Leg Strength - best way to build up legs?

OrangeOranges

So I currently hack playing GAA football after a long absence through injury.

The problem is I've lost a lot of my leg strength in the mean-time. Very necessary for twisting and turning, staying on your feet in the tackle, distance in kicking football.

At the moment I'm very unfit but am ok with most of the cardio training. The problem is I'm losing my footing after sprints in football match.

Not being able to stay on my feet when tackling an opponent.

My legs are just going from under me.

Not sure if this is lack of fitness but can anyone identify with the problem and suggest the best/quickest/most effective way back to proper football fitness

I presume I need to hit the weights and threadmill but any other suggestions welcome.

nialo

Skip. Will build reaction and strengthen ur leg muscles. If u get comfortable with it add ankle weights and it will put more strength in ur legs.

Sounds as much like a core as a leg strength thing

Sqauts/Deadlifts/Olympic Lifts are good

topdog8

Deleted User wrote:

Sounds as much like a core as a leg strength thing

Sqauts/Deadlifts/Olympic Lifts are good

agree completley.. leg curls plus extensions. dont forget to train the baby cows either (calves)

Boru.

Add in some isometric exercises in order to increase the neurological strength in the muscles. It will improve your ability to recruit an increasing amount of muscle fibres and increase your strength. The increased neural capacity will alos aid in propreoception - your bod's ability to balance and make changes in movement. In particular an Isometric Wall Squat will benefit.

Not suprisingly you can find that particular exercises instructions on my website - links in the sig. Have fun.

Cravez

Overall general strength and muscle building for the legs:

1) Quads - Squat, Leg press and Bulgarian Squats<

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I really recommend Bulgarian Squats, i cant find a specfic link to it at the moment but try and search for it, its one hell of a exercise and i find its not for the faint hearted, it really gets my heart and muscles goin.

2) Hamstrings - In honesty i dont work my hamstrings as much as quads but i find doing straight legged deadlifts work your hamstrings well ( its like trying to touch your toes but you have a bar and a heavy weight ). Leg curls are also another exercise to do.

3) Calves - A very hard area to build, i find doing running is actually better at building calves than weighted exercise,however leg raises are probably the most obvious weighted exercises to do.

There are other and various exercises to build these muscle groups but the ones i have named would be sufficient to at least get you back started again.