"I don't need to train legs, I run"

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

There aren't enough words in the English language to describe the atrocity of this statement. It can usually be heard coming from a member of the Biceps Boys, as he chugs away at those curls while checking his hair in the mirror.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5mu3qLqpw1qzmowao1_500.jpg

I realize I make lots of hair comments, and just to clear things up, no, it's not because I'm bald (ish) and wish I had hair.

Sometimes I just need to rant, so bear with me.

Playing sports or just running to 'train' your legs is not the same as squatting 400 pounds. They work your legs in very very different ways. A basketball player who wants to be stronger, faster and jump higher would benefit from squatting.

I've had people ask me many times what they should be doing in the gym and as soon as I tell them they need to squat more, they tell me they don't need to because they play sports. At this point I stand up and walk away without saying anything. Ok I don't, but I tell them that it's not the same. No it's not okay to be working on 52 different upper-body exercises only to end with a light cardio session on the treadmill or elliptical for your 'lower body' as it's referred to way too often.

Running doesn't make the legs go through the full range of motion that squatting does, there's only partial extension and contraction of the leg muscles. I'm pretty sure I can say with confidence that people ignore the legs as part of their routine because it's not what mainstream fitness and media has you thinking looks good. Look at any cover model and notice what you see. It's always a shot of their upper body, and I'm not saying magazines covers should have a big picture of only someone's legs on there, but we're constantly bombarded with pictures of people with abzzz and gunzzz to the point that young people getting into weightlifting for the first time believe that's all that matters.

The legs and back are some of, if not the biggest muscles in the body, and training them releases the most testosterone which is extremely important for muscle growth, fat loss and many other things.

Rant over. Now go do your squats.