone told me that by the time I hit 35, I would start putting on the pounds....then they said, 40....then they said 45....then they said 50. Didn't happen until a few years after I started hitting the gym..

For me it was a combination of things that worked.. For several years, I did a program for 3 days a week, and every workout was full-body with:

• 1 Olympic lift (cleans, jerks, snatches, one-arm DB snatch, etc.)
• 1 Squat variation (Front squat, back squat, Bulgarian split squat) or heavy DB lunges
• 1 deadlift variation (regular, Sumo, Romanian) or Good Mornings
• 1 horizontal push (horizontal defined as perpendicular to your body--so this would be Bench Press, DB Bench, push-ups, etc.)
• 1 horizontal pull (DB rows, BB rows, cable rows, etc.)
• 1 vertical push (overhead/military press)
• 1 vertical pull (pull-ups, or cable pull downs)
• And then any of several twisting moves.

Each exercise was to be done with a warmup set, and then a 50% of max set, followed by 3-4 sets of maxes.

It was incredibly important to get 8 hours of sleep, AND my calories were consistently 3500-4000, sometimes more! I'm a mostly vegetarian but sometimes pescatarian guy for 45 years now, so getting that many calories was an effort. I remember that many times I would set an alarm to wake me at 2 AM so I could drink another protein and carb smoothie!

It worked. I went to visit my Dad and he and my uncles were all amazed that I got "big".

Also, I have to say that squats were and still are the mainstay of my programming----ESPECIALLY FRONT SQUATS. Research has shown that for taller guys (I think the cut-off was 5'-9" or so) back squats don't lead to the quadricep development that we all think of as a well developed muscular leg. It's something to do with lever-arms...