START HERE!
START HERE!
We noticed that we seem to do a lot more articles and videos for the upper body, so we are switching gears today and giving you a FULL LEG WORKOUT.
It is made up of six different exercises and puts a lot of emphasis on QUADS.
We also hit the glutes and hamstrings and give you some form tips if you want to place more emphasis on other parts of your legs instead.
Before giving you the workout, we’ve found that most people need a little more strength, energy, and focus on leg day.
If this is you, you may want to try taking a scoop of a quality pre-workout on the way to the gym! Just make sure that caffeine isn’t the ONLY ingredient!
This seems to be the case with most pre-workouts on the market, but a quality pre-workout will have more important ingredients than just those that help keep you awake!
Vince’s favorite pre-workout is THIS ONE by Sculpt Nation. It has ingredients that give you a natural energy boost without any jitters or post-workout crash, tons of focus, better recovery between sets, and an insane pump!
Pre-Workout is always optional before a lift. But one thing you should never skip out on before a workout (especially for a large muscle group like legs) is a quick warm-up.
You need to spend at least 5-10 minutes doing an ACTIVE warm-up that mimics the movements you are about to perform (not static stretching) to get the blood flowing and your muscles warm!
In addition, it’s always a good idea to do one or two warm-up sets for each exercise below before you actually get into your “working” sets.
If you need further assistance on how to do any of these exercises, don’t forget to check out this video before you get started!
FULL LEG WORKOUT FOR MASSIVE QUADS
Exercise 1 – NARROW STANCE LEG PRESS
Sets/Reps: 4x 12, 10, 8, 6
Rest: 90 seconds rest between sets.
Form Tips: Avoid leaning forward – Don’t let your butt come up off the seat – Keep your back pressed into padding – Do not lock your knees – Do not rush the movement.
How To: With leg press, where you place your feet will determine which lower body muscle you are biasing. For quads, keep your feet around shoulder-width apart (maybe slightly wider) and feet slightly lower on the platform.
Unlock the safety pins and press up until your legs are fully extended. Squeeze your quads but DO NOT lock out your knees (for a visual of this, click here.)
Slowly lower the weight until your legs are at about a 90-degree angle. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions. Rest and repeat.
With each set, your goal is to increase weight as you lower the reps. The 4th set, you should be at a weight where you reach complete failure by that 6th rep.
Exercise 2 – HEEL ELEVATED SQUATS
Sets/Reps: 4x 12, 10, 8, 6
Rest: 90 seconds rest between sets.
Form Tips: If you don’t have incline blocks you can put weight plates under your heels – You will likely need to go with lower weight than you are used to with a traditional squat – Make sure you have a slightly more narrow stance – Keep your feet firmly planted throughout the entire movement.
How To: With a barbell on your shoulders, walk back and place your heels on the blocks (or plates) to elevate your heels. Feet will be slightly more narrow, around shoulder-width apart. Drive your knees forward while keeping your body upright and your core tight!
With each set, your goal is to increase weight as you lower the reps. The 4th set, you should be at a weight where you reach complete failure by that 6th rep.
** These are great if you are trying to target your quads a little more or if you have any lower back tightness. A regular squat can put pressure on your lower back. With this squat variation, you stay a little more upright, allowing you to go full range of motion a little easier!
Exercise 3 & 4 – WALKING DB LUNGES (superset) LYING LEG CURLS
Sets/Reps: 4x 12, 10, 8, 6 (per leg on lunges)
Rest: 90 seconds rest between sets – NO REST between exercises!
** The goal is usually to increase weight as you lower the reps with each set. However, because this is a superset, you may find that more difficult to do. It is okay if you need to keep the weight the same to get all of the prescribed reps and use proper form!
WALKING DB LUNGES
Form Tips: Keep time under tension by using a nice fluid motion – Control your tempo on the way down and up – Do not lean forward too much – Keep torso upright – Avoid fully touching your knee to the ground (resting.)
How To: With a DB in each hand, take a big step forward and bend both knees until they form 90 degree angles. Press back up and continue stepping forward (“walking”) with each lunge.
LYING LEG CURLS
Form Tips: Keep time under tension by using a nice fluid motion – Control your tempo on the way down and up – Do not let your hips come up off the pad if you are doing these lying.
How To: Head to a lying leg curl machine. Set up the machine so that the pad is resting just under your calves. Slowly curl your feet toward your glutes. Pause at the top and squeeze your hamstrings. Slowly lower back to the starting position.
Exercise 5 & 6 – LEG EXTENSION (superet) SEATED CALF RAISE
Sets/Reps: 4x 12 for leg extensions – 4×15 for seated calf raises
Rest: 60 seconds rest between sets – NO REST between exercises.
LEG EXTENSION
Form Tips: Go super controlled – Do not jerk – Keep back flat against the pad.
How To: Set up the leg extension machine so the pad is just above your ankles and you are able to achieve full range of motion without your back coming up off of the pad. Lift the weight without locking your knees. Squeeze your quads hard at the top of the motion and then SLOWLY lower to the starting position. Do not pause and go straight into your next rep.
SEATED CALF RAISE
Form Tips: Do not try to use too much weight – Focus on a slow and controlled full range of motion – Big squeeze at the top. ** Your calves will respond much better to good form over using heavy weight! If you want your calves to grow, lower the weight so that you are not jerking or going too fast and can get a full range of motion.
How To: Sit on the calf raise machine with the balls of your feet on the platform and your knees under the pad. Press down with your toes in an explosive motion to get the weight to the starting position. Slowly lower your heels until your calves are fully stretched. Push (explode) the weight up. Pause to squeeze at the top. Repeat.
THIS WORKOUT WILL TAKE YOU LESS THAN AN HOUR!
YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND HOURS IN THE GYM TO GET A SOLID LIFT!!
You never need to spend hours in the gym on leg day — or for any muscle group!
If you know how to properly utilize rest periods, super-sets, and the correct exercise sequence — your lifts should never exceed 60-75 minutes!
If you like short but really effective workouts, we have tons to choose from FOR FREE on our YouTube Channel!
Check them out and subscribe for new videos weekly HERE!
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