Legs of steel

[blackdragon]

[b]Hindu squats[/b] are the perfect choice to develop power and endurance in the thighs.<br />
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Just assume a standing position, feet shoulder width apart, feet pointing slightly outward.<br />
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Squat down below parallel, then come back up, but don't lock out. Keep the movement continuous.<br />
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Breath out on the way down, and in on the way up. Keep the back straight.<br />
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As you squat down, your arms should be straight, moved to your sides and behind you, then be brought straight out in front of you on the way back up.<br />
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Do them in sets of 50, 2-3 minutes rest between each set, for a total of 500 reps, every day. That's what I did. After 3 months my legs were tree trunks - an extra 8kg of muscle!<br />
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This exercise improves your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.<br />
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80 minutes of rugby becomes a breeze!

[Red Bull]

So you ended up looking like an Olypmic Sprint cyclist....massive legs and wizened shrivelled little upper body? <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> <br />
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[quote]Squat down below parallel, then come back up[/quote]<br />
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:-k parallel to what?

[blackdragon]

My upper is ok, bro. Enough to damage the opposition! <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> <br />
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Below parallel = thighs lowered to at least parallel to the floor, or deeper.

[mojo]

Shirley having legs made of 'steel' would make you too heavy for your weight?

[LAKiwi]

No, with the pea brain - it balances itself!<br />
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<img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

[Paj]

Been working on my chicken legs for years and have given up...no amount of squats, legs press's etc have made any difference to my legs.

[ed_welshman]

Fair enough, spent about half an hour a day and get legs that can lift your own bodyweight, admittedly, quite a few times.<br />
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Or, do a range of squats, deadlifts and lunges, at differing speeds and weights, twice a week. totalling about an hour a week. spend the rest of time building up your aerobic/anearobic fitness for rugby, maybe even doing a few upper body weights.<br />
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I think you're better off with my idea.<br />
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You could do a paper on it, but it depends what you want, strength endurance or a combination of strength, power, speed and endurance.

[blackdragon]

Free weight squats could be added, as well as some deadies, but they are not developers of functional strength ie. how many deadies do you do on the field? <br />
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Functional strength is most important, maybe only some deadies for the tight 5?<br />
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and this 'I can bench press such and such a weight' is codswallop. You don't do many benches on the fiels ie. not a functional strength movement.

[BartMan]

blackdragon - functional strength?? How many squats do you do on the field... <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':P' /> <br />
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overall body strength (overall functional strength perhaps), can't go past the big three, deadlifts, squats, bench press. Turf the rest out, sub shoulder press for bench a few times, and there you have the worlds most basic weights programme, that will work!!

[ed_welshman]

Thank you bartman,<br />
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functional strength? That's the reason you don't have to waste your time doing bicep curls or other isolation exercises. Squats and deadlifts are compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups that you will use during a game of rugby.<br />
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it's no use having strong legs if your lower back folds the first time you try to use them.

[blackdragon]

Hindu's, my lads. Plenty of them. Try it mate. I did squats and deadies for 6 years, and it improved my strength tremendously - ie. 10 reps with 200kg in the deadlift, and 140kg for 8 reps in the squat.<br />
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But I bet you dollars to dougnuts, if you can squat 100's of pounds, you can only do 30-40 Hindu's. <br />
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Hindu's are way better than squats and deads for developing overall flexibility, strength, endurance, and cardio. [b]Try it first[/b] bro. I've done both, and the results are amazing!

[BartMan]

those weights are made up BD?? only squatting 140, but 200 on DL, just does not compute in my experience of weight training, have found that most would be able to squat more (amateur played dunno about pros), than dead lift.<br />
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I think I carcked 220 for DL, and 260 odd for squats, and found that sort of ratio the norm, biys being able to squat more (legs) then DL, legs and back.<br />
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but agree, try something before you knock it, but also, use the proven methods first, before trying the alternates - in my opinion anyway!

[Duluth]

When I was doing Deads I was lifting about 30kg more in my DL than I could in a squat<br />
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Although I think that just means I can squat fuckall :?

[BartMan]

different for different people i s'pose, but I ahve never noted it that way around!!

[ed_welshman]

Normally depends on what i do first, i'm pretty even at the moment.<br />
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BD, it's just the amount of time you seem to have to spend doing it that would put me off. You could do a lot of other training in the time you were doing hindu squats.

[BartMan]

do them on different days - can never go heavy on both on the same day - kill yourselof!!

[ed_welshman]

Tell me about it. Deadlifts, squats and then lunges. If i put the effort in i struggle to walk the next day. It knocks a bit off my squat but it gets it all done. Workout has 4 upper body exercises as well, and some abs, don't know if it's too long, but it seems to work. Seems better than when i used to split stuff.

[blackdragon]

I've always had a strong lower back. My biomechanics are suited to deadies as I am tall, so the squat weight is lower.<br />
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Not a normal ratio, thats why I did the Hindu's to up my power, so now the ratio is pretty good.<br />
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I must congratulate Bartman, we don't often see eye to eye, but these are pretty good poundages there Barty! I'm impressed! <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':P' /> <br />
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Also, I injured my back for a while in the scrum, so I placed more emphasis on the Hindu's. They place less stress on your joints.

[colt_hurricane]

Ok experts so what is the best workout routine for weight room time for high school kids. or can someone point me to some website where i can share this info with them.

[blackdragon]

Pushups<br />
Chins<br />
Hindus<br />
Sprints<br />
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But remember to stretch. Heaps of rugby players become 'stiff' when they train too much, making them more injury prone because they don't stretch.