Legs - Hypertrophy Focus
(Week 8, Muscle Max Split)Day Overview
This session emphasizes high-volume hypertrophy for the legs, targeting all major muscles including quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. The workout begins with compound movements to maximize mechanical tension, followed by isolation exercises to enhance muscle detail and address weak points. The combination of heavy sets, controlled tempo, and advanced techniques like drop sets ensures maximal muscle recruitment and fatigue. The session is structured to push muscular growth while maintaining strict form and controlled intensity, aligning with the aggressive overload strategy of Week 8.
Exercises
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• Barbell Squats
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, positioning the barbell across your upper back and shoulders. Keep your chest up, core engaged, and back straight. Initiate the movement by hinging at the hips and bending the knees to lower your body as if sitting back into a chair. Keep your knees tracking over your toes and ensure your heels remain flat on the ground. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly below, then drive through your heels to return to the starting position. Maintain proper posture throughout, avoiding forward leaning or rounding the back. Use the Smith machine or power rack to guide the bar's movement, providing stability and safety during the squat.
Prescribed Sets:
Start with a warm-up set, then perform 4 working sets of 8-10 reps at an RPE of 8, aiming for near failure on the last reps. Focus on controlled descent and explosive drive upward. Use a high bar or low bar position based on comfort, ensuring full depth to maximize quad and glute engagement. This compound movement is essential for overall leg mass and strength development.
Working Sets:
4
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• Leg Press
Sit on the leg press machine and push the platform with your legs to extend your knees.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 4 sets of 10-12 reps with an RPE of 8. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, and push through the heels to emphasize the quads and glutes. Use a controlled tempo, especially on the eccentric phase, to increase time under tension. This movement allows for heavy loading with reduced lower back strain, complementing squats for overall hypertrophy.
Working Sets:
4
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• Romanian Deadlift
Focus on hamstring engagement by lowering the barbell with a slight knee bend while keeping the back straight.
Prescribed Sets:
Execute 3 sets of 8-10 reps at an RPE of 8. Focus on hip hinge mechanics, maintaining a neutral spine, and feeling the stretch in the hamstrings and glutes. Use a barbell or dumbbells, depending on preference. This exercise targets posterior chain development, crucial for balanced leg growth and addressing weak points in hamstring development.
Working Sets:
3
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• Walking Lunges
Begin by standing upright with feet hip-width apart. Step forward with your right foot, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about 90 degrees. Keep your torso upright and your front knee aligned over your ankle. Push through the heel of your front foot to stand up and bring your back foot forward into the next lunge position, stepping ahead into a new lunge. Continue alternating legs in a walking motion, maintaining proper form throughout. Keep your core engaged, shoulders back, and avoid letting your front knee go past your toes.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 12 steps per leg at an RPE of 8. Use dumbbells for added resistance. Maintain an upright torso and controlled pace to maximize glute and quad activation. This unilateral movement helps correct imbalances and enhances functional hypertrophy.
Working Sets:
3
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• seated leg curl
seated leg curl machine
Prescribed Sets:
Complete 3 sets of 12-15 reps with an RPE of 8. Focus on a slow, controlled eccentric and a strong contraction at the top. This isolates the hamstrings, helping to develop the posterior chain and improve overall leg aesthetics.
Working Sets:
3
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• Standing Toe Raise
Stand upright with feet hip-width apart, keeping your legs straight but not locked. Raise your heels off the ground by pushing through the balls of your feet, lifting your heels as high as possible while maintaining balance. Hold briefly at the top, then slowly lower your heels back to the starting position. Keep your core engaged and avoid using momentum; focus on controlled movement. To increase difficulty, perform on one foot or add resistance with a dumbbell or calf raise machine.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 4 sets of 15-20 reps at an RPE of 8. Pause briefly at the top for maximal contraction, then lower slowly. Use a full range of motion to stimulate calf hypertrophy, which is often a weak point for advanced lifters.
Working Sets:
4
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• seated calf raise
seated calf raise machine
Prescribed Sets:
Execute 4 sets of 15-20 reps with an RPE of 8. Focus on a slow eccentric and a strong squeeze at the top. This targets the soleus muscle, complementing the standing calf raises for complete calf development.
Working Sets:
4
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• Glute Kickback Machine
To perform the glute kickback on the machine, start by adjusting the machine to fit your height. Position yourself facing the machine with your knees on the padded platform and your feet resting on the footrest. Secure your knees under the padded lever. Begin the exercise by extending one leg straight back, keeping your knee slightly bent and your foot flexed. Focus on squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. Slowly return to the starting position without letting the weight rest completely. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before switching to the other leg. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement and avoid arching your back.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 12 reps per leg at an RPE of 8. Emphasize a controlled movement, squeezing the glute at the top. This isolates the glutes to address weak points and improve overall leg aesthetics and strength.
Working Sets:
3