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Building Legs…..

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

After two injuries the last two years, my legs are weaker than they have ever been, at least since middle school. Reading up on exercises, I came across this breakdown according to build. I know I have longish legs, but not whether the height is in the top or bottom half of my legs. Can you all help me figure it out, please? I'll have to add some pix in short shorts tomorrow, but if you click through to my old posts you can find 1000 photos of me already.

The muscle getting stretched the most in an exercise is the muscle getting recruited and stimulated the most. So the optimal exercise for the quads depends on your structure. Here are some general examples.

If you have long limbs and a short torso, especially if you have short tibias (lower leg bones) relative to your femurs (upper leg bones), then…

If you have shorter limbs, especially if you have longer tibias relative to your femurs…

If you have long limbs and a short torso and tibias pretty much in balance with the femurs…

If you have long limbs and a short torso and tibias that are shorter in relation of the femurs…

If you have shorter limbs and a longer torso…

If you have short limbs and tibias equal or shorter than the femurs…

People with longer limbs will need more exercise variety. Those with shorter limbs can stick to only the back and front squat and get maximum results. >/I>

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17 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

Sal

Veteran

They look balanced to me. I would say you are long legged and shorter in the torso. Balanced in leg length.

Whilst I am similarly long legged and with a short torso, our frames are different, and when we gain weight it’s distributed differently. I think you are taller than me- I am 174 cm or 5 ft 8

Runcarla

Veteran

I’m in the gym rehabbing as well! I did recently ask my trainer about the femur/tib-fib ratios and how they might factor into my choice of exercises - and he suggested it’s not really that much of an issue with regard to muscle recruitment (and that I’m pretty balanced, though long limbed.) The long limb/short torso makes it harder to lift heavy, because there is so far to go - but you probably know that. (FWIW, I’m 5ft 7in, with a +2 ‘ape index’)

Anyway, I’m focusing on the glute med because I’m rehabbing a chronic Trendellenburg gait that got worse whilst out of the gym during Covid lockdowns, and secondarily some scapular winging that messes with my right shoulder when I swim.) The weak side glute med has resulted in imbalance between my right and left legs. It took me 3 months to build up to where I could do hex bar squats (started last week).

Photos can be unreliable due to angles distorting proportions, but I think you might be slightly longer through the femur vs the tib-fib. What/where are your injuries, and have you fully recovered? Do they interfere with your biking? Have you got a pt and/or personal trainer?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Sal, how funny that I seem taller. I feel tall irl but am actually 5’8.5” / 173 cm.

Carla, thanks for telling me what your trainer said. I don’t know about that gait, but hypertrophy in the glute med is good for aesthetics. It is very cool to hear you’ve corrected asymmetry! I feel like I’m going to be doing unilaterals forever.
I generally work out on my own, asking my friend/flirt for help when necessary (he is a trainer & former natural body-builder). He remembers when I could crank out push-ups and had great quads (but nothing like his—they’re ridiculous!).
When I broke my toe trying to do a handstand 2 years ago, I did ten weeks of rehab, ending just as the pandemic began. The PTs were concerned I was getting a bunion and wanted me to strengthen quads to prevent that. The guy I was working with is also a trainer, gyms were closed, and the PT center had weights, so I did a few extra months with him.
Last summer I had a blunt impact to my thigh (same side) that gave me a bruise deep in my muscle like I’d never had before. For months afterwards, any kind of leg work, even a 6-beat kick on freestyle, hurt in a bad way. By this pic in late fall, my friend noticed my legs getting skinny.
I just recently got myself back in the gym regularly, worked up to 109 kg leg press—nothing like what I used to do, but better than it had been. I decided I should be doing squats, so my core would also benefit. On the first day of them, second set, I pulled a spinae erector muscle—on that same side. Trainer friend said no squats of any kind, do lunges and go easy on the swimming (he’s right about the swimming—I pushed it too much & found out). It’s much better, but he’s got 50,000 different things going on right now, not a ton of time to work out what I should be doing, so I pulled up that article on T Nation.
Anyway, long answer to say I’m not doing rehab because I am not impaired in daily life. I just need to stop throwing my body around and getting hurt.

Last photo is half a lifetime ago. I don’t expect to return to my 20s, but would like my legs back—they have always been strong, my whole life, so this is strange for me.

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Sal

Veteran

We are pretty much the same height then! I feel tall among my age group but short among the teenagers:)

rachylou

Veteran

Your lower legs seem longer to me…

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

So the tally is
Femur 1
Fib/tib 1
Even 1.

That’s pretty much what my son and I think as well!

Guess I’ll stick with the ways I’ve done squats and leg extensions in the past. That seems to have worked, and my bones are still the same size. I just need to get crackin’

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Stag, FWIW, when I eyeball your pics, your body looks long in the legs, and regular length in the torso. Tall and willowy. Your length is in your lower legs.

Hope you find the right exercise regime! You look strong and fit!

Anonymous

Ouch to that broken toe and leg bruise! I am always throwing my body around too. I am trying to train myself to hesitate before I try to climb that rock etc. You look like you have long legs to me. Good luck and have fun with the exercises!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Nikki, no wonder I like you, fellow wild thing.

Thanks Angie. With all your clients, I know you know what you’re talking about. Funny that you used the word “willowy” for long-legged. That’s how my sister describes me, but her legs are proportionately longer than mine. We have the same inseam, and she’s 2” shorter than I am.

MsMaven

Veteran

So interesting to me. Definitely the lower legs are longer. Something I’ve never thought about. Off to look in the mirror so thanks for posting about this.

RobinF

Veteran

I also see your legs as longer in the lower part. I've never even thought about breaking that down. You 5'8" people are tall in my book!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I think 5’8” for women’s height (probably 6’ for men) is like 60 years is for age— the old age of youth and the youth of old age

Anonymous

You look pretty balanced to me, maybe the lower legs a bit longer. My lower legs are shorter than my upper legs-but lower arms are longer than uppers.
I advocate for a variety of exercize for everyone though

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

ST, a variety of exercises, yes. This is about the best choice for a very specific kind of exercise, to bulk up and strengthen my quads. Certainly, my fitness goals are broader than that one target.

Anonymous

Ok specific to quads:

Squats and lunges (to front and push off). They can also be done to a step or a Bosu. Squats can be done on a Bosu too- round side down is more challenging!

For more aerobic benefit- biking (with hills), step aerobics.

Kick boxing- from low horse stance do front kicks, side kicks, roundhouse, front-back- rounds of 90 seconds. You can focus on one leg at a time (to work standing leg more) or alternate (more aerobic). Or kick with left- squat-kick with right- squat...

Barre- standing leg bent, toe turned out 45 degrees. Leg lifts with other leg-pointed toe- to front, front w toe turned out (for inner thigh), little circles in front, lifting to back, little circles behind. 45-60 second rounds each. Those are the ones I can think of offhand. It's the standing leg that gets the most work! For guidance- Down Dog has a Barre app.

Yoga balance poses like tree, dancer, eagle, chair, chair w upper body twist.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

ST, yes, lots of other sports do indeed offer opportunities to build quads—because they’re dang useful muscles. Again, this is about a more specific question. Christian Thibaudeau’s comments in this article are what I referred to above: https://www.t-nation.com/train.....ild-quads/. This gives another example https://www.t-nation.com/train.....quat-rack/ It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea—see the comment from RunCarla’s trainer. It’s one of those questions that gets discussed over & over.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

And now I’ve wrenched the opposite side of my back. Was really trying not to compensate, but maybe I was. Really frustrated