Hey guys,
Few questions for the experts. Been trying to prioritise leg training lately. Train legs once per week. My staple exercise is squats. 2 sets 135. 2 sets 225. 1 all out set 315. 1 all out set 405. Reasonably good depth. Move on to hack squats. 3 or 4 sets. Last set is usually an all out set of 20 reps. Deep as I can go. By the time this sets done, I've got a really bad case of jelly legs and I find after this, the rest of my workout for quads and hams, I'm just going through the motions. After this last set of hack squats tonight, I ended up throwing yo lol. Once I cleaned myself up, I moved into a super set of leg extensions and leg curls. When i use to do extensions first I could almost push the whole stack with decent form but when I do it after squats, and hacks, I'm barely able to push 30-40 pounds and find it impossible to get full contractions because my quads are too pumped. Tonight, my quads were so pumped that I couldn't walk and throughout the sets of extensions, the quad pump was almost too much. I could barely push any weight. After this extension / leg curls superset, I moved onto seated calf extensions for 4 sets. I was also throwing in some extra leg curls between sets to try and get some extra hamstring work. Before training tonight I did take 2 and a bit scoops of pre workout. I also run 1ml test 400 + 1ml tren a 100mg, 3 times per week.
Am I not getting enough out of my leg training? Is my volume way too low? Am I not doing nearly enough exercises? Am I selling myself short on leg development if I'm not including leg presses into my routine? I generally like to add leg presses when I train legs but last few weeks I haven't because heavy squatting has been taking it out of me and the quad pumps I've been getting last couple weeks has made it impossible for me to add extra exercises to my leg routine. I hope I'm not selling myself short with leg development by missing out on leg presses.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Cheers
Without cheating, and reading others...especially Coach's since he does it for a living I have a response and questions(but some are kinda rhetorical)
Starting with: "My staple exercise is squats. 2 sets 135. 2 sets 225. 1 all out set 315. 1 all out set 405"
Why?....Not why squats, but why do you do them like this?
Why do you do 2 sets of 135, and 2 sets of 225?
Obviously, the 1st set at 135 and the 1st set at 225 are you warming/building yourself up to do the heavier sets. Are you doing the 2nd sets at 135 and 225 for more reps than you did with the 1st set of each? If the answer is no, what do you get out of that?
Define "all out" please?
Comments and Suggestions: I used to do squats first like you, and also like you I'd be going through the motions after the second exercise (usually hacks or 45 degree leg press). My quads respond very well to training legs that way...,but I found my hams were lagging after a while, because I was dragging like you.
I'm sure you'll get some great advice here, but give this a try
Before doing legs at all:
Elliptical for 5 minutes to warm up. Precor is best for this suggestion if you have one avlbl. Do 2.5 min forward, and 2.5 back with it's elevation set at 6 or 7. When you go backwards grab the handles and lean back as much as you can and push your ass out and drop it down a bit so you feel it stretching your hams. Don't go overboard and look like a silly fucktard doing that 
Legs: Weeks 1 thru 3Lying leg curls - 1 warm up set for 25-30, then stretch hams, quads, and lower back, then x15-20, x12-15 ,x10-12, x8-10
Heel elevated squats- (get about a 24-36" piece of 1"x4" from HD or Lowe's or use 5lb plates), narrow-ish stance (I only do them this way as it minimizes glutes and maximizes quads)
"All out" to me means you're doing 12-20 or 8-15 for those 2 heavy sets. Unless you're a PL'er, or wanting knee/hip probs and/or injuries and surgeries stop doing anything below 6...trust an old guy here.
Sets: 135 x 25, 185 x 15, 225 x 10, 275 x 6-8, "all out sets" 315 x 15+, 405 x 10-12, 455 x 6-8......warm up with 185 would be dropped once I could get 315 for 8-12 consistently...change "all out" sets weights accordingly as you progress.
Hacks: Since you like them I'll keep them, but not in this workout rotation.(not a fan anymore, and they're kinda redundant when doing heels elevated squats too.... but if you're going to do them DO NOT go below parallel, risk to reward ratio going ass to ground is not in your favor)
45 degree leg press; set 1 x 25-30, set 2 x 20-25, set 3 x 15-20, set 4 x 12-15 ...45-60 seconds to catch breath while u strip off 1/2 total number of plates x 12-15, 60-90 seconds to catch breath while u strip off 1/2 total number of plates x 15-25, only the seconds it takes while u strip off all but 1-2 plates or just the sled x 50
Leg extensions: set 1 x 25-30, set 2 x 15-20, set 3 x 10-15....drop set reduce by 1/3 x 10-15..reduce by 1/3 x as many as you can get. Wait 90 seconds and do 50% of set 3 starting weight for as many reps as possible.
Leg day is done...sort of
Hamstrings Weeks 1 thru 3 (I do this after back or shoulders.):One legged curls x25-30, x15-20, x12-15, x8-12
Lying leg curls s.s. with stiff legged deads (2.5 or 5lb plates under all toes and ball of your foot's big toe)
x 15-20, x 12-15, x 8-12 first two are super setted immediately b2b. last set you do what you can on each exercise for 8-12, then a drop set with whatever you can for 12-20. (I switch the order for the last set to stiffs before leg curls
Now you've trained hams a bit w/Leg day, and hit them a 2nd day "on their own" while you're not dead ass tired from heavy leg push movements.
Legs Week 4-745 degree leg press; warm up set 1 x 75-100, warm up set 2 x50, see leg day weeks 1-3, and up your weights accordingly
Lying leg curls: see weeks 1-3
Hacks or seated leg press....feet 8-12"(at most) apart....knees DO NOT or barely go beyond your toes at bottom(pushing straight out while you're upright type leg press machine)
set 1 x20-25, set 2 x15-20, set 3 x12-15 ...45-60 seconds catch breath cut weight by 1/2 x 12-15, 60-90 seconds to catch breath x as many as possible.
Leg extensions: see weeks 1-3
go back to hacks or seated upright leg press. 50% of your heaviest set weight x as many as you can, drop 50% and do as many as you can.
Leg day is done
Hamstrings: Weeks 4-7Same as 1-3 except stiff leggeds are replaced by good mornings with toes only elevated on 2.5 or 5lb plates and heaviest set involves a weight you can do for 12-15
3 sets of some type of lunges s.s. with hip adductor sets of 12-20 for all.
***Note: if quads are a weaker area for you do leg extensions as a s.s. with lying leg curls weeks 1 thru 3 on hamstring day
You will grow, and get stronger...Promise
Train hard, and good luck!
