Turning on the Anabolic Switch with Intense Leg Work

Q: Can the Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph program be changed to something like this:

- Instead of Squats, any press with machine
- Instead of V-bar Pulldowns, any normal or wide grip pulldown

And another important question: is it 100% necessary to do an intense leg day if your body doesn't need it? 

By looking at myself (75 kg, 180 cm), what I see is that my legs are okay and maybe the calves can be improved, but my quads, hamstrings and glutes look to be in a good form. 

I have small wrists and then small arms, wide back (V-shape) but an underdeveloped chest. Looks contradictory, I know.

I feel like I don't need to widen myself too much, but I really need to be thick. Any advice?

Thanks in advance,
J. Perez


My Answer: Judging from your stats, you could use the extra weight, even if it is extra muscle added to your legs. But people don't want to hear about what they need. They only hear about what they want. And you want extra thickness in your musculature, particularly in the chest and arms.

 If that's the case, then you should focus on a chest specialization program and then an arm specialization program. Neo-Classical Bodybuilding has specialization programs for the chest and arms as well other muscle groups.

Regardless of what you focus on in your training, it's always a good idea to include some leg training. Heavy leg training turns on an anabolic switch in your body. Bottom line is your arms and chest will grow more if you include leg training. Without leg training, your arms and chest won't grow as much.

You can make the exercise substitutions, but don't get rid of leg training completely. If you feel your legs are overdeveloped, then just do 2 sets of squats or deadlifts per workout. This way you turn on the anabolic switch without overdeveloping the upper thighs.