Ladies,

I challenge you to spell your name Every Morning before you leave the House; FIRST and LAST!!! Train Hard!!

From womanista.com –

My friends!! Every guy who works out aspires to building a powerful “Alpha” physique. A physique that alerts everyone to know when you walk through the door. Chris Jones of Pumpchasers (one of my favorite YouTube channels) calls this “Hoe Ready”.

Every woman that hits the gym aspires to developing a “tight” and “toned” body. You know a body that’s lean enough to show some definition but not so muscular that they appear to have “man-ish” features.

S/N – I hate when women say they are trying to tone up… Its either losing fat and/or building muscle. Its either you want to be lean…. Or you don’t!

 

… Anyway, in order to achieve either of these goals you have to build a solid base. A solid base means developing a well-balanced set of wheels. This means absolutely never, ever skipping a leg training session.

It’s an unfortunate fact that many people beginning their fitness journey in the gym focus primarily on their upper body, however this inevitably leads to slow or next to no progress in changing the composition of their bodies.

It’s very important to not attempt to “spot build” and instead focus on developing an impressive base and foundation to receive the maximum anabolic response, and build lean muscle mass head to toe.

Many people don’t train their legs because they are not concerned with how their lower body looks and are only concerned with their “beach body” muscles. Let me explain what I like to call the Super Hero Syndrome.

 

 

 

The Super Hero Syndrome

Many of you should remember these guys from childhood cartoons. If anyone was like me, you wanted to have a body just like one of them. Well, let me show you what Batman looks like in real life when he hits the gym. Remember this meme…

Not very appealing, huh. If  for some odd reason this look works for you, go ask any woman and watch her giggle when she says it is… (she’s lying to spare your feelings bro). If you don’t train your legs, you are ultimately setting yourself up for failure.

Lack of focus on your leg development will minimize your anabolic hormone release. Your anabolic hormones are the most powerful thing that can sky rocket your lean muscle building capabilities and consist of hormones such as testosterone, human growth hormone, insulin, and IGF-1.

One of the proven ways to increase the amount of anabolic hormones your body secretes is through heavy- intense compound exercises that work your body’s largest and strongest muscle groups, the quadriceps and hamstrings. If you neglect these muscles, you are really cutting your muscle building potential short because you will not be secreting the maximum number of anabolic hormones. There is a direct relation to lifting heavy weight and increasing these vital anabolic hormones.

Because many guys are only concerned with developing their chest, shoulders, biceps and abs they often neglect leg day – but this is taking them farther away from their goal physique.

Even if your primary focus is how your biceps, abs and pectorals look, you still need to perform 1 maximum intensity leg day per week. This can be as simple as working in 5 heavy sets of squats and deadlifts per week.

For many training that way will give some gratification but if you want maximum results you need to blast through leg day with conviction and passion, hitting your quads and hamstrings like it’s your last day to workout ever. When I played football, we called in leaving it all on the field.

 

3 Rules to the Best Leg Training Workouts

 

1. Heavy Lifts on Compound Exercises

The 1st rule is that you must put a lot of overload on your leg muscles because they will only hypertrophy and respond to an increase in overload. This means that you need to perform the major leg exercises like the SQUAT (8-12 rep range), and also stiff legged deadlifts and leg presses in the 6-8-repetition range.

While your favorite bodybuilder may do high repetition leg workouts on YouTube, you should keep in mind that there is a decent chance that they are likely on steroids and will respond to any type of overload and stimulus. Even if they are not – at some point in their training career they put the maximum amount of overload on their leg muscles with heavy squats and deadlifts – then once they hit their ideal lean body mass number they dialed it back and performed more high repetition leg exercises.

The moral of the story here is: for a natural bodybuilder, DON’T BE AFRAID TO SQUAT HEAVY! SKIP THE MACHINES!

 

2. Progressive Overload

One of the best strategies for maximizing your lean muscle building capability is the concept of progressive overload with your leg workouts. This means that you will accurately track your workouts from week to week and write down your weight and repetitions.

Say for example you did the barbell squat and you did 225 lbs. for 7 repetitions. The following workout you will note this before you start and you will make sure you push yourself to do 230 lbs. for 8 repetitions or 225 lbs. at 8 repetitions.

This lays the foundation to progressive overload and will assure that you are getting bigger and stronger legs. Aim to make a little progress every workout. You don’t have to make major jumps in numbers. Little increases of 5-10%, it will add up over time.

3. Changing it Up

Some advanced weight lifters may disagree but I’m going to include it anyway. Just like when you work out your biceps, chest or shoulders – your leg muscles need a change of pace ever so often, I’d say every 4-6 weeks..

Your body is really stubborn and will find any reason not to build itself to be bigger and stronger. Unfortunately for those that love to move some heavy ass weight, this means you have to give your muscles a de-load or simply change it up. The best thing that you can do to make sure your body never completely adjusts to the workouts you are placing on it is to change it up, especially if you are a natural athlete (No Knock on the enhanced, it’s just not a way of life I choose to follow).

This means that you are not only changing the exercises – but also your weight, repetition schemes and rest time between sets. This doesn’t mean that you should change your routine every week.

What it means is that after a few weeks, let’s say 4-6, of solid training if you notice progress slowing then maybe it’s time to try something new.

The overall strategy ultimately remains simple: lift heavy, hit the gym with intensity, aim to best your previous workouts in some way. Below is an example of a leg workout that has yet to disappoint any gym junkie it has been introduced to.

 

 

 

Leg Workout: Progressive Overload/Purgatory

The Best Leg Workout you will ever come across

The first 4 weeks is designed for progressive overload. Every leg workout you aim to try and increase poundage by 5-10%. If you are unable to increase the poundage that frequently, then every time you can complete the total number of work sets and reps, increase your weight by 5-10%.

1. Barbell Squat

Sets: 5

Reps: 5

Percentage: 75-85% of a training 1rm

Rest Time: 120 Seconds

2. Stiff Legged Deadlift

Sets: 4

Reps: 8-12

Rest Time: 90 Seconds

3. Single Leg Leg Press

Sets: 4

Reps: 12

Rest Time: 90 Seconds

4. Leg Extension

Sets: 5

Reps: 20

Rest Time: 60 seconds

 

 

5. Hamstring Curl Machine

Sets: 5

Reps: 20

Rest Time: 60 Seconds

6. Dumbbell Lunges

Sets: 3

Reps: 10

Rest: 90 seconds

 

Purgatory

Yes, this workout feels as bad as it sounds. While it does give your joints and ligaments a rest from the heavy pounding they have taken the previous 4 weeks. The Pump your legs will experience will provide more pain than anything you have felt in recent weeks.  Good luck!!

 

1. Leg Extensions

Sets:  4

Reps: 75

Rest: 90 seconds

Pick a weight that is heavy enough for you to complete 25 reps. Complete the following:

1. 20 reps – rest 10 seconds
2. 18 reps – rest 10 seconds
3. 15 reps – rest 10 seconds
4. 12 reps – rest 10 seconds
5. 10 reps – 1 set complete

2. Leg Press

Sets: 4

Reps: 25

Rest: 45 seconds

 

3. Smith Machine Squats (Yes, I said Smith Machine)

Sets: 4

Reps: 40

Rest: 90 seconds

Start with a 25-lb. plate on both sides of the bar. Perform the following

1. 10 reps wide stance
2. 20 reps single leg (10 each leg)
3. 10 reps close stance

 

If you do this right, you should have an insane leg pump, nauseous, making life decisions. Let me know how you like the workout

There are literally hundreds of accessories and gadgets dedicated to cardio.

I get asked all the time to give my opinion on the best heart rate monitors, foam rollers, bottles, belts, headphones, etc…

I compiled a quick list of the 5 items I recommend for cardio sessions to friends, family, and gym junkiez I talk to all the time. These are necessary cardio accessories that you will never leave home without again.

Best Cardio Headphones: SENSO BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES

It is a very high quality- cost effective set of Bluetooth earphones. This obviously means no wires between you and your phone. Wires are annoying, you can hear hisses when they move and do not give you control on things like track selection.

I have tried many brands including the popular Beats bluetooth earphones, but the Senso earphones win in terms of sound quality, battery life, ease of connection and sweat resistance.

They are very inexpensive and trust me when we say it will be the last set of earbuds you’ll ever buy.

CHECK IT ON AMAZON

Best Running Belt: Flipbelt

You might be asking yourself “Do I really need a running belt?”, but that is the wrong question. What you should be asking yourself is “Where do I put my ID, house keys, pocket cash, phone, hotel card?”. You don’t know you need a FlipBelt until you try one.

Flipbelt is an elastic band that fits snug around your waist and has four longitudinal holes in the middle. You slide your things in, they don’t bounce up and down, don’t get lost and don’t bother you while you run.

Believe it or not it is the most sold running accessory on Amazon, where it has around 2,000 reviews with an average of 4.5 stars. It’s actually also perfect for hitting the gym and not having to store your things in a cubby or locker.

To top it all off, it is not expensive at all.

CHECK IT ON AMAZON

Best Cardio Shoe Laces: Lock Laces

This is probably the best kept secret of the list.

For a very insignificant amount, this is the best present you can give to your running shoes.

The principle is simple: you remove the laces from your running shoes and replace them with the Lock Laces. Insert the endings in the locking mechanism, let a couple of inches of laces fall out and cut off the rest.

Now pull the locking mechanism until your feet fit snugly. That’s it.

The laces are now elastic – much more comfortable than any other laces you’ve ever tried – and to put them on and off you just have to release or lock the mechanism. No more tie-ing laces, forever!

I learned this secret while prepping for the Team Universe competition a couple of years ago and never looked back!!

CHECK IT ON AMAZON

Best Cardio Safety Lights: Apace Vision LED Safety Lights

Are you one of those runners that prefer the outdoors? Do you run early in the morning, or late at night? Well if you do, you have to have a set of light. Those runners vest are cool but they can be annoying at times. There is no reason to risk not being seen by traffic. It is such a danger that it is not worth taking, for any reason.

There are plenty of reflective or LED light solution, but this one is probably the best one I seen to date. A friend of mine from work who runs ½ marathons religiously put me on to this, so I’m sharing with you!!

Inexpensive, a pack includes:

– 2x safety lights
– 2x extra batteries
– 2x velcro straps
– 1x mini screwdriver

Put one on the front and one on the back, and you are ready to go!

CHECK IT ON AMAZON

Best Cardio Phone Armband: Annex Quad Lock Sports Armband

Do you run with your phone? Save your money. Don’t try ANY of the cheap running armbands you find. Don’t do it. I am saving you from irritation and wasting money. Before my arms grew to large (shameless plug….lol) I have tried every arm band on the market. All of them had proven worthless, until I found this one.

This system is made of two components:

1) A phone case (or a plastic piece that you stick on to your existing case if you don’t have a compatible phone out of the box) with the Quad Lock connector
2) The armband itself.

You click the case onto the armband and it’s on. Safely, sturdly and easily removable with a simple click.

The even better part is that you can get the same mechanism for your bike, and can safely mount your phone to your bike too. One click and you hop it on and off.

Trust me on this – this is the best armband ever made, others don’t even close.

CHECK IT ON AMAZON

This is just a quick list of options that will make your cardio life much easier. There are many accessories for runners. But with any of these 5 items, your cardio will simply be more enjoyable.

 

Do you use any of these? Are you using others that are not mentioned? Let me know in the comments