I think ZZ Top said it best when they dropped the line "She's got legs....she knows how to use them". Ohhh yeah babyyy, say it again! I mean, how many of the best songs, movies, posters, photos, you get the idea, feature a slam bam set of legs and a cute booty? If you said, "the limit does not exist" then you answered right! Good news is! If you got legs....and don't quite know how to use them...in the gym that is, then this blog post is here to save your day (and your booty)! In this post, you'll learn the proper ordering of a leg day as well as points of focus from start to finish!
STEP 1. Glute Activation
- Turning on specific isolated muscles before moving into compound lifts
- Initiating mind to muscle connection to insure that throughout your workout you’re engaging the muscle you intend on engaging
- You want to create a burn in the muscle without fatiguing so aim for higher reps, with little to no weight, resistance bands can be a great tool for this
- Ex: Donkey Kicks, Fire Hydrants, Abduction, Clamshells, Sideline Series, Transverse clamshells, Glute Bridges, Single Leg Glute Bridge, Frog Pumps
(If you haven't read my blog "Activate to Accelerate; why you need to be doing muscle activation exercises" that's your next stop after reading this post!)
STEP 2. Supersets
- The Bulk of your exercises. In many cases, you can achieve the best and quickest results through utilizing supersets
- You'll want to choose the muscle group you intend to work, and then choose two complementary exercises to pair together and do back to back
* If your goal is to loose fat and tone muscles a good way to choose pairs is by choosing a strength exercise, and pairing it with a power exercise
- Ex: Barbell squats paired with squat jumps
- Ex: Deadlifts paired with Cycle Jumps
* If your goal is to "spot focus" on a specific body area a good way to choose pairs is by choosing a strength exercise and pairing it with an isolated or stability focused exercise
- Ex: Barbell Hip Thrusts paired with Resistance Band Glute Bridge Abduction
- Ex: Barbell Step Ups paired with Resistance Band Donkey Kickbacks
STEP 3. Burnout
- Done at the end of your workout usually with light to no weight
- Done until exhaustion “burnout”
- Exercising the already fatigued muscle promotes blood flow to the muscle and as a result promotes change deep within the muscle fibers
- Ex: TRX hamstring curls, hipthrusts, etc
- Ex: Most high intensity ploys; Cycle Jumps, Banded Pop Squats, Banded Squat Jumps
- Ex: Quad extension machine with light weight
STEP 4. Stretch and Foam Roll
- Stretch Hip flexors
Ex: Lunges, Dragon lunge, Quad stretch, Lying Quad Stretch, Happy Baby
- Foam roll worked muscles, especially in tight areas
Whew! So how can we easily remember this for next leg day? 1. Activate to Accelerate 2. Drop it like a Squat 3. Burn Baby Burn, and 4. Flexy is Sexy. Oh! And make sure you have a fire playlist!
