Leg workout routine

This is one of my few leg workout routines.

In brackets I have put the weights I did for this workout recently

Warming up:

It’s a good idea to get your blood flowing with a warm-up before performing any weight training, to reduce the risk of injury and help aid in gaining an efficient workout. I sometimes do 5 minutes of running or cycling, nothing too tenuous, but if I’m in a rush, I just stick with a few warm-up sets, in high reps.

1st Exercise: Weighted Squats

Introduction:

This is another one of my staple exercises which I perform most weeks, if done with good form and enough weight this is without a doubt one of the best exercise to build muscle in your legs. This exercise, similar to deadlifts, also recruits many other muscles in your body for stabilisations, which means it helps to increase your overall strength.

How to:

Basically with a bar positioned on your traps or along your shoulders, you go down into a seated position and push back up to standing.

Preparation:

Put the bar on a suitable level on the squat rack, and then load on the weights you require. While the bar is on the rack, position yourself under the bar with the bar lying comfortably across the length of your traps, making sure you don’t rest the bar on solid bone or on your spine. Grip the bar so that your traps pinch together a bit, for me this is just before the markings on an Olympic bar.

Putting the bar on your spine can cause some damage, and is quite painful, try and avoid it.

Execution:

 1.)    Position yourself, with the bar comfortable on your traps.

 2.)    In a slip stance, lift the bar off the rack.

 3.)    Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, angled 5 degrees outwards.

 4.)    Descend slowly, with your ass out, try to go into a nice pelvic tilt.

 5.)    Once your thighs are at or below parallel, push straight up, keeping your knees square.

 6.)     Repeat

Form:

Performing a pelvic tilt generally constitutes to a good squat. You may also imagine that you’re trying to go into a seated position, but obviously without the physical seat.

Tips:

If you struggle to keep the bar steady, and on your traps, it may help to pick a spot high on the wall in front of you and stay fixated on it while you squat. A good squat requires you to keep your knees ‘square’ so keep your knees pointed in the same direction as your feet.

When going heavy with squats, you may want a spotter. Having a spotter may also help you get those last repetitions done, for a more effective workout.

Target Muscles:

This exercise targets the quadriceps, but it also exercises your gluteus effectively, along with a wide range of other muscles which are used for stabilisation.

Workout Routine:

Warm up set 1 - 12 reps, Light weight (60kg)

Warm up set 2 – 12 reps, Light weight (60kg)

Working set 1 - 10 reps, Medium to high weight (80kg)

Working set 2 - 8 reps, Heavier (90kg)

Working set 3 - 8-6 reps, Heavy weight (100kg)

Working set 4 – 4-6 reps, 90% of 1 rep max (120kg)

Working set 5 - 1 rep max (140kg)

2nd Exercise: Lying Hamstring Curls

Introduction:

This is my preferred exercise for hamstrings, because I feel I get the most activation and largest range of motion. It’s important to exercise all the muscles in the legs, so I always incorporate a hamstring exercise in my leg workouts, because squats don’t target the hamstrings very effectively.

I use the machine for this exercise.

How to:

Lie down on the machine, and curl it as far as you can.

Preparation:

Adjust the cross bar which you curl up to your ankles, and set the machine up so you can curl it with the largest range of motion.

Execution:

 1.)    Lie down with your ankles positions on the cross bar.

 2.)    Curl it as far as you can.

 3.)    Let it back down slowly

 4.)    Repeat

Target Muscles:

Hamstrings and gluteus

Tips:

Hold the contraction at the top for a second or two, and then lower the weight down slowly.

Workout Routine:

Warm up set 1 - 10-12 reps, (Light weight)

Working set 1 - 10-12 reps, (Light weight)

Working set 2 - 8-10 reps, (Medium weight)

Working set 3 - 6-8 reps (Heavy weight)

Working set 4 – 6 reps (Heavy weigh)

body weight +20, normal)

3rd Exercise: Calf Raises

Introduction:

There isn’t much variation when it comes to exercising your calves, I’d stick with calf raises. At my gym there is a standing calf raise machine, but you can also do this with a leg press machine, seated calf raise machine, or leant over something with a weight on your back (2 girls if you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger).

How to:

Basically stand on the ledge, with your heels hanging off, with the weight on your shoulders, push up onto your tip toes.

Preparation:

Adjust the height of the bars low enough to get a good deep stretch.

Execution:

 1.)    Grab the two handles of the machine, and position both feet on the platform with your shoulders under the bar.

 2.)    Lift the weight up until you are in a standing position (you may want to re-adjust your foot position)

 3.)    slowly descent down until you feel a nice stretch

 4.)    Push up and onto your tip toes

 5.)    Hold for 1 or 2 seconds

 6.)    Slowly descent down

 7.)    Repeat

Target muscles:

This exercise targets the calf (gastrocnemius) muscles.

Tips:

Try to keep your ankles square, so keep your heels on a fixed plane while they rise (raise them vertically).

Workout Routine:

Warm up set 1 - 12 reps, Light weight

Working set 2 - 10 reps, Medium

Working set 3 - 8 reps, Medium to Heavy weight

Working set 4 - 8 reps, Heavy weight

Working set 5 - 6 reps or till failure, heavier weight

4th Exercise: Burnout, Squats

Workout routine:

3-4 sets, reps till failure, medium weight (70kg)

Note:  

Try and do these at a nice medium to high intensity, while maintaining good form.

Finish

Get that protein, drink that water, eat that food and get some sleep. The workout isn't the sole factor in muscle growth or strength progression. You have to eat well, sleep lots and drink enough water or else your body won't get enough nutrients, to build muscle and sustain your internal systems, and enough rest for your body to fully recover before your next workout.

Stretch

Quadriceps

Bend your leg and bring your foot to your butt, grasp your ankle with one hand and stabilise yourself with the other. Pull your ankle towards your butt until you feel a good stretch, and hold it. Try to keep your knee level with your other knee, to get a better stretch pull your knee back or push your hip forwards.

Calves

A simple way is to step on a ledge with your heels hanging off and descent down into a nice deep stretch, but you may also take one leg and stride forwards, transfer your body weight to the leg you stepped forward with, keeping the heel of the trailing leg planted to the ground. You may step further if you don’t feel the stretch.

Hamstrings

You can basically just bend over and touch your toes to stretch your hamstrings, but if you want to isolate each hamstring, cross your feet and bend over to touch your toes.

Progress

To make strength progress I try to attempt higher weights each time I do squats, with the safety of a spotter I have no worries about trying new weights. 

Exams and balance

Advice on Exams

So it’s exam season, the period where students get incredibly worried and anxious, not only about their important exams, but about their bodies. It’s general practice for students to worry about failing their exams which as a result causes stress levels to rocket and affects their health. It requires a certain skill to balance your Health & fitness with your exams, to maintain a good body weight, while still getting excellent exam results. 

Exams are important!

I hope you recognise that your exams are very important, even more important than becoming ripped, because these exams are important for your future, doing well in these exams and getting high scores will dictate whether you get into a good college or university which will then lead to increased chances of you getting a good job! Not everyone can make money singing, dancing or drawing, so why not help secure yourself a good job by working hard in school and applying yourself to your studies? I doubt everyone is satisfied with becoming a stripper haha!

Maintaining balance

So how do balance the maintenance of my body weight and stress levels while attaining good grades? 

Well it mostly lies in what I do in my spare time; the time outside of lessons, and outside of the gym. In my spare time I don't play video games, and i don't watch a lot of TV, I use my spare time to make progress academically. Every day, other than Fridays and Saturdays I try to do at least 1-2 hours of studying. What i study each day depends on which subject I feel I'm weakest in. By doing at least 1-2 hours of studying a day, it allows me to be prepared for my exams months in advance, this way I can iron out any problems I may be experiencing in class, and in the weeks leading up to my exams I can use the time to become 100% confident before entering the exam room. This way I experience less stress before my exams due to the numerous hours I spend studying my subjects in advance, and because my time consumed in study is spread evenly, it gives me enough time to go to the gym regularly all year round.

Time management

This is a very useful skill, by dedicating a little time a day to study, you eliminate the need for you to experience the high levels of exam stress, and the long hours of incessant cramming sessions the days before your exam. So the way I try to succeed in my exams while maintaining strong progression in my health & fitness is by planning my time well, and balancing my work and play well.

Example

I go to school, then I go to the gym for about an hour, after that I get home, eat and study, and by the time I’ve satisfied my daily allotted time for studying it’s about 7:00-7:30, so I relax for the rest of the night, chat to some friends, or watch a movie. Swap this for 3 weeks of horrible cramming and worrying, and your exams will go more smoothly, with less stress and hopefully better results. I must note that I do have ‘private study’ periods during school, which I use for very light reading. I don’t usually do any heavy revision during these periods, as to prevent myself burning out before important lessons where I learn important facts and data.

Studying

I find that the shorter study sessions of 1-2 hours are more helpful, because since it’s only a short period of time, I’m able to learn more due to that fact that I can remain focused without getting extremely tired. During long sessions of studying I get tired, and as I get tired I lose focus which leads to a huge decrease in efficiency, resulting in less learning per unit of time. So by increasing the amount of sessions, but decreasing the time for each session I find that efficiency increases.

Evaluation and assessment

It may be helpful for you to develop the skills of scrutiny and evaluation, these skills can help you review and assess yourself to identify what your weaknesses are, perhaps in your physique or in your education. In my opinion this can aid in boundless progress and development, to make you a better, more successful individual.

Education is like an enhancement to your life

You may argue that life isn’t all about education, and it isn’t. Although in these modern times it can help you make your life fulfilling, or be the difference between you becoming a cleaner or a successful lawyer. These days if you don’t get a good education or if you don’t try hard enough at school you are more than likely to be forced to work in a low level job like McDonalds for example; stuck in a dead-end job because you didn’t care at school. What sort of an end is that? Is that what you want? Would you be satisfied with this end? Because I wouldn’t be.

Going through higher education is like a doorway, a bypass out of the boundaries of societies limits due to education; which can lead you to a better end, a more fulfilling, rewarding and prosperous life, and where you can live more happily with more potential to flourish. So you might as well try hard while you’re young, you don’t want to mess it up and diminish in an alley as a prostitute or something…

Conclusion

In conclusion, balance your work with your play, but remember, being successful requires effort which may inhibit the amount of free time you have to play with, but no one should work without any breaks, because humans are robots; if you work too hard you will burn out, so don’t hurt yourself, but I encourage you to identify your limits and wherever you can, push past them.

Manage your time well, and plan well in advance for important events, you don’t want to be stuck in a position which will raise your stress levels unnecessarily; it can all be avoided with good planning.

Try to evaluate yourself to identify your weakness, and then build on them. This is an unquestionable way to make progress and to become a better person.

Finally, work hard now, don’t quit! And do it for yourself, because I’m sure you’d like to have a brighter future, and grow into what you wish to become.  You weren’t created to diminish, you’re like a star, so make like a star and burn brightly while you can, and let everyone see.

Good luck with all your exams everyone, 

I wish you all the best!

Here's a silly photo of me to prove it :)