Legs update
The Cardio in the mornings is still going strong, as you can see from my new profile picture I am staying pretty lean, around 13% bodyfat which is good for me right now.
Training legs is exciting again, since I have changed the method to my madness. I used to do a legs day with all kinds of exercises, but I’ve made it "KISS" and now I am only doing 7 sets of squats, 6 sets of reverse lunges and 6 sets of leg extention (toes out) superset with calf raises. On squats I’m practicing strict form which means less weight, more stretch, more reps, less injuries and strain on the knees, more depth and more growth! I only rest 45 seconds, add 10’s to each side, and go again. I get up to 4 10’s on each side and start taking them off one by one until I get down to only one 10 lb on each side. It causes a massive pump and I think it will do me much better than going heavy for only three sets. I also split it up and do hamstrings with back on a separate day because I like good mornings and deadlifts. Since I feel I’m at a more advanced level of physique, I need to bring up my weaknesses right now as I already have a good foundation of muscle. My weaknesses are my outer thighs and glutes. I want to add a lot of shape to my hips and quad sweep which is why I’m doing so many lunges and squats.
I’m also actually eating a lot the night before a leg workout. I don’t carb up but I do eat a big dinner with protein and fat (olive oil, olives or almonds), and then before bed I’ll eat cottage cheese with cinnamon and splenda, and a protein shake with peanut butter. Then the next day I feel so good for my workout because I am well fed. Even though temporarily yeah, for that night I probably put on weight, but I need to keep in mind to look at the big picture and that the amount of energy I’m putting into my workout the next day will suffice for the extra eating. When I am on a calorie deficit or don’t eat enough the day before, I have tried to load up on carbs right before my leg workout but still feel weak. I think it takes a day for your body to full restore the glycogen and become in the "fed" state for a good workout the next day. Then after the leg workout I make sure I get my protein, but I do take it easy on the carbs for the rest of the day. Even though they say to "carb-up" after a workout, this doesn’t really work for me. I feel I still put it on as weight (fat), which is why I just prefer to only eat my carbs before my big workouts. I think that as long as I’m getting enough protein in afterwards I still will build quality muscle.
