I've been lurking here for a while now. You gals sure are a wonderful bunch!
Anyway, just wondering if you all can share your LB routines? I've only started seriously training my LB recently and thought you can give me some inspiration.
I switch around my workouts every 4 weeks, and go back and forth between free weights workouts and machine workouts. This four week cycle I'm on free weights for my LBWO.
I also follow the BFL pyramid sets.
This cycle I'm doing:
- squats (learning how to do full squats off the cage, not using the Smith machine)
-barbell deadlifts/lying leg curls for hams
-calf machine/barbell incline calf lifts (I hate loading the seated calf machine so use the standing calf machine)
-plus abs (currently using big ball)
started out with 9 leg press sets, changing foot positions:
Feet low and close together on platform - 3 x 12,10,15
Feet high and shoulder width - 3 x 12,10,15
Feet medium and wide apart with toes out - 3 x 12,10,15
Shoulder-width squats - 3 x 12,10,12
Lunges - 5 x 20 with 3 minutes cardio on stairclimber between sets
Standing Calf raises - 3 x 20,15,12
Reverse Calf raises with bodyweight only - 3 x 30,25,20
Leg day is my favorite too. Here's what I did yesterday, which is my typical Monday routine. (I'm all messed up on days this week cause of the bathroom reno's.). I try to target 2 exercises for glutes, 2 for quads and 2 for hamstrings on leg day, while mixing up the actual exercises each week.
Smith Machine Squats - 3x12, shoulder width stance. I increase the weight each set. If I still get 12 reps, I increase again for the 3rd set. If I get 3x12, next week I start higher. If I can't do 8 on the second, I drop the weight. If I can get at least 10 on the second set, I'll still increase the 3rd set
Reverse Lunges, alternating legs 3x12 (same idea for the weights as squats) Sometimes I do these with the Smith machine, sometimes with dumbbells. I lose my balance with these with a barbell. With dumbbells I'll sometimes switch to forward lunges or walking lunges (if the gym is empty). With the Smith machine or the barbell, I'll sometimes go for a static lunges.
Airplane Glutes 3x12 for each leg, but I'll do a set right, then left then increase the weight. These are killers on the glutes. I unrack the Smith bar, take a step BACK with the WORKING leg. The non working leg gets lifted behind me. Then I'm doing a one-legged squat on the working leg. The bar is really across my back, not on my shoulders, so that I resemble an airplane. It doesn't take much weight to really feel these.
Plie Squats - usually with one big dumbbell, sometimes in the smith machine (wide stance, toes pointed to the sides). 3x12
Straight-leg deadlifts or good mornings 3x12, Lying leg curls 3x12.
My mini workout on Thursday is usually with the cuffs and the cable pulley. I'll superset standing leg curls, straight-leg kick backs, inner thigh kicks, outer thigh kicks, alternating legs for 3x12.
Some days I'll go for the leg press instead of the squats, or the lunges. Very rarely will I go for the leg extensions. Depends on what equipment is empty when I get there, and what really grabs me that day. Airplane glutes are my new favorite exercise so I do them each week. We also have a multi-hip station machine that I'll use on Thursday instead of the cuff/cable thing.
I do calves with abs. We don't have any equipment for that, so I usally take dumbbells and just to standing raises off a step, or even just off the floor, if the step isn't stable.
I started doing half-squats on the smith machine, hamstring curls and calf raises a few weeks back and was tired of the same exercises, so I wanted to spice things up a little.
I'm thinking of graduating to using the cage as well but I get a bit worried because I work out alone and would probably need a spotter when using the cage for the first time...
I also started doing deadlifts today but the strange thing is that I don't really feel a burn in my hamstrings or glutes. I thought I had put too little weight on the bar but I found that even though I don't feel the burn in my legs, my grip went before I stacked a little more than 6.5kg(about 14.3lbs) on each side.
Does anyone else have back pain when doing the standing calf raise machine? I feel like my spine is being crunched together when I do them. The BRx book says to do them at a weight that makes me unable to finish the last rep of the 5 set, but my back hurts so much after each one that I am afraid to take the weight higher than where I have it.
My favorite areas would be chest/biceps/triceps. I do like legs too, but I can't seem get those worked out right. Not as sore as my upper body!! Which actually leads to a question......
As some of you know, I have achilles tendonitis, which makes it near impossible for me to do calves - it inflames them and makes them even more sore. SO, I am looking for different leg exercises to do instead. I was looking at the EXRX website, and though maybe lunges and/or squats?
Also for abs.....is there any reason we shouldn't use weights? I like this one ab machine at my gym that uses them.
tikanique - I read somewhere years ago that the standing calf raise is not good for some ppl, for just that reason it squishes the spine... so if you have pain... DON'T DO IT... find an alternate... http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/ ...... here's a link to a bunch of calf exercises....got to the top of the page to the EXERCISE tab and then go down to calf exercises....
Robin -- don't be shy to ADD weights on that ab machine... I'm not familiar at all with your condition, but go with trial and error... but always remember to stretch before and after your exercises, specially your calves if that's where your problem lies...
Just curious, how far do you go down on your squats? When I started lifting, I followed Mistress Kristas examples and go to a full squat. When I got the BFL book, he reccomends only going until quads are parellel to the floor.
I like to do them to a full squat position, I feel this hits my hams and glutes as well as quads. Plus, it's more fun that way. I know there is no right or wrong, but I'd love to hear opinions on both ways
Also, I just want to say, I love deadlifting! I really do! I can't wait until I feel strong enought to do it with the olympic bar. Right now I do it with a curl bar I'm up to 40lbs, the olympic bar is 45 right? Soon!
Thought I'd add the LBWO I did yesterday, even thought I'm a newbie.
DB Squats - 12-10-8
Deadlift-12-12-10 (first set was a warmup, still learning good starting weights)
SL Deadlift -10-8
DB calf raises 12-12
verna
Last edited by mixerchick; 06-08-2003 at 03:59 PM.
LB Routines
Here's what I did yesterday, which is my typical Monday routine. (I'm all messed up on days this week cause of the bathroom reno's.). I try to target 2 exercises for glutes, 2 for quads and 2 for hamstrings on leg day, while mixing up the actual exercises each week.
