The following details what would have been my primary leg workout, so I bumped up the volume a bit. It also happens to mark the 12 year anniversary of the NPC USA Bodybuilding Championship where I won the overall title in 2004 and earned my IFBB professional status. My family and I are flying to Las Vegas today to watch finals and spend a week on vacation. Since I’m not one to miss a workout, I got up early to train before our departing flight. Gold’s Gym was closed so I headed to Eastside Gym at 5:30am to train. Here is what I did…
Hamstring Killers
I decided to get creative today since I was training alone and didn’t have as many pieces of equipment with which to work. I set this exercise up by hooking my feet under the end of the front part of a machine fly with my knees on a pad. Here is a picture:
Set 1 x 6 reps with bodyweight
Set 2 x 6 reps with bodyweight
Set 3 x 6 reps with bodyweight
Set 4 x 6 reps with bodyweight
Set 5 x 5 reps with bodyweight
Set 6 x 4 reps with bodyweight
*The idea is to try to keep your upper leg and upper body in a straight line with your core tight. Lower yourself with your hamstrings until you are flat on the floor and then immediately pull yourself back up by contracting your hamstrings. These are super difficult for me so I end up pushing off the floor to help get myself back up. I rested only 30 seconds between sets and kept going until my reps dropped to 4. The contraction is super-intense.
Here is a video from an old workout that is set up a little different, but should give you an idea on form:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojbg9UEuLZU]
Hip Thrusters
Set 1 x 20 reps with 105lbs
Set 2 x 16 reps with 125lbs
Set 3 x 15 reps with 145lbs
Set 4 x 15 reps with 155lbs
*I prefer to pause in the contracted position at the top without hyperextending my back for a 1-2 second count on each rep.
Superset: Occluded Leg Extensions & Lying Leg Curls
I wanted to go into the next exercise with a massive pump and this did the trick. Go here for the wraps I used: https://www.elitefts.com/elitefts-normal-knee-wrap.html. Wrap your upper thigh as per the following picture...just don’t wrap them as tight as you would when wrapping your knees for squats:
Occluded Leg Extension x 15 reps with 120lbs
Immediately followed by…
Occluded Lying Leg Curls x 15 reps with 50lbs
Rest 10 seconds and repeat superset…
*All I can say is chose your weight wisely. The first set feels easy, but by your 4th rounds they will be screaming. Keep the wraps on the entire time until you’ve completed 4 sets each of extensions and curls.
Leg Press
Set 1 x 22 reps with 3 plates
Set 2 x 20 reps with 4 plates
Set 3 x 20 reps with 5 plates
Set 4 x 15 reps with 6 plates
Set 5 x 15 reps with 7 plates
Set 6 x 12 reps with 8 plates
Set 7 x 16 reps with 9 plates
*I planned to drop the reps down on this exercise, but despite the pump I felt strong. I basically went until I approached failure and then stopped. The exception being the last set where I went to near failure at 12 reps, paused for 5 seconds, and then knocked out another 4 reps to finish off this exercise.
Kettlebell Stiff-Legged Deads
I stood on two bumper plates to perform this exercise as per the picture below:
Set 1 x 10 reps with 80lbs
Set 2 x 10 reps with 80lbs
Set 3 x 10 reps with 80lbs
*I used a kettlebell for this to try and keep the weight centered to save my lower back.
Here is a video from an old workout:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zJebdmOnag]
Walking Lunges
Set 1 x 10 steps each leg with bodyweight
Set 2 x 10 steps each leg with bodyweight
Set 3 x 10 steps each leg with bodyweight
*I did this exercise primarily to stretch out my hips and quads. I find them therapeutic for my lower back at the end of a leg workout when performed without weight. The key is to take long strides, lower slowly on the eccentric portion of the lunge and pause for a 1 second count at the bottom to stretch through the hips and quads.
That concluded this leg workout.
Train hard!
Mark