Today is "Leg Day"

Baldie

Today is leg day, and it's my first day doing my new routine. I changed things around this week to "keep the body guessing". I feel my legs are not developing as fast as the rest of my body as my upper body is staring to fill out again, (I was out of training for nearly 18 month. New baby and new house and all that kept me busy).

My old routine was:

Squat: 3 sets x 8 - 10 reps. Max weight: 80KGS
Leg Extensions: 3 sets x 10 - 12 reps. Max Weight: 50KGS
Lying Leg Curl: 3 sets x 10 - 12 reps. Max Weight: 55KGS.

Calf Raises: 3 sets x 12 - 15 reps. Max Weight: 60KGS.

My new routine is:

Full Squat: 3 sets x 8 - 10 reps 80KGS
Lying Leg Curl: 3 sets x 10 - 12 reps. 55KGS
Leg Press: 3 sets x 10 - 12. 100KGS
Straight Leg Deadlift: 3 sets x 10 - 12 reps. ??KGS

Calf Raises: 3 sets x 12 - 15 reps. 60KGS
Claf Raise on Leg Press Machine: 3 sets x 12 - 15 reps. 100KGS

Any suggestions on any possible improvements before I go training tonight?

cowzerp

Use real deadlifts and lunges aswell, but just take some others out so you dont over do it!

Baldie

I do the deadlifts on my back day. I might substitute the lunges for the stiff led deadlift's ???

cowzerp

Baldie wrote: »

I do the deadlifts on my back day. I might substitute the lunges for the stiff led deadlift's ???

If its a low back day fair enough, but if its a traditional mid/upper back day i'd leave them out and do them with legs as its more of a leg exercise anyway, actually i'd do them leg day either way as they will interfere with leg recovery! legs on leg day and back on back day etc...lunges sometimes instead of stiff leg deads, but as i said vary it.,.

Baldie

Won't that make things tough for my leg day, doing full squats and dealifts on the same day??

As these are two out of the three main compound exercises that I do (the other being Bench Press), I was doing one on each day of my workout. (I do three days a week).

I also do my shoulders on the same day as my legs, as the fitness instructer in the gym said I was doing alot with Chest Triceps and Shoulders on the one day, so he advised that I move Shoulders to the same day as legs.

cowzerp

personally i consider chest automatic shoulder day, and the deadlifts dont have to be in with squats, thats why i said vary it-1 leg day could be lunges and deads, another leg day could be squats and stiff leg deads, vary this with other leg exercises too!

the shoulder debate is for another day but i personally do the front of my shoulders on chest day and back of shoulders on back day-this happens either way so you might aswell take advantage of it!! then you can get good recovery on your shoulders as they are used so often that they dont get rested as much as might be needed!

Saabdub

Just wondering, why did you leave out leg extensions? Was it just to make a change?

Saabdub

Baldie

I was doing them all along, but I decided to change things around a bit so I left them out and put in the Leg Press instead.

BobbyOLeary

Whats the difference between a Squat and a Full Squat? Or is it just a typo?

kevpants

I have to say I agree with Baldie's original plan of doing deadlifts on back day. I really see them as a trunk/back exercise rather than a leg exercise. If you're doing them right it shouldn't be your legs that give up, I'd always find my trunk area (i.e. my ability to keep good form) is the first to get tired. I'd definitely never get DOMs in my legs after them.

I find them an integral part of really targeting my whole back.

I also agree with doing squats and deadlifts on the same day as being too much compound stuff. I'm open to correction though?

Baldie

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Whats the difference between a Squat and a Full Squat? Or is it just a typo?

When doing a squat you descend until thighs are just past parallel to floor.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBSquat.html

When doing a full squat you descend until knees and hips are fully bent. (That little bit deeper.) http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFullSquat.html

Baldie

kevpants wrote: »

I have to say I agree with Baldie's original plan of doing deadlifts on back day. I really see them as a trunk/back exercise rather than a leg exercise. If you're doing them right it shouldn't be your legs that give up, I'd always find my trunk area (i.e. my ability to keep good form) is the first to get tired. I'd definitely never get DOMs in my legs after them.

I find them an integral part of really targeting my whole back.

I also agree with doing squats and deadlifts on the same day as being too much compound stuff. I'm open to correction though?

I was all for doing deadlifts on back day, but if you look on exrx, it says that the target area for the deadlift is the glutes, and not the lower back.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/BBDeadlift.html

Now I'm all confused.....

arybvtcw0eolkf

Deadlifts and heavy row's for back day, all the big lads know that one

OP, although your just getting back to training - I know the feeling I'm out of it for awhile now. But if your giving over a day just for legs I'd recommend you throwing in a lot more squats than you've got there.

Leg extentions, curls and calf raises - fine if your bodybuilding but I'd build mass with lots & lots of squats first.

But thats just moi.

cowzerp

I've been personal training people for 7 years and have done numerous courses and as stated above, its a leg exercise. core muscles a secondary just like they are in squats and lunges etc..

the reason why the lad above probably never feels it on his legs is because he does them on his back day instead of on the leg day..

you dont need courses to know this stuff-just hit google!! and compound exercises should be your main focus regardless what body part your hitting!

BobbyOLeary

Baldie wrote: »

When doing a squat you descend until thighs are just past parallel to floor.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBSquat.html

When doing a full squat you descend until knees and hips are fully bent. (That little bit deeper.) http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFullSquat.html

Fair enough, I would assume you would aim for a full squat the whole time, the only thing stopping you being your ability to keep a tight lumbar curve as you descend further into the hole. What I mean is why would you not go as deep as possible all the time? Just curious really.

kevpants

cowzerp wrote: »

I've been personal training people for 7 years and have done numerous courses and as stated above, its a leg exercise. core muscles a secondary just like they are in squats and lunges etc..

the reason why the lad above probably never feels it on his legs is because he does them on his back day instead of on the leg day..

you dont need courses to know this stuff-just hit google!! and compound exercises should be your main focus regardless what body part your hitting!

Not really, when I've done my last rep it's my back that feels pumped and tired. I feel very little in my legs.

On leg day when I finish my sets of whatever exercise I'm doing I like to feel I've really hit my legs. I'm sorry but I would have to deadlift until my hands bled and my back was broken to feel this in my legs.

cowzerp

Well kevpants i think this speaks more about your technique and probably weaker core muscles letting you down, if i was you i'd focus on strenghtening the core and check your technique too..

kevpants

cowzerp wrote: »

Well kevpants i think this speaks more about your technique and probably weaker core muscles letting you down, if i was you i'd focus on strenghtening the core and check your technique too..

The answer, as in most arguments, probably lies somewhere in the middle. Deadlifts do show up any weaknesses pretty well! My legs, specifically my ar5e and hamstrings would be one of my strongpoints while my core has traditionally caused me problems (suffered lower back pain in younger days) so it is feasible I'd feel it more in my weakest point.

It is the exercise that hits the body the widest so there's no point arguing where it's for specifically. My technique is dead on most of the time, I'm obsessive about that!

Can we meet in the middle and agree it's a hips exercise?!!

cowzerp

kevpants wrote: »

Can we meet in the middle and agree it's a hips exercise?!!

NO but fair play for trying!!

Hanley

Mairt wrote: »

Deadlifts and heavy row's for back day, all the big lads know that one

First, I can't believe other people havent copped on to the above quoted.

Second, I honestly cannot for the life of me see how ANYONE is trying to argue that deadlifts aren't first and foremost a back exercises.

EDIT: I should probably add, that while the deadlift does hit alot of the same muscle as the squat, it tends to hit alot of ones that the squat misses out on too. And I'm sure you can guess where these muscles are.

Vegeta

I would never suggest doing squats and dead lifts on the same day.

I find if I do just one of them I am knackered so doing both means one of them suffers. You don't want form to suffer on either of these lifts

Also technically it might be a leg/hip exercise but if you have done deadlifts you have to admit its the back which is the limiting factor and the part which fatigues first

Baldie

Just out of curiosity, and to see if we can get to the bottom of this I've added a poll......

kevpants

Hanley at least I was trying to be diplomatic about it!

You do use your legs doing dead lifts but it's a back exercise.

It makes no sense to call an action utilising very little range of motion in the legs while pulling the crap out of your back muscles a leg exercise.

Hanley

Baldie wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, and to see if we can get to the bottom of this I've added a poll......

Where's the "both" option??

kevpants wrote: »

Hanley at least I was trying to be diplomatic about it!

Haha that's the last thing I am. I'm not trying to be intentionally insulting, I'm just outspoken. I hope ppl around here know that by now!!

You do use your legs doing dead lifts but it's a back exercise.

It makes no sense to call an action utilising very little range of motion in the legs while pulling the crap out of your back muscles a leg exercise.

There is alot of hamstring involvement, but outside of breaking the bar off the floor there's very little quad involvement. For that reason alone I'd class it as NOT being a leg exercise.

Of course some people incorrectly assume you should try and "squat" a deadlift up so I can see where the belief comes from.

BossArky

When I deadlift I think of it as a back exercise. I thought everyone else did too :pac:


I can feel the DOMS a bit in my quads, hams and glutes the next day or two but usually my back is crying louder. If I use a snatch grip then my rear delts / traps will be on fire for a few days.