In my professional training career I have help hundreds of clients develop the bodies they want. Leg training is one of the most overlooked training days in the gym. Many people push day aside or half ass it in the gym, and I will admit I have done that every once in a while as well. The burn, the crazy heavy weights and all the energy you have to put forth on leg day is definitely not easy.
So what can you do to get the most out of legs day? Let's split legs up into two days. This works best for leg growth and also allowed you to train each area of your leg with greater intensity and heavier weights..
There are 3 big problems I have when training legs all in one day:
- 1. I trained quads first then didn't have the same amount of energy to train hamstrings and calves.
- 2. My lower back was so pumped and painful after doing heavy squats that I couldnt do heavy hamstrings exercises like SL deadlifts.
- 3. By the time I got to training calves at the end, i wanted to just do one exercise and be done with this miserable workout.
Some guys love training legs all in one day, and it can definitely work for people, but it doesn't work best for me when trying to gain mass down there. Here is a setup of what my TWO leg days look like.
LEG DAY 1: Quads
Squats:
Squats:
- 2 warmup sets of 15-20 reps
- 1 set of 12-15 reps
- 1 set of 8-12 reps
- 2 sets of 4-8 reps
Leg Press:
- 4 sets of 8-15 reps
Walking Lunges:
- 3 sets walking the length of the gym with 50-100lbs
Leg Extensions:
- 3 sets of 10-20 reps
LEG DAY 2: Hams & Calves
Straight Legged Deadlifts:
- 1 warmup set of 15 reps
- 1 light but slightly heavier set of 12-15 reps
- 3 work sets, increasing weight of 6-12 reps
Seated OR Laying Leg Curls:
- 4 sets of 15 reps
Standing calf raises:
- 4 sets of 12-30 reps
Toe calf Presses (use leg press machine):
- 4 sets of 20- 30 reps
- SUPERSETTED with standing calf raises with no weight to failure
Well, thats it guys! Thats the base of my leg workout! I usually train hams and calves as soon as my lower back is healed from quad day.. this could mean 1-3 days depending on how i feel… I do everyyyything by feel. If something hurts, do not overdo it!!! Take that day and train something else or take a day off. Rest and nutrition are just as important as training itself!
Happy leg training!
