Working legs twice a week

[Zach Trowbridge]

Anybody do this on a regular basis?  I've been stagnating in my leg progress lately, and thought about adding a 2nd workout.  One of my old training partners who used to barely be able to squat 95 lbs for 3 is now in the 300+ range for reps, so I need to get my shit into gear and try to catch up.  I was thinking about something like this:

1st workout
Barbell Squats
Leg Presses
Leg Extensions
Lying Leg Curls
Seated Leg Curls
Standing Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise

2nd workout
Front Squats
Hack Squats
Dumbbell Lunge
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
High-Stance Leg Press
Leg Press Calf Raise

Split would look like this:

Monday - Back/Bis/Forearms
Tuesday - Chest/Triceps/Abs
Wednesday - 1st Leg Workout
Thursday - Delts/Traps/Abs
Friday - off
Saturday - 2nd Leg Workout
Sunday - off

Any thoughts? 

[NoCalBbEr]

I would do anything twice but not legsI would train any body twice a week but not legs. they take so much out of me. I don't know what works out my legs more doing the  heavy weights or unloading/loading all the plates. But seriously, I remember a quote from Jay Cutler in his earlydays 'if you can walk out of the gym after training legs, you didn't hit'em hard enough'

I notice on your split that you only train legs twice. are legs a problem for you, in growing them???

[Zach Trowbridge]

I would do anything twice but not legsI would train any body twice a week but not legs. they take so much out of me. I don't know what works out my legs more doing the  heavy weights or unloading/loading all the plates. But seriously, I remember a quote from Jay Cutler in his earlydays 'if you can walk out of the gym after training legs, you didn't hit'em hard enough'

I notice on your split that you only train legs twice. are legs a problem for you, in growing them???

Yeah, they are.  I've tried working a lot of my upper bodyparts 2 times a week, and it helped pretty well.  But it seems like I only have the time to do one bodypart 2x a week at any given point.  More recently I was doing 2 back workouts a week, ripping off the Jay/Ronnie style of rows one workout and pulldowns/chins, and that helped in terms of strength gains.

[Hedgehog]

Anybody do this on a regular basis?  I've been stagnating in my leg progress lately, and thought about adding a 2nd workout.  One of my old training partners who used to barely be able to squat 95 lbs for 3 is now in the 300+ range for reps, so I need to get my shit into gear and try to catch up.  I was thinking about something like this:

1st workout
Barbell Squats
Leg Presses
Leg Extensions
Lying Leg Curls
Seated Leg Curls
Standing Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise

2nd workout
Front Squats
Hack Squats
Dumbbell Lunge
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
High-Stance Leg Press
Leg Press Calf Raise

Split would look like this:

Monday - Back/Bis/Forearms
Tuesday - Chest/Triceps/Abs
Wednesday - 1st Leg Workout
Thursday - Delts/Traps/Abs
Friday - off
Saturday - 2nd Leg Workout
Sunday - off

Any thoughts? 

Thoughts: You need to write down the number of sets you're doing... But anyway.

Here's what I would recommend for you:


1st workout
Barbell Squats 3-5 set, 6 reps on all. Hammies should LITERALLY touch the calves, that's how deep you are gonna go.

Front squats 2 sets 6 reps. Same as before, Hammies touch calves.

Stiff Legged DL's 3 sets, 4-6 reps.

One legged Calf Raise off a block, hold a dumbbell in your hand if necessary (check the calf sticky). 1 set for each leg if done properly.


2nd workout (should be a back-off workout from the 1st one)
Barbell Squats 3 sets, 6 reps on all. 20% lighter than on 1st workout.
Leg curls 2 sets, 6 reps, moderate weight.
IMPORTANT! Don't start highrepping your ass just because it's lighter weight here.


Monday - 1st Leg Workout/Abs
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - Bis/Triceps/Forearms
Thursday - Delts/Abs/2nd Leg Workout
Friday - off
Saturday - Back/Chest/Traps(is part of the back, you will feel this if deadlifting heavy sometime)
Sunday - off

[Bluto]

i do legs twice a week.

first workout low reps hard. second workout higher reps.

my biggest effort is the low reps day.

or you could do one workout with quads and one with hamstrings. i personally dont like to do hams after quads i dont have the energy to hit it as hard and at that time i sometimes end up feeling it in my lower back.

if you feel its too much the key is to adjust the no of times you go to failure and the intensity, its not twice a week itself thats a problem. i probably wouldnt recommend doing heavy every set to failure squats twice a week for example.

will it still be too much? who knows. but most change their routine after a few months anyway, so for a few months i think most will be able to do it. can always change back to once a week after some time if it wasnt for you.

[thewickedtruth]

if you actually work hard and don't clown around in the gym like the other tap out queens, hitting your legs once a week or every 4-5days should be more than enough. I've come to the conclusion that unless you're a user or have the natural recovery of a user, there's no way you can effectively work each muscle group twice a week unless you only do one or two exercises per body part each time. You can't hit it to win it then expect good things a few days later...

[Bluto]

if you dont go to failure you can

[thewickedtruth]

if you dont go to failure you can

depends on what you mean by failure..the typical gym goer thinks failure is going til you can't lift even a lb when it's all said and done..when failure really means you failed with a particular weight..not drop set'd til you can't stand up. If you train with your HEAD and not with a flex magazine as a guide, you can make it happen.

[Bluto]

depends on what you mean by failure..the typical gym goer thinks failure is going til you can't lift even a lb when it's all said and done..when failure really means you failed with a particular weight..not drop set'd til you can't stand up. If you train with your HEAD and not with a flex magazine as a guide, you can make it happen.

however you define it, by not going to failure you can work more frequently

[jpm101]

Just a thought; Why don't you ask the old training partner what he did for legs and do the same?

Or you might cut away from the usual leg exercises and the way they are preformed and do something different. Consider BarBell Hack squats (with or without a 2X4 under the heels). One legged step-up's (not to be confused with one legged squats) for example as another overlooked movement which can also effect the Ham's.  When you work each leg on it's own you can insure that one side will not be lagging in development and strength, which can happen when doing the regular BB squat or leg press. Get a more balanced affect.  One legged leg presses, alternating each leg every set without rest, is another example. Say you want to do three sets, than do the right and left legs without rest between sets until the whole three sets are done. Sissy squats, which require a full stretch of the quads, can bring out the legs very well. There are jumping squats, holding a DB in each hand, which also affect the calves greatly. Also consider the standing leg curl, if you gym has on, rather than lying or sitting versions. Though one of my favorite exercises, the SLDL is not always the best choice for Ham development for a lot of folks. GM'ing seem to hit them a little better, from what I have seen.

As far as calves go, as HedgeHog suggest, the prime movement would be the one legged calf raise. Working for a full stretch and holding a DB in hand when ready for extra weight. 12 to 18 reps. And if done the correct way, full stretch at the bottom and than exploding up until the toes are as high as they can go, many will find bwt a challenge at first. The need for speed enters into contracting the calves to their max. Fast and hard reps build big calves. Check out the calves of sprinters for calves of outstanding development.  Following that idea, include 40 yard sprints in any calf workout.

I have known guy's who have worked calves in a power rack with heavy weight on their shoulders, like getting ready to do heavy squats. Some have used 2X4's but a lot have started flatfooted for their reps.  Calf raises from a squat starting position are quite different from doing them in the usual standing calf machine. The old weight below/weigh above the hip/ab (core) region theory again.

If anyone does one legged this or that, than work the weaker or less developed leg first. Good Luck.

[Zach Trowbridge]

Just a thought; Why don't you ask the old training partner what he did for legs and do the same?

He's always been a high-volume/high-frequency guy, one of the reasons we stopped working out together - his biceps workouts alone were 15-16 sets and he did every bodypart twice a week.  No gear either, just genetically blessed with decent recovery abilities I guess.  I drag ass if I work everything twice a week, but seem to do okay if it's just one bodypart at a time that gets the extra attention.