The following details my leg workout from this past Saturday morning at Kirkland Gold’s Gym. I trained alongside my bride and the workout was loosely based on a John Meadows program. Here is the workout…
Lying Leg Curls
I performed a few warm-ups before jumping into my working sets – FYI.
Set 1 x 8 reps with 130lbs
Set 2 x 8 reps with 130lbs
Set 3 x 8 reps with 130lbs
Set 4 x 8 reps with 130lbs -> drop to 90lbs x 8 reps -> drop to 50lbs x 15 reps
*Perform sets of 8 whereby you hold the contraction for a quick second in the flexed position. Finish your 4th set as a dropset.
Smith Machine Hip Thrusters
Set 1 x 10 pause reps + 5 pump reps with 135lbs
Set 2 x 10 pause reps + 5 pump reps with 185lbs
Set 3 x 10 pause reps with 225lbs -> drop to 135lbs x 10 pump reps
*On the pause reps hold the contraction at the top for a 2 second count. On the pump reps, simply pump them out as quickly as possible with perfect form.
Leg Extensions
I did a few warm-up sets working up in weight before doing the following – FYI.
Set 1 x 10 reps with 210lbs
Set 2 x 10 reps with 210lbs
Set 3 x 10 reps with 210lbs
Set 4 x 25 reps with 210lbs
*Knock out three sets of 10 reps with the same weight and on your fourth set get 25 reps even if it means you have to pause along the way. Don’t quit until you get all 25 reps!
Cambered Bar Squats
This is similar to the bar I used: https://www.elitefts.com/rackable-cambered-squat-bar.html.
Set 1 x 8 reps with 95lbs
Set 2 x 8 reps with 115lbs
Set 3 x 8 reps with 135lbs
Set 4 x 8 reps with 155lbs
Set 5 x 8 reps with 175lbs
Set 6 x 8 reps with 195lbs
*You will need to adjust the weight as per your ability. My lower back cannot handle much vertical compression. I use the cambered bar because it allows me to keep my spine better aligned. The key is to lower with a slow, 4 second count, pause for a 1 second count and then drive up. This will create a lot of tension. I counted this as 3 working sets.
Leg Press
I did 1 feeder set to find the right weight – FYI.
Set 1 x 30 reps with 4 plates/side
Set 2 x 20 reps with 6 plates/side
Set 3 x 10 reps with 8 plates/side
*The key here is to pump these reps non-stop with a narrow stance to finish off the vastus medialis.
Cable Pull-Throughs
Set 1 x 8 reps with 160lbs
Set 2 x 8 reps with 160lbs
Set 3 x 8 reps with 160lbs.
*Face away from the weight stack, grab a D handle from the lower pulley, hinge at the waist while letting your hips move back and then come up pushing your hips forward and flexing your glutes. This makes for an awesome stretch of the hamstrings.
That concluded this primary leg workout.
Train hard!
Mark