If you were wondering why leg day is notorious for leaving you with painful DOMS, it’s pretty simple. Our legs encompass our biggest muscle groups. If you work hard, you’ll burn more calories on leg day than when training any other muscle group, because stimulating so many large muscles uses more energy than, for example, training arms. There are four muscles in our quads alone (hence the name), another three in our hamstrings, two in our calves, and our glutes are our single biggest muscle. For this reason, legs can cope with massive volume, so go heavy and add more sets. But once the DOMS set in, every day tasks like climbing a flight of stairs seem daunting. Having said that, you should be able to find the right balance for your workout so that you’re able to train legs at a reasonable intensity twice a week. If you’re hobbling around for days afterwards, you’re overtraining.
I’ll be posting the two routines I used this week, split into Day 1 and Day 2.
Day 1
Barbell back squats
I started off with what is undoubtedly one of the most effective moves for leg training. I like to use a pyramid structure, starting off with 12 reps of a relatively light weight to warm up, and adding on more weight each set, dropping the reps down as I go. On my last set, usually set 4 or 5, I’ll be working at my max but will only be able to complete 4-6 reps. Remember to drive up through the heels to engage your hamstrings and glutes. If you’re not getting deep enough in your squat, drop the weight down until your form is correct. Your thighs must be at least parallel to the ground, and if you can get your ‘ass to grass’ then even better.
Weighted lunges with dumbells
I hit 4 sets of 12 on each leg. You can do these standing or walking, depending on how much room you have. You can use a barbell, dumbells, kettlebells or a Bulgarian bag.
Kettlebell swings
4 x 12 reps with the highest weight you can manage. This will target your glutes and help you build a bigger butt. Because nobody ever wrote a song about a flat ass.
Kick back
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Plyometric box squats
Find a plyometric box …
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