I've been with my personal trainer for two sessions now. The 1st session my arms were so sore for a long time! I might have actually over done it, but my legs were not at all. I did my second session with her yesterday. I think she's doing good for my arms, but my legs are really strong, like freaky strong!

She has me doing the following for legs-

2 sets of 25 both legs lunges with 30 lb total
2 sets of 15 both legs of step ups
2 sets of 1 1/2 min of wall squats
4 sets of 25 calf raises with total of 40 pounds total
2 sets of 25 squats with 30 pounds total

I'm never sore with my legs and they are solid muscle. I easily ride 20 miles on my bike. Last time I did a leg press it was 475. I don't have access to a leg press right now.

Is there anything I can do to actually make my legs stronger or do I need to?

have you got a seated leg raise machine? if so try doing it with one leg thats what i do.

other than that standard squats with a barbell on your shoulders

Do you have resistance bands?

I work out with a physical therapist. My legs were sore this morning and I forgot I had my appt yesterday.

My workout included
-Lunges

-Squats

-1 leg press on my side on a sled (ie instead of being on my back with 2 legs, I was on my side with 1 leg)

-45 degree leg lifts standing on a box with resistance band (ie stand up, keep leg straight, lift leg 45 degrees out, resistance band at ankle)

-Knee ups with resistance band (face away from where band is tied and bring knee up, resistance band at ankle)

-Squatted crab walks with resistance band at ankle (basically you put a resistance band around your ankle where you feel tension just standing normally, you squat down and you move across the room, moving your legs to the side)

-Penguin walks with resistance band at ankle (same resistance band above. You quasi squat down and make large exaggerated steps, lifting your leg forward and to the side)

-Standing side leg lifts with resistance band at ankle (again same resistance band as above, standing up, you lift your leg straight out to the side)

-1 leg squat on bosu for 1 minute (Stand on a bosu with 1 leg, other leg out in front, squat down to about a 45 degree angle and balance for a minute) This one also needs to be performed at the very end of your workout.

Looking for some great leg moves? Here are some of my favorites. The split squats in the last link I usually do with the bar on my back instead of the front. (aka back squat style)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=admNiZD09sY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1l4I...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miAKO...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSSHuGWEO5g

Oh, and don't forget the ever wonderful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czf-1snzG2c

These curls usually kill my calves. Seriously, if they begin to cramp up stop immediately and massage them out. I've given myself an embarrassing charlie horse doing these and left the gym limping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUvnc...eature=related

A lot of us are particularly fond of the Swiss Ball Jack Knife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y03dkaK1O0

Ha! jackknifes on the ball are I tell you! This one is more what NRLW describes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ScHNBbhTZ4

I note that none of the videos showing the people getting into position however! I can actually do them once I get in position, but that's so awkward I usually give up and do crunches.

2 questions I would have for your trainer. Why the ultra high reps? You don't need to build endurance as your 20 mile bike rides show you have that quality.

Second question: Why does she have you using the same weight for both lunges and squats?

Was this designed as a recovery workout to just pump blood into the muscles?

If you are looking to get stronger, I'd recommend adding sets/dropping reps and going heavier on the weights particularly the squats. I'd also add some heavy deadlift variations.

Why are you looking here to second-guess your trainer? If you don't buy into what your trainer is doing, why are you continuing to employ him or her?

I think lots of us come here for the same reasons...second opinions, more ideas, support, information. As you can see, there's been lots of good ideas and suggestions here so far and I would venture to say that it may be too soon to decide whether or not it's a good fit with the trainer. Maybe her goals weren't clear, maybe they're still getting to know each other. Maybe it is a bad fit, but looking to gain more information is why I often visit here. This place is a fountain of knowledge and I love it!

I'm not questioning the quality of the responses the OP got-- it's the idea that she's paying for someone's expertise and apparently doesn't quite trust what she's paying for, you know?

But that is a very valid problem- I've watched certified trainers put people through totally useless workouts without listening to them. I've also watched great trainers create great workouts for teir clients' individual needs. And trainers who would be great for a person with a particular set of goals fail a client with different goals abysmally.

I don't see any problem with getting feedback, then talking to her trainer. If I'd missed the boat with a client's expectations, I would hope that he/she came back to me and asked WHY I was using a particular method of training.

Mel

I have to agree that the weights and reps on the squats really don't seem to meet your interest in gaining strength. One of the best overall moves for the development of leg strength is the squat. If you have some core strength and stability tell the trainer to teach you how to do a back squat with a free bar/Olympic bar.

I have found that squatting with a bar is a very different experience than holding two dumb bells at my side. Your goal should not be high reps with these. If you are working on strength, you should load it up so that you find yourself close to failure around seven reps.

This article details the reason for this pretty well:

http://www.ironmagazine.com/article196.html

My other favorite is still the deadlift. It complements the back squat fairly well. Anyway, just some things to think about. The more informed you are going into your sessions the easier it may be to relate your goals with your trainer. Good luck!

Thank you all for your input. I have only worked out with her twice. Today will be my third time. I've never had a personal trainer before and wasn't sure what to expect.

The first time we worked out she didn't realize my legs were so strong. The second time she did up it but still wasn't quite sure. When I told her that I can do a leg press of 500 lb that got her attention. I have been giving her feedback about my soreness. I told her that my arms were sore but not my legs. She said that I may not be sore but she's going to make sure we isolate my legs more. The time that I feel the most with my legs are wall squats.

I will see how today goes with her. I really like her and I think we're just in the get to know you stage right now.