The following details my primary leg workout from this past Saturday. Gold’s Gym in Kirkland was laying new rubber flooring and the toxic fumes were too much so Christina and I ended up over at Eastside Gym in Redmond. I had to get a little creative based on how my coach, John Meadows, programed the workout. Here is what it included…
Superset: Standing Leg Curls & Leg Press
Perform a few warm-ups on leg curls before beginning the superset listed below. Eastside doesn’t have a standing leg curl, but I was able to perform them on the leg extension machine and they felt pretty good. See the video below for the set-up.
Standing Leg Curls (alternating) x 8 reps with 65lbs
Superset with…
Leg Press x 10 reps with 1 plate/side up to 10 plates/side
*The key here is to alternate legs on the standing leg curls until you hit 8 reps with each leg. This should be somewhat hard, but not to failure because there’s a ton of sets for hamstrings today. Immediately go to leg press and perform 10 reps. Every time you repeat the superset add a plate to the leg press until you hit a very difficult set of 10. For me this was 10 plates.
Here is a video of set number 8:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQiNk1ilxC0]
Superset: Magnum Squats & Lying Leg Curls
John used a machine called a TruSquat, but very few gyms have it. I used the Magnum Squat Machine at Eastside Gym, which felt okay on my lower back.
Magnum Squats x 8 reps with 2 plates
Superset with…
Lying Leg Curls x 100lbs
*Ideally you will use something that supports your back for the squat movement, such as a hack squat machine. Also, use a weight in which you can do perfect reps on the leg curls. Perform the superset for 4 rounds.
Here is a video:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k-3rEk-9mA]
Superset: Leg Extensions & Goblet Squats
John called for sissy squats on the second movement, but they bother my knees so I opted for Goblet Squats with a kettlebell.
Leg Extensions x 10 reps with 220lbs
Superset with…
Goblet Squats x 15 reps with 60lb kettlebell
*Dorsiflex your foot on the extensions to nail your upper quad and use a narrow foot placement on the goblet squats. Perform the superset for 3 rounds.
Walking Lunges
John didn’t call for this exercise – FYI.
Set 1 x 30 yards with bodyweight only
Set 2 x 30 yards with bodyweight only
*I love finishing with these primarily for the stretch. Take long strides and pause for a 2 second count at the bottom on each step.
That concluded this primary leg workout.
Train hard!
Mark
Was wondering if you've dropped back squats for good?
It seems like John has stopped doing barbell squats as well?
I'm considering cutting them out as well due to lower back pain. Going to give those landmine squats a try, but I wish my gym had a Tru squat machine. Looks like an amazing, joint-friendly quad destroyer...
Yes, it took me a while to come to grips with the fact that barbell squats left me crippled for days. I've dropped them completely...aside from things like goblet, ground base and hack squats. Keep your fingers crossed on the TruSquat...I've heard rumors that Dave Tate is going to make one for Elitefts. I'll be the first to purchase!
All the best,
Mark
Looking forward to a vid of you doing a massive iso-tension drop-set on the Tru Squat...
Keep it up, Mark! Really enjoy your log.
All the best to you and your loved ones.
Brian