The following details my primary leg workout from this past Saturday morning at Kirkland Gold’s Gym. I’m now into the final two weeks of this training program by my coach, John Meadows. I did make a few modifications to the workout and trained alongside Christina. Here is what we did…
Lying Leg Curls
Do several warm-up sets before launching into the working sets.
Set 1 x 10 reps with 110lbs
Set 2 x 10 reps with 110lbs
Set 3 x 10 reps with 110lbs
Set 4 x 10 reps with 110lbs
*I sit up a bit on my elbows when doing this exercise as it forces my hips into the pad and allows for a better contraction and perfect form. The key here on these today is to rest/pause every rep of every set. This means when you bring the weight down at the bottom you pause for a 1 second count before contraction hard and curling the weight up. Don’t jerk the weight, however, or you will risk injury.
Leg Press
Set 1 x 20 reps with 2 plates/side
Set 2 x 20 reps with 3 plates/side
Set 3 x 8 reps with 4 plates/side
Set 4 x 8 reps with 5 plates/side
Set 5 x 8 reps with 6 plates/side
Set 6 x 8 reps with 7 plates/side
Set 7 x 8 reps with 8 plates/side
Set 8 x 8 reps with 9 plates/side
Set 9 x 8 reps with 10 plates/side
*Nothing special on these besides good old fashioned heavy weight. I just started with a light weight and began adding plates doing sets of 8 reps until I could barely get all 8 reps.
Unilateral Leg Press
I used a weight selectorized Life Fitness Leg Press Machine in which you sit upright and push horizontally. The same machine shown in this picture from a prior workout:
Set 1 x 8 reps with 170lbs
Set 2 x 8 reps with 190lbs
Set 3 x 8 reps with 210lbs
*Remember to use one leg at a time. Go down slowly into the bottom position and pause for a second, feeling the tension in the glute/hamstring area, before driving back up and stopping short of locking out at the top. Do all 8 reps on one leg and then all 8 on the other.
Cambered Bar Pause Squats
John called for Smith Squats, but I opted for doing them in a cage with a cambered bar similar to this: https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/specialty-bars/rackable-cambered-squat-bar.html. As mentioned in other training logs the cambered bar makes it easier for me to stay upright which is vital due to my lower back issues. My chiropractor also suggested that I work in this movement more often, but staying with lighter weight to re-train my body on proper squat mechanics – FYI.
Set 1 x 8 reps with 135lbs
Set 2 x 8 reps with 135lbs
Set 3 x 8 reps with 135lbs
Set 4 x 8 reps with 135lbs
Set 5 x 8 reps with 135lbs
*The key here is to slowly descend into parallel and pause for a 2 second count before driving the weight back up. John called for 3 sets of 8, but I added some volume since I am unable to use much weight – FYI. Stretch each quad for a good 60 seconds after this exercise.
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts
Set 1 x 12 reps with 65lbs
Set 2 x 12 reps with 65lbs
*I placed my toes on 2.5lb plates to facilitate a better stretch at the bottom and used dumbbells so I could hold the weight in a more natural position than if I used a barbell. Again, this is to protect my lower back.
That concluded this primary leg workout.
Train hard!
Mark