[Yawning Chain]

TxRedMan,

Great thread. Most of your info is right on. I definitely agree with your take on training the legs. For those who are lift only guys, nothing looks more stupid than a huge upper body and chicken legs. For those of us who lift to enhance sport, legs are critical to performance. I play amatuer baseball at a pretty competitive level and I attribute my spike in hr's and doubles at the advanced baseball age of 41 to be due to my efforts at the squat rack.

I do have to differ with you on a few items. First, I noticed that stiff legged deadlifts were not part of your leg workout. I consider these to be a cornerstone of a good leg program. I tore a hamstring about four years ago and used these as part of my rehab and have since developed great strength and flexibility in that area.

Second, I disagree on the use of a lifting belt. I quit using one a while back and have seen little effect on my squats. I think that the belt prevents the body from developing the stabilizing muscles in the core.

Thanks for the great thread and let me know what your thoughts are.