The Ultimate Science-Based Leg Day For Muscle Growth (2023)

Summary

This video script introduces a leg-focused workout routine as part of the 'ultimate push-pull leg series.' It begins with a general warm-up, followed by six exercises targeting quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and abs. The workout emphasizes a minimalistic strength approach and an optimization for hypertrophy, featuring heavy sets, paused squats, and variations like hack squats and Bulgarian split squats. The script also provides tips on technique, muscle emphasis, and progressive overloading for effective muscle growth.

Takeaways

• 🏋️‍♂️ The workout is part of the 'ultimate push-pull leg series' focusing on leg muscles including quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and abs.
• 🔥 The routine starts with a general warm-up, emphasizing the importance of warming up before leg exercises due to the large muscle group involved.
• 📈 A minimalistic approach to strength and an optimization approach to hypertrophy is used, with one heavy set of squats and variations for back offsets.
• 💪 Squats are performed with a weight at 85-90% of one's one-rep max for 2-4 reps, aiming for an RPE of 8 or 9, ensuring a challenging yet manageable set.
• 🔄 Squat alternatives include hack squats or Bulgarian split squats, with a suggestion to increase rep range for a hypertrophy focus.
• 🧘‍♂️ The paused squat exercise is highlighted for its benefits in emphasizing quads and glutes, and for reinforcing proper technique.
• 🇷🇴 Romanian deadlifts are included with tips to focus on hamstrings or glutes, and to avoid lower back strain.
• 🚶‍♂️ Dumbbell walking lunges are advised with caution against cutting depth, free-falling on the negative, and grip strength limiting load.
• 🦵 Seated leg curls are recommended over lying leg curls for better hamstring growth, with tips on seat positioning and toe rotation.
• 🦶 The leg press toe press is used for calves, with variations in toe position to target different calf regions.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Decline plate crunches are used to finish the workout, targeting the abs and emphasizing the importance of progressive overload for development.
• 📚 The full 12-week program is available, offering an ebook, spreadsheet, exercise demos, and coaching cues for a comprehensive training system.

Q & A

What is the focus of the 'ultimate push-pull leg series' workout?

The focus of the 'ultimate push-pull leg series' workout is to target the lower body, specifically the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, and to finish with an exercise for the abs.

Why is a general warm-up important, especially on leg day?

A general warm-up is important on leg day because the legs constitute about half of the body, and warming up helps to prepare the muscles for the intense workout ahead.

What is the minimalistic approach to strength mentioned in the script?

The minimalistic approach to strength mentioned in the script involves performing only one heavy set per week for exercises like the squat, bench press, and deadlift, aiming for 85 to 90 percent of one's one-rep max for two to four reps.

What are the two substitution options for the squat exercise if someone cannot or does not want to perform it?

The two substitution options for the squat exercise are hack squats as the first option and Bulgarian split squats as the second option.

How does pausing during the paused squat exercise affect the muscles being worked?

Pausing during the paused squat forces the quads and glutes to overcome the load from a dead stop, which is harder than normal reps and can lead to a more hypertrophic stimulus with lighter loads and less overall joint and body stress.

What is the recommended warm-up routine before starting the heavy set of the squat?

The recommended warm-up routine is a pyramid warm-up with weight across four or five warm-up sets until reaching the working weight, which is 85 to 90 percent of one's one-rep max for two to four reps.

How can one shift the emphasis of the Romanian deadlift (RDL) from the lower back to the hamstrings?

To shift the emphasis from the lower back to the hamstrings in RDLs, one should ensure the barbell does not drift forward away from the legs and consider wearing a belt to help direct more attention to the hamstrings.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when performing walking lunges?

Common mistakes to avoid in walking lunges include cutting depth short, free-falling on the negative, and letting grip strength limit the load used.

Why are seated leg curls considered more effective for muscle growth than lying leg curls?

Seated leg curls are considered more effective for muscle growth because they challenge the hamstrings in a more lengthened position, allowing for more stretch and load on the hamstrings compared to lying leg curls.

How can toe position during the leg press toe press affect the emphasis on different calf muscles?

Pointing toes out emphasizes the medial or inside part of the calves, pointing toes in emphasizes the lateral or outside part of the calves, and pointing toes straight ahead grows both the inside and the outside evenly.

What is the recommended approach to progressively overload the abs during the decline plate crunch exercise?

The recommended approach is to hold a plate to the chest and focus on squeezing the abs together, allowing the lower back to round. Over time, one should aim to add either some weight or a rep from session to session to ensure progressive overload.

Where can the full 12-week 'ultimate push-pull legs hypertrophy system' be found?

The full 12-week 'ultimate push-pull legs hypertrophy system' can be found on jeffnipper.com, where it comes with an ebook, Excel spreadsheet, exercise demos, coaching cues, and is available in four, five, and six-day per week versions.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Leg Day Warm-Up and Heavy Squat Set

The video script begins with an introduction to the ultimate push-pull leg series, focusing on the first leg day workout. The emphasis is on a comprehensive warm-up to prepare the body for the intense leg exercises ahead. The warm-up includes 5-10 minutes on cardio machines like the treadmill or StairMaster, followed by dynamic stretches. The main workout starts with a heavy set of squats, using a minimalistic strength approach and an optimization for hypertrophy. Viewers are advised to perform a pyramid warm-up leading to a working weight of 85-90% of their one-rep max for 2-4 reps, aiming for an RPE of 8 or 9. Squat alternatives like hack squats or Bulgarian split squats are suggested for those unable or uninterested in traditional squats, with a recommendation to adjust rep ranges for a hypertrophy focus.

05:01

🏋️‍♀️ Advanced Leg Exercises and Technique Tips

This paragraph delves into the specifics of performing advanced leg exercises with a focus on proper technique and maximizing muscle engagement. It covers the execution of paused squats to enhance quad and glute activation, the Romanian deadlift (RDL) for hamstring emphasis, and tips to avoid common issues like lower back strain. The script also introduces the dumbbell walking lunge, emphasizing depth, control, and avoiding grip strength limitations. Additionally, seated leg curls are discussed, with advice on seat positioning and toe pointing to target different hamstring regions. The leg press toe press is highlighted for calf work, suggesting varied toe positions across sets to target different calf areas effectively.

10:01

📊 Progressive Overload for Abs and Conclusion

The final paragraph of the script wraps up the leg day workout with a focus on the decline plate crunch for abs, advocating for direct ab work to complement the leg exercises. It stresses the importance of progressive overload by tracking weights and reps, aiming for incremental increases to stimulate muscle growth. The video concludes with an invitation to access the full 12-week ultimate push-pull legs hypertrophy system on jeffnipper.com, which includes an ebook, Excel spreadsheet, exercise demos, and coaching cues. The program is available in four, five, and six-day per week versions to accommodate different training schedules. The script ends with a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and look forward to the next video in the series.

Keywords

💡Leg Day

Leg Day refers to a specific day in a workout routine dedicated to training the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. In the video's context, it is part of the 'ultimate push-pull leg series' and involves a series of exercises designed to target these muscle groups. The script emphasizes the importance of warming up before leg day due to the extensive muscle engagement.

💡Warm-up

A warm-up is a preliminary physical activity that prepares the body for more intense exercise. In the script, the warm-up includes both cardio exercises like using a treadmill or StairMaster and dynamic stretches to prepare for the leg workout. It is crucial for injury prevention and to enhance performance during the workout.

💡Push-Pull Legs Routine

The Push-Pull Legs Routine is a workout regimen that focuses on different muscle groups on different days, typically alternating between pushing movements (like chest and tricep exercises) and pulling movements (like back and bicep exercises), with leg exercises incorporated into the schedule. The script describes this routine as using a minimalistic approach to strength and an optimization approach to hypertrophy.

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle fiber size due to the growth of existing muscle cells, resulting in larger muscles. The video's theme revolves around exercises that promote hypertrophy, particularly for the lower body. The script mentions optimizing this approach for exercises like the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

💡Squat

The squat is a fundamental strength training exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. In the script, the squat is performed with a heavy set of 2 to 4 reps, using a weight that is 85 to 90 percent of the individual's one-rep max, which is a key part of the push-pull legs routine.

💡One-Rep Max (1RM)

One-Rep Max, or 1RM, is the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted for one repetition of an exercise. In the script, it is used to determine the weight for the heavy set of squats, suggesting that if one's 1RM is 405 pounds, they should choose a weight around 345 to 365 pounds for their top set.

💡Paused Squat

A paused squat is a variation of the traditional squat where the lifter pauses at the bottom of the movement for a brief moment before pushing back up. The script describes this as a back offset exercise, emphasizing the development of the quads and glutes by forcing them to overcome the load from a dead stop.

💡Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The Romanian Deadlift is a strength training exercise that targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. The script provides a technique recap for performing RDLs properly and discusses common concerns, such as feeling the exercise in the lower back instead of the hamstrings.

💡Walking Lunge

A walking lunge is an exercise that involves lunging forward while alternating legs, which is excellent for developing the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The script highlights three common mistakes to avoid when performing walking lunges, such as cutting depth short, free-falling on the negative, and letting grip strength limit the load.

💡Seated Leg Curl

The seated leg curl is a machine-based exercise that isolates the hamstrings. The script mentions a study that found seated leg curls to be more effective for muscle growth than lying leg curls due to the increased stretch on the hamstrings in a seated position.

💡Leg Press Toe Press

The leg press toe press is a variation of the leg press exercise that specifically targets the calves by adjusting the foot placement. The script explains how pointing the toes in different directions during the leg press can emphasize different regions of the calves, based on a long-term training study.

💡Decline Plate Crunch

A decline plate crunch is an abdominal exercise performed on an incline bench while holding a weight plate against the chest. The script describes this as a finishing exercise for the workout, focusing on the abs and ensuring progressive overload by increasing weight or reps over time.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a principle in strength training that involves gradually increasing the stress placed upon the body during exercise to cause muscle adaptation and growth. The script mentions the importance of tracking weights and reps, aiming to add weight or reps from session to session to ensure progressive overload and stimulate muscle development.

Highlights

Introduction to the first leg day of the ultimate push-pull leg series.

Six lower body exercises targeting quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, with an additional abs exercise.

Emphasis on a quick general warm-up, crucial for leg day, involving cardio and dynamic stretches.

Minimalistic approach to strength and optimization for hypertrophy in the push-pull legs routine.

One heavy set of squats with a pyramid warm-up and weight across warm-up sets, targeting 85-90% of one-rep max.

Squat alternatives for those who cannot or prefer not to perform traditional squats, like hack squats or Bulgarian split squats.

Technique for paused squats, emphasizing a breath hold and explosive movement from the bottom of the squat.

Benefits of paused squats for hypertrophy, including increased difficulty and technique reinforcement.

Three sets of barbell Romanian deadlifts with a focus on proper technique and avoiding lower back strain.

Tips for targeting hamstrings more effectively in Romanian deadlifts by adjusting the range of motion and focus.

Two sets of dumbbell walking lunges with advice on maintaining depth, controlling the negative, and grip strength considerations.

Three sets of seated leg curls with a study reference on its effectiveness over lying leg curls.

Technique tips for seated leg curls, including seat positioning and toe rotation for targeting specific hamstring regions.

Four sets of leg press toe press for calves, with variations in toe position to target different calf regions.

Research findings on the impact of toe position during calf training on muscle growth distribution.

Three sets of decline plate crunches for abs, focusing on proper form and progressive overload for muscle development.

Information on the full 12-week ultimate push-pull legs hypertrophy system available for purchase.

Details on the program's components, including an ebook, Excel spreadsheet, exercise demos, and coaching cues.

Availability of the program in different versions to accommodate various weekly training schedules.

Closing remarks with a call to action for likes, subscriptions, and anticipation for upcoming videos.

Transcripts

foreign

okay what's going on guys and Welcome to

our first leg day of the ultimate

push-pull leg Series in this video we're

doing six lower body exercises that

Target the quads hamstrings glutes and

calves and then we're finishing things

off with one exercise for the ABS

alright so as usual we're starting with

a quick General warm-up this is

especially important on leg day because

it's literally half your body so I'll do

a solid five to ten minutes on the

treadmiller StairMaster and then go

through a quick series of dynamic

stretches that I'll put up here on the

screen it looks like more than it is

usually only takes me about two minutes

tops from there we're jumping into just

one heavy set of two to four reps on the

squat remember in this push-pull legs

routine we're using a minimalistic

approach to strength and an optimization

approach to hypertrophy so for the squat

bench press and deadlift we're just

doing one hard set per week that's it

and then we'll do two back offsets with

some variation for each lift so here

I'll do a pyramid warm-up and weight

across four or five warm-up sets as you

can see here on the screen until I get

to my working weight which will be

something range of 85 to 90 percent of

my one rep max for two to four reps so

let's say your one rep max is 405 pounds

you'd want to choose a weight around 345

pounds to 365 pounds for your top set of

two to four reps this shouldn't be an

rpe 10 Max effort set but it should be

something around an rpe of eight or nine

so you don't want to be leaving more

than one or two reps in the tank and

remember we're only doing one set so it

does need to be challenging now if

you're someone who only cares about

building muscle and couldn't care less

about strength or if you can't squat or

simply don't want to squat you can

replace the squat work with hack squats

as a first substitution option or

Bulgarian split squats as a second

option in either case to make it a bit

more hypertrophy focused you can just

boost the rep range to four to six reps

instead of two to four reps and keep

everything else the same after the heavy

top set we're doing two back offsets for

five reps on the paused squat where

we'll be pausing for about one to two

seconds in the hole on each rep for

these you'll want to drop the weight

back to about 75 of what you did for

your heavy top set so let's say you did

365 pounds for your top set you do

around 275 pounds for your pod squats

for five Reps for these you want to take

in a big breath at the top and then sit

back and down between your legs keeping

your breath held as you pause for one to

two seconds and then explode up out of

the hole with as much explosive force as

possible as you explode up try to keep

in mind that the bar should travel in as

close to a straight line as possible

centered over the middle of your foot

and in general I like pod squats because

doing five paused reps is a lot harder

than doing five normal reps that's

because when you pause you lose any

stored elastic energy in your tendons

which forces your quads and glutes to

overcome the load from a dead stop and

because they're so much harder this

means you're forced to use lighter

weights which means you can get the same

hypertrophic stimulus with lighter loads

and less overall joint and body stress

pausing also helps ensure that you're

reaching proper depth on each and every

rep and can help ingrain good technique

habits for any heavier sets you do as

well okay after squads we're moving on

to three sets of 8 to 10 wraps on the

barbell Romanian deadlift just a quick

technique recap here you want to lift

the barbell off the rack take two or

three steps back push your hips back as

the weight drops down and then reverse

the motion once the bar gets somewhere

between just below knee level and mid

Shin level or at least before your lower

back starts to round then you should

reverse the motion by lifting your chest

up and thrusting your hips forward a

little knee Bend is fine but you should

try to keep a more or less vertical Shin

angle keeping the bar in tight and

centered over the middle of your foot

now there are two common concerns I hear

about rdls the first is that some people

say they only feel it in their lower

back not in their hamstrings and if this

applies to you the first thing I do is

make sure that you're not letting the

barbell drift forward away from your

legs this can cause the low back to take

over in order to pull the bar back in

remember that the bar should be moving

straight up and straight down I also

find that wearing a belt can help with

this issue even though EMG data shows

that overall wearing a belt shouldn't

substantially reduce lower back muscle

activity I do find it helps me to direct

more attention to my hamstrings and

reduces that uncomfortable lower back

pump that you can sometimes feel with

rdls now obviously the spinal Erectors

have to contract on rdls to prevent you

from just curling over so it's

impossible to completely take the lower

back out but you can shift the emphasis

to the hamstrings a bit more with those

two tips another common question I get

is how to Target the hamstrings more

versus the glutes more with rdls this

one's pretty simple if you want to

Target your glutes more think about

squeezing your glutes to move the weight

and then you can optionally squeeze your

glutes together at the top of the lift

that glute squeeze honestly probably

isn't doing a whole lot on its own but

can help some people sort of find the

muscle better with this cue you can

almost think of the lift more like a

vertical hip thrust on the other hand if

you want to make it more hamstring

dominant I would just completely cut out

the top 10 to 25 percent of the lift

this will keep more of the emphasis on

the hamstring stretch and the bottom

half and you can even add a little pause

at the bottom to accentuate the stretch

further alright so after that we're

moving on to two sets of 10 reps per leg

on the dumbbell walking lunge so that's

20 total strides per set for this one I

figured I'd highlight three things that

you should avoid when doing walking

lunges first avoid cutting your depth

short notice that on each and every rep

my knee softly makes contact with the

floor it's very common for people to

start limiting their depth toward the

end of the set once the wraps start

getting really hard but it's a lot

better to be more consistent with your

reps rather than just aiming for an

arbitrary rep count while cutting many

of those reps short now if you're afraid

of hurting your knees on the floor you

may be making the second mistake on my

list which is Free Falling on the

negative a lot of people try to rush

through their lunges because they are a

fairly gruesome exercise but despite

that you should think of them like you

should any other hypertrophy focused

movement where you're actively

controlling and resisting the negative

if you're letting gravity take over on

the negative then you're missing out on

the most important aspect of the lift so

take your time and be intentional with

every rep you do and the third thing to

avoid is letting your grip strength

limit the load that you can use a lot of

people go way too light on walking

lunges they end their set once they feel

fatigued but don't actually approach

muscular failure one of the main reasons

for this is that they just pick up some

relatively light dumbbells that they can

grip easily but we're not trying to

train our forearms here so if your grip

is a limiting factor I definitely

recommend strapping in and using some

dumbbells that'll actually get your legs

close to failure by the end of the set

okay after that we're moving on to three

sets of 10 to 12 reps on the seated leg

curl another couple quick tips here

first remember that there was a study

published in 2021 which found that

seated leg curls led to about 56 percent

more muscle growth than lying leg curls

across a 12-week training study and the

most likely reason for this is that the

seated leg curl was challenging the

hamstrings in a more lengthened position

than the line leg curl in other words

you can load the hamstrings with more

stretch when you're seated than when

you're lying however if you set the seat

too far back you actually lose a lot of

that stretch so you want to make sure

that your torso is positioned far enough

forward on the machine that you feel a

solid stretch in your hamstrings before

you start the set if you don't feel any

stretching or hamstrings in the starting

position you may not have the seat up

far enough or you may want to lean

forward over the machine a bit until you

feel that tug of passive tension in your

hamstrings also remember that the

hamstrings cross both the hip joint and

the knee joint so pointing the toes in

or out rotating the legs at the hip does

seem to impact which area of the

hamstrings is emphasized at least EMG

evidence shows that the inner hamstrings

activate more when the toes are pointed

in and the outer hamstrings activate

more when the toes are pointed out so

for this one you can think of pointing

your toes in the direction of the region

you're trying to emphasize Point them

out for the outer hamstrings and point

them in for the inner hamstrings of

course because EMG readings have never

been formally validated as being

predictive of long-term hypertrophy

outcomes you should think of this

suggestion as just something to play

around with rather than a proven fact

but since we're doing three sets here

anyway why not point the toes slightly

out for the first set slightly in for

the second set and then straight ahead

for the third set of course if you feel

your hamstrings working much better with

one toe position over the others I'd

simply roll with that one and if either

position feels awkward or uncomfortable

for you there's no reason that you have

to do it but assuming they all feel fine

to you why not switch it up from set to

set for some variety okay up next we're

doing four sets of 10 to 12 reps on the

leg press toe press and I like doing

this movement for the calves because

after a high volume leg day like this

one you can just sit down and give your

back and your hips a little break while

you focus entirely on the calves now

similar to the leg curl pointing your

toes in different directions can impact

which region of the calves are

emphasized except unlike with the leg

curl we can say this with much more

confidence for the calves because we

actually have a long-term training study

that measured muscle growth directly

this is a figure from a 2020 study that

had 22 subjects trained their calves for

nine weeks with either their feet

pointed out feet pointed in or feet

pointed straight ahead and as you can

see in the figure pointing the toes out

through the medial or inside part of the

calves better while pointing the toes in

glue the lateral or outside part of the

calves better and pointing them straight

ahead grew both the inside and the outer

side pretty evenly so this tells us that

if you're trying to grow the outer

calves a bit more you should consider

pointing your toes in if you're trying

to grow the inner calves a bit more

maybe so they're more visible from the

front you should try pointing your toes

out and since we're doing four sets here

we might as well experiment with the

different positions so I'd suggest

pointing them out for set one pointing

them in for set two and then pointing

them straight ahead for set three and

four or again similar to the leg curl if

either position feels particularly

awkward for you or significantly limits

the amount of load you can use I just go

with the position that you feel

strongest and most comfortable with and

then to finish off the workout we're

doing three sets of 10 to 12 reps on the

decline plate crunch I find that direct

ab work doesn't fit perfectly into

either the push pull or leg day but I

tend to put ab work on my leg days just

because most ab work will also work the

hip flexors which will be nice and

warmed up after all that leg work so for

this one you want to hold a plate to

your chest and focus on squeezing your

abs together don't just hinge at your

hips that'll mostly target the hip

flexors instead allow your lower back to

round as you squeeze your six-pack

together over time you should be keeping

track of the weights you're using and

the number of reps you're hitting while

aiming to add either some weight or a

rep from session to session this will

ensure that you're actually

progressively overloading your abs and

triggering their development just a few

overloading sets like this will do a

whole lot more for increasing that pop

Factor on your midsection than pretty

much any amount of cardio style AB

circuits will and in a fraction of the

time okay so after this leg day we've

got the first half of the full week of

training completed and I'll be covering

the remaining three workouts in three

upcoming videos here on the channel but

if you'd like to have the full 12 weeks

of training all in one place right away

you can pick up the full ultimate

push-pull legs hypertrophy system over

on jeffnipper.com the program comes with

a full ebook explaining all the methods

used in the program and Excel

spreadsheet a library full of exercise

demos from me coaching cues for every

exercise and plenty more it also comes

in a four day five day and six day per

week version so you can still run the

program even if you don't have six days

per week available to train so I'll

leave a little more info about that in

the description box down below and

that's it for this one guys thank you so

much for watching don't forget to leave

me a thumbs up if you enjoyed the video

subscribe if you haven't already and

I'll see you guys all here in the next

one