Building Leg Muscle!

Okay, I'm 5 feet 6 inches and plan to play Division 1 or 3 ice hockey where everyone is 150-180 lb. Right now I only weigh 130 lb. I want to weigh around 155 lb and for most of the weight gain to be in my leg muscles. Any advice?
 
the body likes symmetry so to say you want to "gain mostly in the legs" is probably a bad idea. Your body will grow much more willingly with a full body workout regimen. Stick to the BIG lifts: Bench, Squat, Deadlift, dips, pullups, rows, etc and supplement properly and you'll grow faster than you thought possible.
 
One can often get impressive leg-size with basic leg exercises by either lifting heavy with low-reps (1-10, usu. with multiple sets) or by using a moderate-weight with high-reps (15-20, multiple sets), or a light-weight with very-high reps (usu. around 100 reps, usu. for only 1 set... if seated at a leg-press station, then can go much higher with the reps -- 300-500 -- if the weight is relatively light).

There are also quite a few non-weight (aka body-weight) exercises that can be done in multiple sets with high to very-high reps, such as a body-squat, heels-up deep knee-bend, sissy-squat, 1-legged squat (if/when you're strong & stable), body-lunge (forward & backward), & various squat-hops. One can also add a couple of dumbells in with these exercises for added resistance. Other (often) non-weight exercises include various leg-lifts & a favorite thigh-killer: a 3-point-(pivoting)-kneel-walk.

You can also hit the hams & glutes more directly with various exercises.

There are many exercises & general activities that will cause your thighs to balloon, but some may be hard on the spine, knees, ankles, &/or hips, especially if done in/with excess. Among the many activities are mountain back-packing, dancing, skating, sprinting, & cycling.

And it's best (especially in the long-run) not to neglect your other body-parts.
 
the body likes symmetry so to say you want to "gain mostly in the legs" is probably a bad idea. Your body will grow much more willingly with a full body workout regimen. Stick to the BIG lifts: Bench, Squat, Deadlift, dips, pullups, rows, etc and supplement properly and you'll grow faster than you thought possible.

Thanks for the replies.

I see your point. But I want to have lean, not bulky muscle in my upper body and really bulky bull-like legs. Hockey is all about leg strength. NHL players don't walk, they waddle because their legs are like tree trunks.
 
Do you guys think it is possible for me to weigh 170 lb by the end of August 2007? And this weight gain from my current 130 lb to 170 lb would be all muscle gain. For a guy who is 5 feet 6 inches, is such a feat possible if I start training right now?

How many pounds of muscle do you guys typically gain per week when you are training?
 
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no, in all honesty putting 40lbs of pure muscle is nearly impossible in 6 months, id say if u REALLY worked your ass of, u could gain 20-25lbs of muscle and 5-10lbs of fat(keep ya warm on the ice). What posistion do u play in hockey?
 
no, in all honesty putting 40lbs of pure muscle is nearly impossible in 6 months, id say if u REALLY worked your ass of, u could gain 20-25lbs of muscle and 5-10lbs of fat(keep ya warm on the ice). What posistion do u play in hockey?

I don't know about the gaining fat part, as elite hockey players have body fat %'s of 6-8%. I play right wing.

And maybe I do stand a chance at getting to 170 lb. Keep in mind that my legs are bone, I have really no upper body muscle as well, and I am skinny, so I have a lot of muscle to gain.

And to everyone, how much muscle have you gained within a span of 6 months during your training?
 
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You can lift just about any way, and depending on the duration you've been doing it (some methods take longer than others), as well as your diet, you will hypertophy.

To answer your other question, I've been lifting smart for less than 8 months compared to any other lifting I've done prior, and I've gained about 10-15 lbs of muscle. Mind you, I haven't been lifting for size and my diet has only been in check for the last 5 months or so.

So now that I'm eating like 2700+ calories a day, as well as consistantly lifting (still not for size), I put on about 1 lb a week, give or take.

The best rep scheme for you might be 5-12 reps for 3 or 4 sets of a given exercise like squats, deadlifts, or overhead presses.
 
no, in all honesty putting 40lbs of pure muscle is nearly impossible in 6 months, id say if u REALLY worked your ass of, u could gain 20-25lbs of muscle and 5-10lbs of fat(keep ya warm on the ice). What posistion do u play in hockey?

Both is completely impossible, unless one used roids and even then it would not be easy.

Physically speaking the body can gain as much as 2 pounds of muscle per month, a person with PERFECT genetics with a Perfect routine, with a perfect diet might be able to get 3 pounds a month if he is lucky.
 
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