Legs day gets a lot of bad rep for being the least enjoyable day at the gym and it’s something that an awful lot of people are quite happy to just skip on. As we all know though, this is a massive mistake. The legs are the biggest muscle group in the body blah-blah-blah…
It’s a workout that targets the legs but also makes it a fun challenge. There’s not a boring regular squat or deadlift insight – it’s all unique and challenging stuff that will get your blood and testosterone pumping. Give it a go!
Leg Extension with Rest-Pause
We’ll be starting with an isolation movement in order to get a bit of a pre-exhaust going for the upcoming compound stuff. Get on the leg extension machine and make sure to include a rest: pause in your sets. This means that you’re stopping for a fraction of a second and letting the weight rest, before lifting it again.
This is a technique often used on the bench press and it’s a great way to make any lift harder because it removes the natural reflex and elasticity of the muscle and takes away the momentum. It’s like starting an engine from the cold every time – it requires more fuel!
Single-Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift
Deadlifts are for wusses! This is a single-leg deadlift with a dumbbell and you’re going to be keeping that leg stiff the entire time. You’ll feel this all across the back of your leg and it requires a fair amount of balance too. You can let your free leg go up behind you as a counterbalance.
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
Here’s another one you may not have tried: the dumbbell Bulgarian split squat. This means you’re putting one foot up on a bench behind you and having the other one slightly forward. Now you’re going to effectively do a single-legged squat that will look a lot more like a lunge. It’s essentially like performing a one-legged squat with dumbbells with less chance of falling flat on your face.
Weighted Dumbbell Step Ups, Superset With Dumbbell Lunges
Step-ups are awesome for building explosive, plyometric power in the legs. If you want to be able to run fast, change direction quickly and jump high (and you do) then this is the kind of power you need to be building. Add weights to make this even harder, so you can jump super high when you lose them (like Piccolo!).
Superset immediately with some dumbbell lunges, which will amount to a mechanical drop set.
Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl
We’re bookending this workout with isolation movements. Only this one won’t be using a machine. Instead, lie flat on your back and rest your feet on a medicine ball, then curl your hamstrings to roll the ball toward your buttocks. It’s harder than it sounds, despite the lack of weight.
Hopefully, this workout will serve to prove that leg workouts don’t have to be boring! And often it’s the more creative routines that get the best burn. Shock those muscles into growth!
