Myth or Truth: Upper Body Tries to Keep Up With Lower Body?

[ryanflyer05]

I've often read that when it comes to building strength and muscle, the upper body tries to keep up with the lower body. Is there any real truth to this statement, or is it something that's simply become "fact" because it's been repeated over and over?

[Sam277]

Myth. If you don't stress a muscle then it won't grow.

[Portillo]

Alot of bodybuilders dont even work there lower body. So i guess there lower body is catching up to the upper.

[ricepower]

Alot of bodybuilders dont even work there lower body. So i guess there lower body is catching up to the upper.

Those guys have freakishly skinny legs in my experience.

Plus dont forget that very few bodybuilders do absolutely no leg work. Most will at least hit the leg press or extension machine once in a while. Being on high protein diet & low bodyfat will also make legs look pretty good.

[atypical1]

OK, let's set the record straight. If you see a body builder not working their legs then you're not actually seeing a body builder. Someone who is actually a body builder will definitely work their legs because they are trying to have a symmetrical body. IF you go to a body building show you'll see that's how they are judged.

It seems like some people here are under the impression that there's either powerlifters or body builders. But that's not the case. The people you see not training their legs are only casual weight lifters and not body builders.

james

[NotNowChief]

+1, no bodybuilder wants to step on stage with chicken legs. The requirement for impressive legs in bodybuilding is,if anthing, increasing if you look at the much slimmer leg aesthetic of say Arnolds days vs todays absurd granite block legs. Even allowing for the generally bigger size of the contestants, legs have gotten proportionally bigger.

The upper body does not "try to keep up" with leg development, but stronger legs from squats and deadlifts might help handle more weight on the upper body lifts and get a tiny bit more growth response triggered.

[Shoke]

Alot of bodybuilders dont even work there lower body. So i guess there lower body is catching up to the upper.

Those guys have freakishly skinny legs in my experience.

Plus dont forget that very few bodybuilders do absolutely no leg work. Most will at least hit the leg press or extension machine once in a while. Being on high protein diet & low bodyfat will also make legs look pretty good.

most of the casual lifters at my gym never do leg work....but they're legs seem fine.
a lot of it is genetics i think...before strong lifts I did absolutely no leg work either (apart from occasionally running, swimming and biking), and my legs were far from skinny. There's a guy at my gym who squats over 350 lbs. @ around 150 lb BW, but his legs are like twigs lol

[Portillo]

I was refering to your average weight lifter. Alot of them rarely work there legs. Pro and semi pro bodybuilders definately work there legs. In fact most pro bodybuilders do squats and deadlifts. How often do you see your average barbell curler doing squats?

[jpez]

That's true the average bodybuilder dreads doing leg workouts and a lot of them ignore them because of the difficulty involved. Pick up any bodybuilding mag and you'll see that the pros take their leg workouts very seriously. I think legs and back are the most important muscles for bodybuilders because they're the biggest.

[atypical1]

most of the casual lifters at my gym never do leg work....but they're legs seem fine.
a lot of it is genetics i think...before strong lifts I did absolutely no leg work either (apart from occasionally running, swimming and biking), and my legs were far from skinny. There's a guy at my gym who squats over 350 lbs. @ around 150 lb BW, but his legs are like twigs lol

Dude, that's me to a "T". I have really skinny legs and no calves but I can deadlift and squat a decent amount. Genetics really does play a huge role in all of tis.

james

[killerdude494949]

Ronnie coleman once said that the two body parts that can tell you if a guy is a real lifter or just a wannabe are back and legs.

[OneMore]

Back in the day, I couldn't do a proper push-up but I could push 2x's my own weight on a leg press machine. If you don't work a muscle, it won't get stronger on its own. I could see lifting heavy upper body free-weights while standing could also be giving you a good core/decent leg workout, but if you're sitting down at an "arm machine" every day, your legs aren't going to get any benefit out of it.

[Amiright]

Alot of bodybuilders dont even work there lower body. So i guess there lower body is catching up to the upper.

What are you classifying as a body builder, the average gym trainee or an educated gym trainee that trains for aesthetics? And if you're talking about competitive bodybuilders then you're way off base.

Based on personal experience, I would say its a myth.. I am very dominate in my lower body and dying trying to get my upper body in the same class

[pavyoncu]

Alot of bodybuilders dont even work there lower body. So i guess there lower body is catching up to the upper.

calling someone a bodybuilder if he is not working legs is a huge insult to bodybuilders. and plain stupid.



For the real question,

I think it is bullshit.

[Portillo]

Alot of bodybuilders dont even work there lower body. So i guess there lower body is catching up to the upper.

What are you classifying as a body builder, the average gym trainee or an educated gym trainee that trains for aesthetics? And if you're talking about competitive bodybuilders then you're way off base.

Based on personal experience, I would say its a myth.. I am very dominate in my lower body and dying trying to get my upper body in the same class

The average gym goer at my gym, who mosty likely considers himself a bodybuilder, doesnt workout there legs, at least not as much as they should compared to their upper body. Pro and semi-pro bodybuilders definately workout there legs, they squat and deadlift too.