Hey All! Feel free to check out the Alpha Progression App: alphaprogression.com/HouseofHypertrophy Read more for timestamps and reverse nordic + sissy squats tips: Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:47 Part 1: The New Research 6:31 Part 2: Squats, Lunges, and Leg Presses Reverse Nordic Curl Tips: If you're currently not able to perform a normal full range of motion reverse nordic curl (lowering and lifting yourself), there are various ways you can build up to this. The simplest approach is just to train with the range of motion you're currently strong enough to perform. So instead of lowering yourself all the way down near the ground, you just lower partially. You can then progress over time by getting closer and closer to the normal full range of motion. Alternatively, as shown at this time point (5:11), you can hold on to a resistance band to partially assist you when lifting your body up. To make this exercise even harder, holding some form of weight across your chest while executing the exercise can work. A backpack with weight inside positioned on the front of the chest can also work. Sissy Squat Tips: To minimize the balance and stability demands of this exercise, holding on to something is recommended. As shown at this time point (5:11), some cables or band setup can assist you. Similar to the reverse nordic curl, if you're unable to go as deep as possible, you may just currently train with the range of motion you can perform, and progress over time. To make this exercise even harder, a backpack with weight inside positioned on the front of your body can work.
It's been pretty clear that there's more hypertrophy in most muscles when lengthened under tension. Cable pulls for deltoids where you can ensure tension at the lengthened portion of the movement is superior for a reason. Just looking at how the quads, which are hip flexors and knee extensors, connect to the hips and the knee, I would have told you that if the same principle applies to quads, then leaning back with your hips would create more of a stretch and allow for it to be lengthened more during a larger amount of the reps, creating more hypertrophy, especially in the rectus femoris.
Way back in 1999 research was carried out using MRI on 14 different frontal leg exercises, both single and dual joint. It showed that with few exceptions they didn't tax the rectus femoris together with the three vastus muscles. Two exceptions were old style hack squat and sissy squat, both done with the the heels off the floor. In addition during the sissy squat the hip is in a fixed position, 5:53. I added sissy squat to my routine and got quick results. However after a while I hurt my knee during a deadlift and I attribute it to overtaxing the knee joint with the sissy squat. This of course is only anecdotal evidence, and I also did another sport that overtaxes the knee joint, compounding the problem.
Any time you start a movement with a strong increase in ROM you have to reduce overall load IMO. Otherwise the joint will not have the time it needs to get stronger and can get worn down. If you do give it time to recover then it will likely become more resilient
one of the researchers on the linked 'new study' in the description, Milo Wolf, actually has his own youtube channel! it's called Wolf Coaching, and he gives the results of these new cutting edge studies sooner than when the actual papers get published. for instance, this specific study comparing leaning back leg extensions giving bigger quad growth, he actually talked about in a video called 'the stretch is actually more important than we thought?! (new studies)', 3 days before this video; in the video 'The Best LEG DAY for MUSCLE GROWTH (According to Science)' at 13:00 minutes he talks about this exact unpublished study this house of hypertrophy video references about leaning back leg extension, 4 weeks before this video. highly recommend Milo Wolf for up to date, and early unpublished studies for muscle hypertrophy information.
1-amplitude is the key 2- theres no selective hypertrophy 3-do the right dose of train dont be workaholic that only make u weak and close to injures. 4-eat and rest properly
I wasnt training for hypertrophy just mobility- i bought a sandbag filled to 85- lbs of pea gravel i did chair squats in sets of 4- in 6 weeks my legs - ass back blew up i ate like a horse great results-- im up to 120 lb bag now
If anything the resistance curve is probably better with the sissy squat and reverse nordics since its more lengthened biased relative to the leg extension (we still need the confirmation tho) but where the leg extension shines is the loadability, these exercises are very hard to load after you get proficient at them while in the leg extension you can just add weight
also, in the case of reverse nordics, it can be difficult to get to the point of doing them proficiently. I had to spend quite a while using band assistance when I first added reverse nordics, to be able to go all the way down
*Leg day 1)* Squats/hack squats, leg extentions, adductors and abductors. *Leg day 2)* Lunges/split squats, glute bridges, calf raises and hamstring curls. *48 hours for upper body and repeat the leg days*
This demonstrates two ideas that I've figured out: 1. If one side of the muscle is "smushed"/not allowed to move/shortened, then the growth will be more in the other side of the muscle. (I think this is what "training a muscle at a more stretched position" actually means.) This can be used to target inner vs outer pecs via range of motion and level of shoulder protraction. 2. If a muscle in a group is limited from working due to positioning (or also prefatigue), other muscles in the group will compensate. Together, this is why the other quad muscles grew more at their lower position than upper when sitting normal/not leaning back.
I worked this out months ago and took the back off my home leg extension machine and replaced it with the roller pad that's used for the leg curl attachment. This puts me at about 15% when I lean back on it.
I recently started doing these and i really like how it makes my quads feel but my knees only allow me a certain range of motion. So what i end up doing is an assistes sissy squat with one leg slightly behind the main front leg while holding onto something. This helps me with the knees issues some and allows me to control resistance to really push my legs
250k views! Is that all! Just goes to show you that people would rather look at shiny, endorphin educing, regurgitated content that most influencers spew. This is absolutely golden! -Great- *Fantastic* channel!
ive always added in sissy squats towards the end of my last 3-4 sets on leg extensions but i didn't think leaning back so far or even laying down would be more effective. guess it's time to put the leg extension seat far back and lean
While 0 degree may activate, the rectus femoris is a hip flexor and attaches to sacrum/low back and could stress your lower back due to taking back out of neutral position. Hence, you can’t just look at the quads but the whole picture.
Contemporary research on stretch mediated hypertrophy and lengthened partials tells us that you don’t need to and, in fact, that you may even grow more if you don’t.
So yeah if hes an MD his knowledge was probably 5 years ago minimum from when you saw him, which is fine. That was humanities understanding. Contemporary research shows that building from full range, WITH A MANAGABLE WEIGHT, into held stretch and full extension is the best for growth, stability, and longevity. Perhaps contradiction will arise, it always does, but this is the current path. Hope that helps
Since leg extenion machines typically don't recline, I guess the sissy squat on a hack squat machine would be a great substitution giving an even greater stretch to the muscle.
That's good if you want RF growth. The other quad muscles don't cross the hip joint though, I would have thought by increasing the hip flexion angle this helps take RF out of the equation forcing VL/VM/VI to compensate by working harder.
I've found that if your leg extension machine doesn't have a moveable back, then you can simply push your knees forward as you go down on the bottom of the lift to provide a better stretch. You might also have to move your hips a bit up/forward too for full stretch. (this kinda looks similar to a sissy squat)
Fun fact: The quadriceps has FIVE heads not four. The 5th head is called the tensor vastus intermedius which was discovered in 2016. It was in the book I wrote years ago.
So Vince Gironda was right about leg extension's and Sissy Squats!!!...Ironically Vince frowned on regular squats. Never seen anyone develop legs to the maximum with just leg eztension's and Sissy's though.
@@1TieDye1 Exactly!!!...No I have not...BUT, with Vince Gironda it was not about sheer total mass anyway. He was against Squats, Deadlifts, Rows because he felt it thickened the waist and spread the hips too much and took away from the V shape...Not sure if I totally agree with that, but what IS interesting is Vince got slammed by exercise physiologists and kinesiologists for his claim about developing the lower thigh...He felt too much mid and upper without proportionate lower development would lead to...TURNIP or CARROT shaped thighs...He was scoffed at, and everyone said that was all genetic and you can not emphasize lower thigh development....THIS PROVES VINCE GIRONDA AND STEVE REEVES CORRECT ABOUT TARGETING SPECIFIC AREA'S OF THE THIGH....Turns out those old dogs knew a few things after all....But I agree with you about regular back squats...I love them and they are among my favourite exercises.They have worked for just about everyone.
@@zerrodefex No, and Vince was certainly dogmatic about his approaches and theories...That said, he was specifically de-bunked and mocked for his views on thigh training...and while I love the back Squat and always will. It would appear Vince was certainly onto something with Sissy Squats, Hacks, and lean back Leg Extensions. ...AND the fact that you can in fact target and develop the Lower thigh specifically...Some decried that as impossible. These findings would seem to support Vince.
@@algrundau9441 I personally don't feel my upper quad working during leg extensions, only the lower portion, it burns like hell. So yeah, I think it's totally possible to target the lower portion.
I got aware of this about tree months ago and have since then set the seat on the leg extension machine in my gym as far back as possible. The difference has been huge, I now have DOMS in my erectus femoris......
The leg extension machine at my gym is pretty barebones; can't recline the seat. I suppose I could try moving the seat back a ways, and then scoot forward and lean back. Will have to give it a shot. I will say the only way my quads have gotten sore in several years is recently when I did 5 sets, each one myoreps, on the leg extension machine. I regularly do squats and lunges (the latter is a glute killer), have done leg press off and on in the past but not currently. I may give those Reverse Nordics a shot next time, though can't say I'm a fan of Sissy Squats those things are awkward as poop. Thanks for another great video big 🐕
I bought a sissy squat machine a few months back, and can't recommend it enough. I alternate 3 sets of regular squats with 2 sets of sissy squats in-between. I've never had a pump like it in my quads, and my strength gains are very noticeable.
If I remember correctly, there was an INSANE outlier in the length group that r heavily skewed it. Also, the shorter length group I believe had at least 2 ppl who lost mass… 2 untrained individuals lost mass… they can look at a dumbbell and grow. I think it may be a good idea to look at the new average when outliers in both groups are omitted. Or even only including the middle 85% of participants in each group
Nice of everyone to catch up to the physical therapists, who have known this for decades. The quads are a two joint muscle. They need all the rom they can get to really gain strength and mass. It’s no different than exercising any other two joint muscle
I train at home and I can adjust my bench so when doing leg extensions my quads are stretched under load beyond 0 degrees in the bottom position and puts the hips lower than 90 degrees so they’re stretched as well.
I agree leaning back does give the rectus femoris more stimulus. I disagree with you on the hip placement. If you put your hips back you’re actually lengthening the recuts femoris not shortening it. You get more activation because of the lever length in comparison to the load. If you’re leaning over (hips back) you’re using more medialis and lateralis. If you lean back it’s then obviously more rectus femoris and lateralis.
Just do Bulgarian split squats along with your squats or hack squats. You should be able to do both in any gym without any issues. Most leg extensions don't allow you to lean back.
Bro I discovered the leaned back leg extension by accident. I was at a new gym and ai couldnt figure out how to move the damn seat and it was pushed all the way back. So i was like fuck it ill do it like this. I had never felt the top part of my quads flex EVER before. Since then ive been doing it like that.
Love the Info. And what about performing leg extensions with an angle of 110 degrees or above? Are there any references? (I am asking because I can only perform movements between 80º and 120º in the leg Extensions machine in my gym.)
Question: is the study involving the smith machine squat using participants using a full rom? or to 90 degrees? we know the loading the muscle in a stretched position is probably the most important for building muscle, so if the squat only went to 90% it isn't in a lengthened position
This is literally what Eugene Teo recommended!! I think I cannot copy paste the link without it getting deleted, but it can be found on his channel: Small Change = MASSIVE Muscle Gains I wonder if this applies to leg curls as well... I have never liked lying leg curls, seated is my preferred way.
We have data showing seated leg curls grow the hamstrings more than lying leg curls pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33009197/ As for whether leaning forward with seated leg curls (to stretch the hamstrings even more) is better needs to be examined with future research :)
Hey HoH I know that your channel is focused on muscle growth and the information is very good and I have incorporated a lot of it into my training. However currently I’m obese and trying to lose weight so I can get down to a healthy weight to then do a recomp. As an idea a video idea where you look into the evidence to see what the best methods for weight loss so someone can do more body weight exercises. Your break down of complex scientific studies are the best I’ve seen on RU-vid and feel like the topic is too convoluted with bad info. Just an idea
Weight loss is variable per your genetics, but there are some general dietary trends. Hardest part is have to cycle your diet as your body downregulates or you can do some weird things to yourself (hypothyroid, etc). The best way to lose weight is something I recently experienced and definitely don't recommend. It is called the stomach flu. Highly effective.
What about leg raises and reverses squats complementing the rectus femoris work? I plan to do these on the end of my quad days and i really feel some fatigue in a specific part of my quad muscles when performing
The reverse squat has the same issues as direct squat patterns i.e. the RF lenghtens at one end and shorthens at the other. It's unlikely it'll grow much. Leg raises are hard to load and progress. If you want to go down that road, it might be better to simply do sit-ups, preferably on one of those abs benches that have ankle pads at ground level to lock the legs with bent knees, lenghtening the RF. Make sure to not flex the spine and hinge at the hip. Your
Paul Swinton (involved in this study) from RGU was my old professor, here is an old video of him benching 180kg x10. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K2-h45Gu5m4.html Enjoy!
You want to train knee flexing with hips flexed and also with hips extended... That's it. I don't know why there's this constant discussion of trying to find one when these train different things
Wow, you're so on top of the research! Another excellent video. Seems evidence is piling up for training in a stretched position. I wonder how long it will take for equipment manufacturers to get on board and give us a new type of leg extension machine.
Would the study have been better if the subject did one leg at 40 degrees and the opposite leg at 90 degrees? Rather than different subjects training the same leg and comparing at the end of the test?
Haha, it's part of the instrumental. I believe it says "aureola", the name of the beat producer: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4d5jZ-DBF5E.html
Hey bro i have a question if i want to do a bulk but i lack calories but i can intake my protein amount full with some more than what my body need i take 1.7-2 g per kilogram of lean body mass but that will result in a muscle building but not in weight gaining?? And what is the fastest way to increase the muscle mass from nutrition is it more carbs or more protein... Please reply ❤
If you're unable to bulk, that's not the end of the world. Just train hard and get a sufficient amount of protein. Eating more protein than the recommendation (1.6g-2.2g per kg of BW) doesn't seem to result in more gains, so I would say it's not essential to eat more than usual. I'll have more videos in the future on this, but here's our last video on protein intake: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a18y3JaRUOQ.html
I'm glad that I can listen to RU-vid in the background while my phone is locked thanks to the Brave browser. This way, I can do both without looking at my phone. 😀
