The following details my primary leg workout from this past Saturday. The workout was designed by John Meadows, but I modified a few things based on my lower back issues. Christina and I trained together at Kirkland Gold’s Gym. While soreness isn’t always an indicator of the effectiveness of the workout, this one made both Christina and I super-sore. Enjoy!
Seated Leg Curls
I used the Life Fitness Unilateral Leg Curl Machine for this exercise so weight listed is per each leg – FYI.
Set 1 x 15 reps with 40lbs (warm-up)
Set 2 x 15 reps with 45lbs (warm-up)
Set 3 x 12 reps with 50lbs (warm-up)
Set 4 x 12 reps with 60lbs
Set 5 x 12 reps with 60lbs
Set 6 x 12 reps with 60lbs
Set 7 x 12 reps + 25 partials with 60lbs
*Do plenty of warm-ups before starting your working sets. Lean forward a bit on these as you bring your legs back and contract. This will lengthen the hamstrings in the stretched position and facilitate a more intense contraction when fully flexed. Finish your last working set with 25 slow partial reps out of the stretched position.
Cambered Bar Squats w/Chains
This is similar to the bar I used: https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/specialty-bars/rackable-cambered-squat-bar.html. These are the chains I used: https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/ropes-chains/eliteftstm-pair-of-5-8-chains.html. This is the strap I prefer for easily loading chains: https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/ropes-chains/ez-squat-bench-strap-loader-pair.html.
Set 1 x 14 reps with 135lbs (feeder set)
Set 2 x 12 reps with 155lbs (feeder set)
Set 3 x 10 reps with 175lbs (feeder set)
Set 4 x 8 reps with 175lbs + 2 chains each side
Set 5 x 8 reps with 175lbs + 2 chains each side
Set 6 x 8 reps with 175lbs + 2 chains each side
Set 7 x 8 reps with 175lbs + 2 chains each side
*First, you can disregard my weight as squatting with any weight was something my lower back simply couldn’t handle. I recently discovered the cambered bar allows me to center the weight better, remain more upright, and via the use of lighter weight get some quad work without crippling myself with lower back issues the day after. The goal, as per John, was to work up in weight doing sets of 8 reps until you cannot get 8 anymore. I simply aimed to train explosively as possible with a weight which didn’t jack up my back. I used chains to help facilitate explosive training and counted this as 4 working sets.
Here is a video:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbCvox6rkAs]
Leg Press
Set 1 x 12 reps with 3 plates/side (feeder set)
Set 2 x 12 reps with 4 plates/side (feeder set)
Set 3 x 12 reps with 5 plates/side (feeder set)
Set 4 x 10 reps (high wide) + 10 reps (middle narrow) with 6 plates/side
Set 5 x 10 reps (high wide) + 10 reps (middle narrow) with 6 plates/side
Set 6 x 10 reps (high wide) + 10 reps (middle narrow) with 6 plates/side
Set 7 x 10 reps (high wide) + 10 reps (middle narrow) with 6 plates/side
*The key here is to pump out 10 reps with your feet high and wide to hit hams, glutes and adductors before immediately moving your feet into the middle of the platform with a narrow stance for another 10 reps. This was brutal by the 3rd and 4th sets.
Leg Extensions
Set 1 x 15 reps with 160lbs
Set 2 x 15 reps with 145lbs
Set 3 x 15 reps with 210lbs
Set 4 x 15 reps with 210lbs
*The key on the first two sets is to move the seat back and pull your toes back while contracting to nail the quad up into the hip flexor and rectus femoris better. Hold the contraction for a 2 second count in the fully flexed position. This was brutal so I had to dropped the weight on my second set to ensure I got the 2 second hold on all my reps. The last two sets you are to move the seat back up a bit, point your toes and perform slow, heavy partial reps out of the bottom position moving the weight about 6 inches or so.
Cable Pull Throughs
I substituted this exercise for barbell stiff legged deadlifts – FYI.
Set 1 x 10 reps with 170lbs
Set 2 x 10 reps with 170lbs
Set 3 x 10 reps with 170lbs
*I like these because despite how they may look, they don’t place a lot of stress on my lower back. This is primarily because the weight is pulling you back vs. down. I prefer to focus on the stretch at the bottom before driving my hips forward towards the top.
Here is a video:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBs5qrXOsxI]
That concluded this primary leg workout.
Train hard!
Mark