Last Updated on September 12, 2024 by Kaira
Are you struggling to build your legs?
The answer you seek first starts with thinking that working on one leg day every other week will do it.
It takes high-intensity and high impact workouts to gain the results you seek.
“No pain, No gain.”
Your quad workout should primarily focus on building muscle, and that is what we are going to cover.
The sessions should have high volume and high-intensity reps.
Tune your mind to it, and your body will respond, through the pain, to your efforts. Get some protein or BCAA with iHerb promo code – DQJ004.
Doing separate quads and hamstrings is one way to go about it, but you also need to include the calve so that you can be the holistic workout session for your legs from the hip down to the heels.
Doubling back during the workout is a good thing, it means the sessions are designed for ‘Full Impact.’
You will find yourself using leg press machines when doing calf raises and leg presses and doing leg extensions in two or more reps.
The session should last about an hour of which you will do high rep counts with an overall intensity volume.
1) Leg extension
You still start with getting your blood pumping and running into the quads, which is the aim of this workout.
You will do 30 reps before dropping to 27 reps then 25 reps, 20, 15, and 12 reps with 2 sets of each and finish off with a set of 10 reps.
You will have covered 10 sets.
The heaviness of the weights will not be a major issue since you are doing many reps.
What you are aiming for is contractions at the close of each rep. You will feel the significant pump and blood volume in the quads.
2) Narrow leg press
You will have to use a narrow stance with emphasis on your quads.
Your heels should be at the bottom of the board, and your stance inside as your shoulder’s width, the knees behind the toes as they move the weight maintain that posture.
Take it slow as you lower the sled and do not rely on your check for support.
Bring the weight down slowly as you inhale, lock in the air and explode as you push it back up.
You should do 6 sets of 15 reps.
3) Walking lunge
Avoid focusing on the number of reps you can do, rather focus on the distance to cover.
You should aim for around 25 yards for the first 2 sets you do of the lunges, and then you can do 20 for the next 2 winding up with 15 for the last 2 sets.
Use a barbell on your back though dumbbells can also suffice.
Ensure your chest stays up as you take each step dropping straight down and stopping when each knee hits the ground so that you come back up, while still upright, and taking the next step forward.
Keep the steps moderate to avoid taking big lunges.
Let your emphasis be on the quads as you aim to cover a substantial distance.
Small steps will have a significant impact on the quads.
4) Leg extension (with a twist)
The workout with now be more of jumping to work on the quad to ready them for a completed quad day.
You will need to use heavier weights than you did in the first session so that you fire up the muscle fiber in your quads.
The aim is to experience substantial contraction at the pick of each leap as you control the weight on your way down.
Make sure you increase the tonnage with each set you do, completing 4 sets of around 10 – 12 reps; working with heavier weights as you progress to each set.
5) Leg press calf raise
Control of the weights is vital when doing leg press calf raises which is not the case with the leg presses thus making this a different workout.
The weight should reach the balls of your feet as you move it forward ensuring that you have full control as you allow it to contract and stretch your calves at the top and the bottom of the motion, respectively.
Going for a full contraction at the top or full stretch at the bottom is not advisable if you are working with heavyweights.
You should cover 4 sets of 10 – 12 reps.
6) Seated calf raise
You will wind up your leg workout session with the seated calf raise exercise.
It is a good option since you have already worked on the calves when doing the leg press.
The exercise will focus on a different area of the calf muscle.
Again, take things slow as you do the reps. Avoid going heavy since you are bouncing weights.
You should come up until you are on your toes as you control the weights on your way down aiming for a good stretch at the bottom before moving back up.
The quads should be shouting and the legs all shaky from the intensity of the workout; expect to have sore legs for the next few days.
The verdict
You have to work through the pain if you are to see the results you desire, hitting the quads at least once or twice a week depending on the volume of the workout.
It will be okay if you go for once a week if you are covering the kind of volume we have covered in the above workout session.
