Leg Day

Man, what a pump! I only had 45 minutes today before my gym closed to get my leg workout in. My gym normally closes at 7 PM on Saturday but I thought it was Friday. I've been losing track of what day it is since everyday for me has been SSDD since winter break started. Anyways, I forgot how great it felt to finish your leg workout wearing a sweat drenched shirt while trying to catch your breath and the pain of having to walk up and down stairs afterwards.

Here was my workout routine:

Warmed up for about 10 minutes. This consisted of stretching, stretching and more stretching. I did a little bit of bodyweight squats to get the blood flowing. I suggest to warm up before lifting, especially when lifting heavy. With a leg workout you can do what I did or you can simply hop onto a stationary bike and pedal for about 10 minutes.

Exercise # 1: SQUATS!

Yes. I capitalized and bolded the word squats because it is an exercise that I cannot stress enough. Trying to put on mass? Squat. Trying to drop overall body fat? Squat. Trying to increase your vertical? Squat. Trying to strengthen your core? Squat. You want to know the cure for cancer? Squat. Okay, maybe not. But you get the point.

One thing I want to input is that don't be afraid to squat heavy. All those rumors you heard aren't true. "Oh, squatting can stunt your growth! Don't do it!" False. Next time you hear someone saying that please ask them where the hell did you come up with that? Do you have evidence to back that up? Okay, here is a little anatomy 101. There are three parts to a bone, the epiphysis, diaphysis and metaphysis. The epiphyses are at the ends of the bone while the diaphysis is the middle part. The metaphysis is between the two. The growth happens because of ossification (solidification of the bone) of the growth plates that are located in the metaphysis. With that said, squatting WILL NOT stunt your growth or damage your growth plates. The only thing that would prevent you from growing is not eating.

Exercise # 2: Leg press.

This gets tiring especially after heavy squatting. Push through it and push yourself to your limit. After the last set of my leg presses, I could barely walk or stand without my legs quivering like a little bitch and that is a good thing. "Never settle for less than your best!" Its a corny line but abide by it and use it as your workout motto.

One thing I want to say is that remember to push through with your heels for both your leg presses and your squats for the correct form.

Exercise # 3: Circuit between hamstring curls, leg extensions and calf raises.

Since I was pressed for time, I had to make my last few exercises into a circuit with no rest in between each machine. Basically I was supersetting all three exercises. One thing I do realize and I'm not afraid to admit is that I have small calves. I do not have chicken legs nor am I anywhere close to that but my calves just don't seem up to par with the rest of my legs. I know for a fact that I should next time do more calf exercises. I just didn't have time, sadly.

This concludes my workout.

Need more advice with leg workouts? Hanh and Frank, youtubers, have great workout videos that pertain to working out your legs.

Here is Hanh's leg workout video: