Anti-chicken legs routine for Foundation 1

Hi,

I would like to ask, do you have any anti chicken legs routine/program/plan that I could add to my F1 protocol? One or two times a week? Thanks!

Sorry, this has never been my problem... quite the opposite... >.<

I would be interested in anti Rhino legs protocol. Which is yes - the opposite lol

First of all, how are you doing on the SLS element ?

What progression are you up to ?

Complete at least foundations 2 so that you have a basic strength . then if you want more mass:

-move the repetitions from 5 to 7-9 for 2-3 sets. i mean that choose/add weight so that you cannot perform more then 9 reps, but at least 7

-improve your diet

If you can run, do 4-8 max effort sprints once a week.

Hi Cornelius,

Great to hear that you're training F1. What is your goal in adding mass to your legs? Perhaps the extra time can be spent adding in the Stretch Series each week rather than doing more lower body strength work. (I only caution you because I wish I myself had spent more time stretching and less time lifting over the past few years.)

Best,

Chris

Since he titled this topic "Anti-Chicken Legs" it seems pretty clear that his goal is to improve the aesthetic of his wheels, likely with the emphasis on their proportional relation to the rest of his body.

@Cornelius: First order of business is where you stand on SLS. Any hang ups or plateaus? Which progression and microcycle are you on? How are you doing with the IM?

As noted above, sprints are an excellent option for adding some mass, plus they are beneficial for plenty of other reasons. Personally I've had to drop the SLS protocol (for now) due to the knee pain I was experiencing. I started doing barbell squats a couple of months ago (pain free) and continue to reap their benefits, not the least of which being the significant 'anti-chicken-legging' effect. I do them on Tue and Thu, Foundation on M,W,F. Lunges and deadlifts are also excellent options for adding leg mass, and whether you do any of those or not a good calf/tibialis raise routine will add strength and size for the lower legs.

I've heard that F2 will provide much in the way of hypertrophy, so you could keep trucking until you hit it. Since you are here on this forum I am going to make the leap in conjecture and assume that you aren't looking to get hyooge, but are instead interested in a physique which expresses dynamic mobility and strength rather than just strength. Adding some squats in will get you the extra size, but bear in mind the look of the advanced GB athletes represents the result of the GB protocol, and I have yet to see any of them with scrawny chicken legs.

I would be patient and carry on working on Foundation. I don't know about size, but I'm on PE4 and I haven't felt this much "bounce" in my stride in a long time. 

Worry about hypertrophy later. Get those knees healthy first by finishing F1 & F2!

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Is it safe to assume that on later foundations hypertrophy will result -- meaning beyond Foundation 1?

yup. it should. plus people here get hypertrophy from just 1 and 2 ... *shock*

What evidence do you have that you have chicken legs. And have you ever seen a chicken jump and scratch. They have strong legs and knees that bend backwards.

I can't speak on chicken legs but I'm getting great hypertrophy benefits from F1 after starting over 2 months ago.

richardstone said:

...and knees that bend backwards.

Those are their ankles, man, their knees bend the same direction as yours

LMAO Man alive!  As soon as I saw the title I had to read this!!

Hypertrophy will result later?  I would have thought this would be minimal as I've heard on the podcasts and other conversations, coach doesn't want his gymnasts' legs to get any bigger as this would hinder the performance of his athletes. He wants them strong, explosive and bulletproof....any extra mass would degrade their performance.   And speaking from bodybuilding experience - my chicken legs are that stubborn that I would need SUBSTANTIALLY more VOLUME to build mass than 5 x 5r.

Great aesthetic wheels win bodybuilding competitions but do not win gymnastic competitions.  In the time being I'm biting the bullet and concentrating on F1 & F2 first and I've chucked in a couple of extra sets of barbell squats and Bulgarian split squats after as assistance exercises (anti chicken-leg protocol) 

There's a difference between getting hypertrophy on 'chicken legs' (we might all have different definitions on that) and getting big legs. There's also a difference between Coach's competitive gymnasts and us.

Actually the knees do bend in reverse direction. The joint seen roughly halfway up the visible part of the leg is the ankle (birds walk on their toes) as you point out. While the knee is hidden behind/within the flank feathers.

Don't worry about it. I'd submit that once you have the strength to hit a good solid SLS, you won't care so much about what your legs look like. As for a good way to add mass on any part of your body: turn 35. Trust me, it gets easier then.

richardstone said:

Actually the knees do bend in reverse direction. The joint seen roughly halfway up the visible part of the leg is the ankle (birds walk on their toes) as you point out. While the knee is hidden behind/within the flank feathers.

Doesn't look like the knee is reversed to me in this picture

samtrano said:

Doesn't look like the knee is reversed to me in this picture

Warning - Foul picture after the link.