9/10 Leg Workout:
I pretty much cannot walk this afternoon after my leg workout. It is true that those who enjoy lifting weights are little masochistic, so I can’t complain to much.
The workout started with straight sets of leg press calf raises as warm up, followed by a constant drop movement, where plates were taken off during the entire exercise. The weight dropped from 360, down to 90 by the end of the first two sets. At the end, 90lbs remained and the bar was pressed downward as additional stress on the calves and finish them off. By the third set, it was a straight drop followed by an additional stress press to finish off the calves.
Upon completion of the calves, it was followed by strict seated leg curls. This was done with a drop set format and assisted completions after I was unable to complete the reps myself. During this time, contract holds and additional resistance was thrown into the mix to further exhaust the hamstrings.
Limping off the machine, it was time to work on modified hyper-extensions. On the upright hyper-extension, knees are bent, hips forward and allow for an overly exaggerated arch in the back. This will place the sole tension on the hamstrings. To complicate things further, a 25lbs plate is held and as the body moves upwards, the plate is extended. Once I’m unable to complete the movement without the weight, I dropped the weight then move my hands out forward in the superman fashion. Eventually, fatigue sets in and the final stage of this exercise where the hands are placed behind the back, where the resistance is lower and can finish off the exercise. Once the set is done, I lean forward/upside down to stretch out the hamstrings and hold the position for about 15 seconds. (Repeat two more times)
Thoroughly fatigued it’s time to work on the quads. We’re looking towards the leg extension, (hammer strength version) where the focus will be on isolation of the quads. The legs are set to extend on an alternate motion, one goes up/other goes down and so on. This puts extra emphasis on the quads and allows for increased separation of the muscle to assist in further definition. The movements are slow and controlled, bouncing is not allowed and there is a pause after each movement. Cramping of the muscle is the ultimate goal, making it weak and depleted. (repeat 2 more times, but you may have to drop the weight during the exercise)
The last portion of the workout was a combo sissy squat/giant lunges. The smith machine was used to assist with the sissy squat, where you fingers are attached to the bar, on your tip toes, knees to the floor, back is arched and you’re looking up at the sky. Use the quads to push you up to the bar… repeat. This was done until I was fatigued and could not perform the exercise. Once completed, it was time for lunges. Lead with the heel and push back with the heel, then alternate the legs. The combo of these two will assist in working with your leg definition and It’s extremely tiring. I could only complete this through two routines.
The fatigue may be due to the dieting for the contest, either way it goes along with the territory and I have to suck it up. It’s now later in the evening and I’m pretty much sore through the lower half of my body. Enjoy. kt
