Spring Bulk Day 135 - Legs

Summary

In this workout-focused monologue, the speaker shares their leg day routine, emphasizing leg extensions, hamstring curls, and bodyweight squats. They offer insight into their training philosophy, advocating for controlled reps, muscle pre-exhaustion, and workout variety to maintain strength and size. The speaker also discusses the benefits of post-workout nutrition, highlighting dextrose as a quick energy replenisher. Toward the end, they touch on injury prevention, smart training strategies, and staying active despite setbacks, while sharing personal anecdotes about diet and future fitness goals.

Takeaways

• 💪 The speaker pre-exhausts with leg extensions before moving to machine leg press to get a good burn in the quads.
• 🔥 After pre-exhausting with leg extensions, the speaker feels a strong burn even from bodyweight squats, emphasizing variety in movements for leg workouts.
• 🏋️ The speaker plans to switch up hamstring workouts, opting for lighter weights and more controlled reps to focus on muscle tension.
• ⚖️ Emphasizes the benefits of varying workout routines, advocating for a mix of lighter, controlled sets and heavy, swinging sets to target different muscle groups.
• 🙌 Frustration with the positioning in single-leg hamstring curls due to awkward leg positioning, suggesting tweaks to avoid discomfort.
• 😤 The speaker acknowledges the challenge of filming workouts in a gym, mentioning how discretion should be used, especially in locker rooms.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Despite cutting out squats, the speaker feels confident about maintaining size and strength with leg extensions during cutting and bulking phases.
• 🧠 The speaker believes that fitness should not be overcomplicated, noting that effort and consistency are key rather than reliance on complex routines or specific exercises.
• 🍚 Post-workout nutrition: Advocates for simple carbs like dextrose post-lift to quickly refill glycogen stores and promote recovery, alongside steady protein intake throughout the day.
• 🤕 Caution against pushing through injuries, highlighting the importance of working around an injury rather than stopping training entirely to maintain fitness.

Q & A

What variations does the speaker plan to incorporate for leg workouts?

The speaker plans to add variations like leg extensions followed by machine leg press, and supersetting leg extensions with bodyweight squats.

Why does the speaker prefer to pre-exhaust their quads with leg extensions before doing other pressing movements?

The speaker believes pre-exhausting with leg extensions gives a good burn and makes subsequent pressing movements feel more effective on the quads.

What approach does the speaker take when training hamstrings during this workout?

The speaker opts to go lighter with hamstrings to focus on getting a good squeeze and performing slower, controlled reps instead of the usual heavy, swinging sets.

Why does the speaker find single-leg hamstring curls uncomfortable for one leg?

The speaker finds it uncomfortable because when doing single-leg curls with the left leg, the right leg has to be held up, which they find annoying and awkward.

How does the speaker feel about recording themselves in the gym, especially in locker rooms?

The speaker believes it’s fine to record yourself but advises discretion, particularly in locker rooms, where filming might be inappropriate.

What is the speaker's view on the necessity of complex exercises to build muscle?

The speaker believes that workouts are often overcomplicated and that building muscle doesn’t necessarily require complex exercises, as long as effort is put in.

Why does the speaker prefer leg extensions for maintaining quad size and strength?

The speaker claims that leg extensions have helped maintain their quad size and strength during cutting phases, even when squats were removed from their routine.

What is the purpose of consuming dextrose after a workout, according to the speaker?

Dextrose helps to quickly replenish glycogen stores in muscles after a workout by providing simple carbohydrates that are easily absorbed, speeding up recovery.

What does the speaker recommend if you feel discomfort in a muscle during heavy lifting?

The speaker advises erring on the side of caution if something feels off and suggests lightening the load or avoiding heavy movements to prevent injury.

How does the speaker suggest recovering from an injury while maintaining fitness?

The speaker encourages continuing to train around the injury, working other muscles and maintaining cardio, rather than becoming inactive, to support overall recovery.