Leg strength/power and muscle mass

Hey, I'm not sure if someone has already posted a question which is similar but here goes:

I have injured my forearms and as I'm waiting for them to heal I will start training my legs. Obviously I want to increase strength and power but do not want excess muscle mass.

Can someone explain to me how plyometric exercises/dynamic leg exercises as shown in Building The Gymnastic Body can build strength and power yet not build bulky excess muscle.

Sorry if it's a silly question but I really don't get it.

Maybe it's down to how much you train and the intensity/amount that you do?

Cheers.

BourneAway said:

Hey, I'm not sure if someone has already posted a question which is similar but here goes:

I have injured my forearms and as I'm waiting for them to heal I will start training my legs. Obviously I want to increase strength and power but do not want excess muscle mass.

Can someone explain to me how plyometric exercises/dynamic leg exercises as shown in Building The Gymnastic Body can build strength and power yet not build bulky excess muscle.

Sorry if it's a silly question but I really don't get it.

Maybe it's down to how much you train and the intensity/amount that you do?

Cheers.

I may be wrong, but the lower body WODs are probably a good place to start.

Plyometrics/Shock Method does not really build strength per say. It is more about developing power.

Your legs will get stronger to some degree by doing the depth jumps if you never were doing them before.

Single leg squats with a weight and GHR would probably be your best bet in keeping strength without bulking up.

I'd still go with barbell squats (front squat) doing something like 3-5x2-3 reps. That'd ensure you're actually getting stronger and not just getting "economic" and proficient with the movement.

BourneAway said:

Hey, I'm not sure if someone has already posted a question which is similar but here goes:

I have injured my forearms and as I'm waiting for them to heal I will start training my legs. Obviously I want to increase strength and power but do not want excess muscle mass.

Can someone explain to me how plyometric exercises/dynamic leg exercises as shown in Building The Gymnastic Body can build strength and power yet not build bulky excess muscle.

Sorry if it's a silly question but I really don't get it.

Maybe it's down to how much you train and the intensity/amount that you do?

Cheers.

BourneAway

I'm afraid you can't have one without the other really. It's the same for any muscle in the body, the more you work it the stronger and bigger it will get. But at the same time for gymnastic training, you will be more toned than bulky (which actually makes legs look bigger) because the leg strength you need as a gymnast is unparalleled to that of the body. Where as a rugby player will be training his legs to be more solid against traumatic impacts (rugby tackles) and therefore require the bulk for protection (which also aid in helping to achieve explosiveness and power). The body will adapt to whatever you want it to get used to doing. But that doesn't necessarily mean you will get power as well. Through developing leg muscle the potential for power will be there but power comes more through technique of the dynamic movement you are using. Look at Muay Thai kick boxers for example, they spend hours, days, months kicking a heavy bag and doing pad work until their technique is flawless to the point where they can kick multiple times (chain kicking), very hard and very quickly so that their opponents won't have time to catch it or even see it coming!!....They do not use weights to train their legs or isolated movements to build power. Power building comes through training of the movement! - Compound training.

Now, like i said, when training your legs for strength building they will inevitably get bigger, because as you train, muscle fibres will break and grow back bigger and stronger so that you can perform the function that you have trained them in more efficiently and effortlessly.

In my opinion the best way to compound train the legs for all over strength and muscle building is compound training with a weight vest! The local rugby club here takes their players to the sand dunes and get them to sprint up them wearing a weight vest!.....believe me, you will feel more of a burn in your legs doing that, than any squat or isolation exercise. it's also good for overall cardio and endurance.

If you don't have a sand dune or a weight vest, try sprinting up some hills or steps 2 at a time for more dynamics.

Plyometrics build less size because of a small time under tension.

Like you said. How much you train. Plyos won't give your legs a lot of time to be working. So they won't grow much. If you're looking to optimal explosiveness, you will need weights. But plyos and the general strength work done on leg days will give you enough to be average with the lower body explosiveness.