Can this be done??

Rodja

Rodja

Board Sponsor
I have a horribly unbalanced physique which does not bother me, but I have been training for MMA and I now know that I cannot compete in the 185 lb class w/ 30" thighs(for a comparison, my arms are 16" and chest is 46").
I have stopped squating real heavily the past 2 wks and have started incorporating more dynamic and stability exercises for thighs.

My question is how do I shrink them down about 2" w/o losing a great amount of strength?? Any and all suggestions are welcome.
 
Rodja said:
I have a horribly unbalanced physique which does not bother me, but I have been training for MMA and I now know that I cannot compete in the 185 lb class w/ 30" thighs(for a comparison, my arms are 16" and chest is 46").
I have stopped squating real heavily the past 2 wks and have started incorporating more dynamic and stability exercises for thighs.

My question is how do I shrink them down about 2" w/o losing a great amount of strength?? Any and all suggestions are welcome.
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In general you'll lose size before losing strength anyway, so just stop exercising them for a while, or at least stop weight lifting near your max for a given rep range. You can maintain with a lot lower weight though, so it may be best just to avoid training your legs with weights for a bit. Your voluntary strength won't go down much if at all in the end.
 
Doing lots of cardio will shrink'em right up. Look at runners for example they have little chicken legs. But seriously lots of cardio + lower weights, higher reps will get the job done right.
 
What do you do for legs as far as strength training and cardio now. What is you best guess of your bodyfat percentage. It could be as simple as suttle tweaks in your diet, cardio, and strength training without losing ANY strength at all.
 
powerlifter6920 said:
What do you do for legs as far as strength training and cardio now. What is you best guess of your bodyfat percentage. It could be as simple as suttle tweaks in your diet, cardio, and strength training without losing ANY strength at all.
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I am at about 13% BF and I train w/ a modified Westside Training style. The only cardio I do right now is occasional HIIT sprints at 10 mph w/ a 10% grade. I am thinking that I will train legs w/ intensity once a month and use dynamic exercises the other 3 sessions.
 
My own personal experience was I decided to do moderate intensity cardio sessions at 30 min. 5 times a week on the elliptical. I still kept the strength in my legs squatting, but it had an adverse effect of them getting smaller (not what I wanted).

I figured you were doing a **** load of cardio for your upcoming MMA match?

How many rounds and how much time each round?
 
What does your mma regimin look like, I would imagine if you picked up some muay thai your thighs would shrink a little bit but retain the strength you need. Damn i would hate to get kicked by a 185 er with 30 inch thighs.
 
First of all, if you are going to fight you absolutely NEED to start running. I am talking distance running - sprints have their place in fight training and they give you the short term explosiveness but long distance running gives you the sustained energy that you will need. If you are going to do an MMA match, it is most likely 3 five minute rounds. If you are in within 2 - 3 months of your fight, you should be doing distance running 5 days a week in addition to all of your pad work, bag work, rolling and sparring. Taper off about a week before the fight - no hard sprints, long distances, or heavy lifting the week before the match.

Long distance running will definately trim some of the size off your thighs! I fight Muay Thai as a heavyweight and my problem was always maintaining enough of my size when I kicked in the heavy roadwork pre-fight. So hit the road (not the treadmill) and good luck!! :thumbsup:
 
Doomsday said:
First of all, if you are going to fight you absolutely NEED to start running. I am talking distance running - sprints have their place in fight training and they give you the short term explosiveness but long distance running gives you the sustained energy that you will need. If you are going to do an MMA match, it is most likely 3 five minute rounds. If you are in within 2 - 3 months of your fight, you should be doing distance running 5 days a week in addition to all of your pad work, bag work, rolling and sparring. Taper off about a week before the fight - no hard sprints, long distances, or heavy lifting the week before the match.

Long distance running will definately trim some of the size off your thighs! I fight Muay Thai as a heavyweight and my problem was always maintaining enough of my size when I kicked in the heavy roadwork pre-fight. So hit the road (not the treadmill) and good luck!!
:thumbsup:
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I have no problem mentally w/ running 5 miles a day, but my shins hate it. I used to run cross country back in HS but I was about 50 lbs lighter then and now I get shin splints after a couple of days. Add that on top of being flat-footed and I have a major problem doing distance running.
Any other suggestions???
 
Rodja said:
I have no problem mentally w/ running 5 miles a day, but my shins hate it. I used to run cross country back in HS but I was about 50 lbs lighter then and now I get shin splints after a couple of days. Add that on top of being flat-footed and I have a major problem doing distance running.
Any other suggestions???
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I can't see why running would necessarily be superior. From a cardiovascular standpoint, anything that elevated heartrate to a given range for the decided period of time will yield the same effect.

Rowing, Bag Work, Eliptical, etc. If you were a runner, yes running would be essential, but you're not and running is only there to increase VO2Max.
 
Brennon said:
I can't see why running would necessarily be superior. From a cardiovascular standpoint, anything that elevated heartrate to a given range for the decided period of time will yield the same effect.

Rowing, Bag Work, Eliptical, etc. If you were a runner, yes running would be essential, but you're not and running is only there to increase VO2Max.
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I don't run because of shin splint problems. I get an excellent cardio workout using the elliptical trainer, and it eliminates most injuries that are stress related.
 
The amount of force that can be generated by a muscle is in direct proportion to its cross-sectional size. Hence, if you lose 2" of muscle on your quads you will lose strength.
cc

Rodja said:
I have a horribly unbalanced physique which does not bother me, but I have been training for MMA and I now know that I cannot compete in the 185 lb class w/ 30" thighs(for a comparison, my arms are 16" and chest is 46").
I have stopped squating real heavily the past 2 wks and have started incorporating more dynamic and stability exercises for thighs.

My question is how do I shrink them down about 2" w/o losing a great amount of strength?? Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Click to expand...
 
canadian champ said:
The amount of force that can be generated by a muscle is in direct proportion to its cross-sectional size. Hence, if you lose 2" of muscle on your quads you will lose strength.
cc
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If this were true then I would be able to squat as much as powerlifters w/ 30" thighs. There are many factors that enter the strength equation other than size.
 
Rodja said:
If this were true then I would be able to squat as much as powerlifters w/ 30" thighs. There are many factors that enter the strength equation other than size.
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In theory you should be capable, you are correct. While nutrition, temperature, ete, could factor into the equation, ceteris paribus the amount of force generated by a muscle is directly proportionat to the cross-sectional size of the muscle.
cc
 
Brennon said:
I can't see why running would necessarily be superior. From a cardiovascular standpoint, anything that elevated heartrate to a given range for the decided period of time will yield the same effect.

Rowing, Bag Work, Eliptical, etc. If you were a runner, yes running would be essential, but you're not and running is only there to increase VO2Max.
Click to expand...

I know what you are saying but in fight training running is definately superior to any other form of cardio. I really don't know the physiological reason behind it, but ask anyone who has been in the ring or the cage and I'm sure they would say the same. That has been my personal experiance, anyway.

As far as shin splints go, I think that you will have to do the best you can with the above exercises. And despite my opinion that running is superior, that does not mean that you cannot get a good cardio workout without running - if you absolutely can't run, you just have to do the best you can with what you can do.
 
Alright for extra cardio I have decided to kick my sprint sessions to 3x/wk and also include swimming for about 30 minutes to help not only w/ conditioning, but also shoulder strength. I will only train my legs twice a month and stop all heavy training sessions.

My MMA rotuine is as follows: 3x/wk of Muay Thai for 90 minutes and 3x/wk of BJJ for 60 minutes.
 
Rodja, if its shin splints that are bothering you it could be that you need a new pair of running shoes. If your flat footed I would recommend Brooks Beast its made for flat feet. It should help out it has forefoot and heel cushioning. To keep the shoe from breaking down as fast id recommend getting 2 pair. Wearing the same pair of shoes to run every day compresses the midsole and it doesnt have time to expand. Thats only if your running daily. The shoes run from about 79.97 for last years model to 110 for the new model. Other brands make shoes for Flat feet this is the most popular. Hope this helps!!
 
Diddy82 said:
Rodja, if its shin splints that are bothering you it could be that you need a new pair of running shoes. If your flat footed I would recommend Brooks Beast its made for flat feet. It should help out it has forefoot and heel cushioning. To keep the shoe from breaking down as fast id recommend getting 2 pair. Wearing the same pair of shoes to run every day compresses the midsole and it doesnt have time to expand. Thats only if your running daily. The shoes run from about 79.97 for last years model to 110 for the new model. Other brands make shoes for Flat feet this is the most popular. Hope this helps!!
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It is a mix of flat feet, overpronation, and being about 50 lbs heavier than my old running days. I have a pair of shoes that stops my ankles from pronating and I usually change my shoes every 3-4 months.
 
The Brooks Beast is a motion control shoe, it helps with over pronation and ur not supposed to need orthotics ( althought u can use them). Its made for bigger guys, let me warn you though its not the best looking shoe but your feet wont hurt as much. If you dont like the way they look, try the Mizuno Renegade, its also a little lighter weight. What shoes do you have now?
 
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