Gym Guys & Johnny Bravo Physique.

Walk into any gym, and you will most likely find a large, burly guy with tiny legs who is still hell bent on building the superior parts of his body while completely neglecting the inferior parts.

This kind of structure is called the Johnny Bravo Physique, or simply The Chicken Leg Syndrome, in body building circles. And it has been a major scare for aspiring body builders and fitness models, because people would rather look their skinny or fat selves than work themselves out into such deformity.

The ideal male physique should be well developed arms, legs, calves, chest, shoulders, abdominal area. All parts should be developed to equal extent. No neglected areas. But it turns out most people get it all wrong; and the most neglected parts of the body during workouts are the legs.

What's the reason for this imbalance, and why people tend to get carried away with the upper parts of their bodies? Partly due to lack of knowledge on proportioning and balance in body building; partly due to lack of proper guidance.

People go to gym for various reasons: to burn some fat; to keep fit; to build muscles. It's very easy to come to the gym with particular goals and forget that it's an organic process. No one goal can be achieved by itself. And so, it's a little risky to just create a makeshift gym at your backyard and begin lifting without any advice or guidance.

The Johnny Bravo or Chicken Leg syndrome is caused by a lot of things, some of which are genetic or disease related. But for body builders who commit to physical exertion as a way to improve body structure, the main causes are:

1. NOT KNOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF LEG TRAINING.

Very few gym-goers know exactly why they do the things they do at the gym. If they knew, who would avoid something as vital as leg training? Let me give you some of the importance of leg trainings:

     You’ll build more muscle.
Yes, doing heavy squats and deadlifts will help you build bigger slabs of meat. These lifts work more than 50% of the body at a time, which helps elevate your testosterone levels. Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is naturally produced in the body, and increases the growth of muscle mass and strength. So big lifts such as squats and deadlifts which use large muscle groups help elevate your T-levels.

     You will burn more calories.
Hence, increased fat loss. Working the bigger muscles require more energy, which means you will have to burn more calories.

     You will improve in other lifts.
Since the legs and core give a good balance and footing (stamina). And they provide good strength base when you engage in overhead press (military press) and bench press.

    You will reduce the risk of injuries.
Leg training helps develop your quad and hamstrings, which are very important in daily activities like walking, running, lifting heavy objects, and working out. Strong legs also reduce your risk of falling, and also improves your performance in any sports. The legs are also important as they carry the whole body throughout the day, which can be a really heavy load. Hence, the extent to which ones legs match the body may also affect things like the gait (or walking patterns).

    You won’t look like Johnny Bravo.
Which, of course, means you won’t be ashamed of taking off your trousers or shorts at a pool.

2. LEG TRAINING IS HARD.

And, yes, it is. To build a good pair of legs, you must embrace pain. Leg training requires heavy to moderately weight, and every rep and set takes away much energy from you, especially when squatting. Squats are the most important exercise to build the legs, and they are the hardest. When you are squatting, its like your legs are on fire, and vibrating out of discomfort. Sweets break out on all parts of your body. And this is why a lot of people avoid them completely. Now, there will come a time when you wrestle with the thought of skipping a leg day. You’re human, after all. But, you mustn’t. You need to find some motivation to keep at it.

3. LACK OF PROPER WORKOUT ROUTINE.

A routine is the plan of a body builder. If you fail to plan, then you’ll must likely be wasting your time at the gym. You don’t just walk into the gym and begin doing what your mind wants you to, or what you like doing, or what your friends are doing. You can’t say, “hey, my friends are benchpressing today, therefore it’s benchpress for me, too.” You routine serves as the roadmap to achieving your goal at the gym. You should have one, and follow it conscientiously, if you are serious at all about bodybuilding.

4. NOT HAVING A TRAINING PARTNER.

It’s difficult carrying out daunting tasks alone. But you tend to forget about the rigors when it is presented in a challenge. Same with leg training. It’s a lot more effective when you have a partner to motive you to put in a few more reps when you are about to give up; who can mock at you for been too weak. Having a training partner makes it fun. Make sure to not choose a person who is lazy towards workouts as your partner, as that might even kill your energy and motivation when they don’t show up. And also pick someone who is a match with you in terms of strength and energy. You don’t want someone drawing you back, or someone to overkill at your workouts.


Body building is a sport, a recreation, a hobby and a lifestyle. It is the act of lifting weight in a specific manner or pattern to develop muscle tissues and to improve one’s physique and overall well-being. Weightlifting is just one, and the most orchestrated, aspect of body building. There is the dietary aspect. There's the medical aspect. There's the anatomical aspect. So many aspects. These indiscriminate lifting at local gyms are done by people who assume it all ends in muscle contraction. And this has caused a lot of havoc to people’s body structures.

Remember, if you must do it, it's always best to do it right.



Jude Ozoemena is a body fitness enthusiast, and a biochemist. He manages the Health and Fitness contents on Asiri Media.