Legs routine

**63190** · 08-07-2004, 06:58 PM

OK, so my doc gave me this routine for my legs and I hit it at a higher rep range than it was for bench. He didn't tell me how much weight or reps to do for legs, but did say to go six sets. Also he didn't say how many sets to go for the second exercise, just the third, etc. So, am I to assume that the second exercise was also to be 6 sets? Any way, here it is. Tell me what you think.
I did calves first on priority principle,
Seated clave machine 1x20@90, 1x20@95, (drop set)1x15@95, 1x5@90
Standing calve machine 3x20@20. 3x20 shin raises in between.
Wide stance squats 1x20@135, 1x17@185, 1x14@205, 1x11@225, 1x8@235, 1x5@245.
Shoulder width squats 1x20@135, 1x17@185, 1x14@205, 1x11@225, 1x8@235, 1x5@245.
Box squats 1x12@165, 1x12@185, and 1x8@205. Didn't say how many reps, just the weight. But 165 felt to easy so I just upped it, instead of repping out to failure.
45ºLeg press 1x9@180, 1x9@190, and 1x9@190
Leg extension 1x9@50, 1x9@ 60, 1x9@60
Leg curls should have been next with 3x9, but I was tired and forgot about it.
I went and did abs. Three sets of roman chair until failure, with bent over twists in between sets, and then on 2x25 crunches with my feet on a bench.
This routine takes forever. I got to the gym a lil’ before 11 and left a lil’ after 1:30.

LM1332 · 08-07-2004, 10:14 PM

im so confused. Physical theorapy doc or what doc? If its physical therapy you shouldnt be doing heavy weight period. But in any case it seems too much for legs. Id separete Quads from calves and hamstring. day 1 quads day 2 hams/calves. Doing squats and then leg press after seems insane but if you can do it go for it

**kdawg21** · 08-08-2004, 01:42 AM

I like bloodvolume training, I dont know what is going on here.......

**Tribex** · 08-08-2004, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by 63190

OK, so my doc gave me this routine for my legs and I hit it at a higher rep range than it was for bench. He didn't tell me how much weight or reps to do for legs, but did say to go six sets. Also he didn't say how many sets to go for the second exercise, just the third, etc. So, am I to assume that the second exercise was also to be 6 sets? Any way, here it is. Tell me what you think.
I did calves first on priority principle,
Seated clave machine 1x20@90, 1x20@95, (drop set)1x15@95, 1x5@90
Standing calve machine 3x20@20. 3x20 shin raises in between.
Wide stance squats 1x20@135, 1x17@185, 1x14@205, 1x11@225, 1x8@235, 1x5@245.
Shoulder width squats 1x20@135, 1x17@185, 1x14@205, 1x11@225, 1x8@235, 1x5@245.
Box squats 1x12@165, 1x12@185, and 1x8@205. Didn't say how many reps, just the weight. But 165 felt to easy so I just upped it, instead of repping out to failure.
45ºLeg press 1x9@180, 1x9@190, and 1x9@190
Leg extension 1x9@50, 1x9@ 60, 1x9@60
Leg curls should have been next with 3x9, but I was tired and forgot about it.
I went and did abs. Three sets of roman chair until failure, with bent over twists in between sets, and then on 2x25 crunches with my feet on a bench.
This routine takes forever. I got to the gym a lil’ before 11 and left a lil’ after 1:30.

Thats ridiculous. I dunno what doc told you to do that. But if he was in his right mind, especially if he is a physical therapist, he would have never told you to do wide stance squats. Thats f'n up ur whole joint system bro. You can not isolate one particular muslce of the quad complex, it aint gonna happen...

**63190** · 08-09-2004, 01:51 AM

He's an orthapeadic... ortho-something.

I'm not injured in the legs. Thighs are my strong point. Was up to 26" before I got hurt in the shoulder and stopped the weights for about a month, and did cardio every day. I went from 198lbs down to 180lbs.

I did this work out and barely felt sore the next day. Calves were not aching a bit. I think I'll up the weight, hit only three sets of narrow for 9 reps, and do another exercise for calves like dumbbell one leg calves. Or try one legging it with the weighted belt so my hands wont get tired of holding weight for 20 reps.

My upper back got all tight the next couple of days. Had my 198lb younger-but-fatter-brother Chinese walk on my back. It popped loud but was still tight at the base of the neck.

**Cuttup** · 08-09-2004, 02:13 PM

you need to tripple the weight on calves.

**bigol'legs** · 08-10-2004, 12:52 AM

Only one excercise for hams... man i see im going to have to be more active on this board.

And no.. thats not doing to much for a leg routine... looks about right... but if you aint sore the next day (same day is even better) then your not pressing hard enough.

LM1332 · 08-10-2004, 01:42 AM

BIG O i miss you buddy, where have you been. Miss your crazy leg routines. If anyone knows a lot about legs is big O he is just below Tom Platz and Lee Priest

Originally Posted by bigol'legs

Only one excercise for hams... man i see im going to have to be more active on this board.

And no.. thats not doing to much for a leg routine... looks about right... but if you aint sore the next day (same day is even better) then your not pressing hard enough.

**znak** · 08-10-2004, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by bigol'legs

Only one excercise for hams... man i see im going to have to be more active on this board.

And no.. thats not doing to much for a leg routine... looks about right... but if you aint sore the next day (same day is even better) then your not pressing hard enough.

Agree totally on volume (I do a little more, but use the same approach). If you can walk DOWN stairs the next day, you were slacking!!!!

I would take out wide squats, up number of set and weight on the box squats (they really stimulate growth!) and work my hams more (two exercises)

If you are doing only 9 nine reps, you should have a butt-load of weight, which you dont' seem to have. What is the purpose here? Either add weight or add reps.

Nine reps with a low weight is like jerking off with a condom on.

**63190** · 08-10-2004, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Cuttup

you need to tripple the weight on calves.

I messed up. On the seated calves I was doing two plates and a ten. First set I was barely able to complete. The second set I had to drop weight after fifteen reps.
Standing calves, I type-oed. I meant to type 200 lbs not 20 lbs. I'm using slow controlled movement. Pausing at the top for a second or so, then coming down slowly, every rep.

Originally Posted by bigol'legs

Only one excercise for hams... man i see im going to have to be more active on this board.

And no.. thats not doing to much for a leg routine... looks about right... but if you aint sore the next day (same day is even better) then your not pressing hard enough.

bigol'legs, what other hams exercises would you recomend? Walking lunges and leg curls, or standing leg curls and lying leg curls? I forgot to do them all together, but when I do do them, I usually go one leg at a time.

As for the 9reps... I will add more weight. The leg press actually felt heavy for me on the last set. The box squats, I don't know. I started with 165 as suggested, but I guess I was supposed to try and rep out to 20 or something.

**ripsid** · 08-10-2004, 11:23 AM

big ol is the man for legs, but for hams...romanian deads aka stiff legged db's are great for hams.

I don't know what kind of leg development you have but there's tons of leg workouts...big ol, if you do a search, has some great ones! Personally I dont' think your doing enough reps or weight. I'm doing a hybrid workout, of blood volume and higher weight low rep, and everyworkout makes it hard to move. No matter what body part. I can break it down if you like...

SID

**bigol'legs** · 08-10-2004, 12:44 PM

I would suggest splitting hams and quads into 2 different days. Its hard to do 32 sets on legs in one day

Heres a GREAT ham routine I came up with

4 sets SLD (WU) 12 rep sets

4 sets laying curls
set1.. 15 reps
set2.. 10 reps
set3.. 6 reps.. drop set 6 reps
set4.. same as set 3

4 sets seated curls
set1.. 4 reps
set2.. 6 reps
set3.. 6 reps
set4.. 8 reps

and the last is a superset.. 4 sets with lunges and inductors (closing together)
set1.. 12 reps each
set2.. 6 reps lunge and 10 reps inductor
set3.. 6 reps lunge and 6 reps inductor
set4.. 6 reps lunge,drop set 6 reps.. then 6 reps inductor, drop set 8 reps

**ripsid** · 08-10-2004, 01:16 PM

Big ole', I tell you bro I'm starting to split my hams and quads up.
I did quads yesterday, and can barely move around...so tomorrow I'll do quads! GD! I'm beat.

SID

**Da Underboss** · 08-10-2004, 02:09 PM

I used to squat till I could taste breafast from yesterday, and when I would ****, I would have to have somone help me off the ****ter baby!!! Balls to the wall.

**63190** · 08-11-2004, 12:46 AM

I'm gonna use more weight, SID. Just have to find my comfort zone. I'll keep adding weight every week until I find it. Guess I'll just have to get used to the sore back from all the squats. It's mostly upper, but I do feel low back pump. I stretch inbetween sets and that helps.

I think I'll add hams to my dead lift days. I'll be doing 6 sets of regular deads. Three regular, three off the stepper and regular. Three straight legged off the stepper. Three sets of good mornings. Then I guess I'll hit a few sets of Laying curls, and super set with bent over rows. Few sets of seated curls and super set with DB rows.
If I still have time, I'll do the lunges and inductors. It's today. I guess I should get some shut eye now.

**ripsid** · 08-11-2004, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by 63190

I'm gonna use more weight, SID. Just have to find my comfort zone. I'll keep adding weight every week until I find it. Guess I'll just have to get used to the sore back from all the squats. It's mostly upper, but I do feel low back pump. I stretch inbetween sets and that helps.

63190, coming from a bro with a bad back here's what I've done as far as leg days go, because squats can kill. So, I start on
leg extensions

throwing weights #'s in) 30x30/40x20/60x20/100x10/110x8
squats - 135x20/185x20/225x15/275x12/185xmax/135xmax (now doing the higher reps to start I noticed that the leg strength will definately increase, I only go as high as back will let me. Since I'm just getting back into the game, I'll tell you starting like this a couple years ago I would have my last set of 405 x 12 then drop weight back down to 135, I would do as many as 8 sets)
leg press -90x30/180x20/270x15/360x10/+sometimes heavier if I can get spotter or just do drops from 360 down to 180, just maxing every one...
finish with leg extensions compound setted with hacks -3 sets just maxing out reps not a ton of weight. Before you get here is when you notice that crawling vise walking is a better idea...
I can tell you that you leg strength will increase and by laying off the heavier weight and building gradually you'll notice that your back can handle more. Don't forget that squats will actually build your whole body, not just your quads, hams, glutes...
As big ol' said do hams on a different day...now this has worked for me, you make your decision,,,what works for me may not work for you. I do this because I don't have a lifting partner.

SID

**63190** · 08-11-2004, 09:54 AM

I don't either.
I saw a guy who would do like 8 sets of squats. He'd start out with a plate on each side, do 8 reps. Add another plate and repeat. He'd get up to 5 plates on either side and pyramid down. I couldn't believe this guys leg strength. He wasn't even that big. I wonder how Tom Platz would have stacked up against that sort of routine?

**ripsid** · 08-11-2004, 11:59 AM

I know personally with the fact that I don't lift with anyone and from what I see at my new gym, I'm the only guy who works legs, in the rack that is. I need to pretty much police myself...I had started messig around with routines a few years ago, again because I didn't have a spot most times, so I started with the leg extensions for 5 sets then squats before it would be:
135x20/185x20/225x20/275x15/315x12/365x10/405x10+/then step down just doing as many as possible. I really don't have great legs, but my strength was really good. Then I would finish with 5 to 6 compound sets of leg press and leg extensions ... and I COULDN'T WALK!
What I have been doing with most lifts, but again find it hard with legs is a hybrid blood volume/max set: 4 sets of 15-20 then 2-4 sets of heavy weight of 3-8. then finish with 1 or 2 drop set or just max outweight..I have thrown up doing workouts like this. Then 2 days later I'll do hams.
Again, feel out your workouts and this comes sort from the HIT style where if you do higher sets to "warm-up" the muscle group and joints then you don't have to do SUPER heavy weight with bad form. The theory is STRONG form controlled movements and it works.

SID

**63190** · 08-11-2004, 01:56 PM

That's what I'm doing now basically, warm up sets then heavy weight with good form. I used to try to hit the tread mill at 7 MPH for 2-5 minutes. Stretch real good, then hit 85% of 1 RM for 5x5 or 90% at 3x3. I was able to squat 335 like that. But that was my limit. My groin muscle tendon started to feel funny. That's the way the foot ball coach had me doing it in Weights And Conditioning class in High School. I'm getting stronger faster with 6 sets going up in weight and down in reps.

Today I did dead lifts on the stepper (not straight legged) for six sets
1x12@135, 1x9@185, 1x7@205, 1x5@225, 1x3@235, 1@245
Had to stretch between every set because of back pumps. Only right side of lumbar seems do be doing the work. I use one over one under grip, and switch it in the middle of the set. I just can't stop the cheating. I wonder if it's because of my every so slight scoliosis. Back curves slightly to the right. I tried locking out to the left first on the last two sets. Didn't seem to help.
Then I did 45º bent over machine wide grip row
1x12@25, 1x9@35, 2x7@45
Followed by wide grip pull downs opposed grip bar
1x12@120, 1x12@130, 1x8@150, 1x7@160
V-bar rows (No T-bar machine, put a squat bar in the corner and use the cable row grip)
1x20@45, 1x12@90, 1x9@125, 1x7@135
V-bar chins
1x6, 1x4
Dumbbell pull overs
1x4@70(usually got 4x8 out of that one) 3x8@60
Super set with Barbell curls
1x6@100, 2x8@50 wide grip, 2x8@50 Narrow grip
Zottman curls
1x7@25, 1x10@20, 2x12@15, 1x8@25
Wrist curls
1x25@35, 1x9@35
Reverse wrist curls
1x25@20, 1x15@20
I'll go to the gym after work and get some Roman chair time in.

**ripsid** · 08-11-2004, 02:50 PM

1 thing I would advise is this, on a day where you work 2 body parts take in mind "push and pull". Don't do 2 pushing excersizes or 2 pulling excersizes, because basically your using the same muscle groups and when you goto your 2nd muscle group you will not maximize your workout.

So for chest day (push) split with biceps (pull)
back (pull) and tri's (push)

then shoulders cavs
legs...

As far as stiff leg deads that's hams, not regular deads...I'd use db's to take pressure off your back. I've noticed since using db's that my back has less pain than with straight bar.

SID

**63190** · 08-12-2004, 12:34 AM

I'll try that. I figured that Bench and tri's was or Deads and bi's was because that they were auxilary lifts for a core lift.
In bench, you use, Pecs, delts and triceps. So, you hit pecs with two benches. For me flat and decline. Then leaning forwad dips for lower pecs and triceps. Then hit the triceps with two more excersises like skull crushers and cable push downs or dumbbell kick backs. That's three different exercises for each group of muscles.
Before I was super setting push-pull exercises. It got stail, so now I'm trying the core-auxilary method. I'll do that until it gets dull again and try something different. Maybe even try that push-pull thing again.