Courtney's Log

[Dirk Howat]

Leg day modifications:

Super sets

I do this after phase II.

But you may do it all the time. Supersets enable you to further focus and priortize muscle development.

I am a guy so I have my shit down and am going for a different look.

I might reccomend for a chick


1. Leg extension. They build your quad perfect symetrically because think: how do you flex your muscle? Just as a leg extension. Therefore, it is the number one quad exercise.

I would seriously only do this and after a set do some lungs. High rep lungs would work your slow twitch muscle fibers.

If you lower quads are sub par, try Hack squats. Try different leg placement inorder to determin what you are building, working. This is the top leg exercise because it builds my lower quads w/o building my glutes. I use a seperate glute machine for them.


I would 86 everything else. The leg press machine is a macro movement which works your hamstrings as well. IMO, if your legs do not look good from the side, besides doing leg curls, you may want to add leg press sets.

I actually work hamstrings with quads. If your hamstrings are weaker or you want to build them up first, start with the hamstring exercises.


I use Westside powerlifting techniques. If you use those techniques for a chick do more Speed days instead of Power days if you want to keep the mass down.

Power Day

Leg Extensions
5 reps
2 reps
2 reps
2 reps
2 reps
1 rep
1 rep until you hit failure, you may want to get up to partials.
Gradually build the weight up until you hit failure

Same style with Lunges. If your lower quads are weak, or just try out different foot placements, low, wide, high, narrow, and if you find a placement that hits your legs exactly like you want to, add in Hack Squats with the same set style.

So you superset the most import exercise first, with the second best exercise. The next time you work your legs, you may feel that Hack Squats or Lunges is more important, i.e. you want to hit that part of your quads, you then do that exercise first.

Example:
Week 1:
Leg Extensions/Lunges

Week 2: You feel that you need more mass so:
Hack Squats/Leg Extensions

Week 3: You think that your legs are getting to big:
Lunges/Leg Extensions.


This is the basic principle of my bodybuilding system.

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[courtneybcca]

hmmm.... right now I am doing a two day split.. One day upper super sets and the other is a lower did you read that?

 

[The Shadow]

hmmm.... right now I am doing a two day split.. One day upper super sets and the other is a lower did you read that?

LMAO

 

[Dirk Howat]

hmmm.... right now I am doing a two day split.. One day upper super sets and the other is a lower did you read that?




I kind of got the idea you had some kind of split going.


How many days do you rest per week?

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[courtneybcca]

I am guessing you have not read the other part of the thread... I just got clearance to work out again on tuesday. I worked out this week tuesday-friday.. next week I will rotate my workouts upper and lower monday thru friday

 

[Dirk Howat]

For example you want to build strength and muscle density.
Here is an example of a ME (maximum exertion) day to build strength.



Leg Extensions
5 reps
Hack Squat
5 reps

Leg Extensions
2 reps
Hack Squat
2 reps

Leg Extensions
2 reps
Hack Squat
2 reps


When you start to feel fatigued or begining to have problems lifting it, do one rep.

Leg Extensions
1 rep
Hack Squat
1 rep


Leg Extensions
1 rep
Hack Squat
1 rep


Never use a fast number of set rule. Use the instinctive principle but as a rule work up to about 6 to 8 sets. They do quicks.

You have done quads. Time to do Hamstrings. From a symetrical standpoint, if you want to bring up your hamstrings, do this routine first:


Leg Curl (Standing Preferably because it isolates your hamstrings better. The leg curl is the best and really only hamstring exercise. How do you flex your hamstring? The exercise that best mimicks how you flex your muscle is the best exercise if you want to build a certain muscle, which enables you to best build your body as you designed it, or thought it up, i.e. your proto type.)

Stiff Legged Deadlifts
A good macromovement which if you want to go for more strength, you would fist do this exercise, but it works your glutes and lower back, calfs, thus I would do it if your hamstrings are too big for your glutes, this would even out your glute and hamstring balance.)

Leg curl
5 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
5 reps

Leg curl
2 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
2 reps

Leg curl
1 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1 reps

Leg curl
1 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1reps

Leg curl
1 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1reps



The ME leg day builds your fast muscle fibers and strength which will give you dense and hard muscle. The exercises and how you priortize them in your workout determines how your muscles will grow.

When your legs are tired or too big, then use Speed Day to build slow twitch fibers, this will loosen up your muscles, having more blood to flow in them and aid in their recovery. I use Speed day as a rest day.

.

 

[Dirk Howat]

I would determine wheither your upper body needs work compared to your lower body. I would not work out your upper and lower body using the same frequency. Once you determine what you need to bring up, develope your routine on that, and when the way your body looks, change the ratios.

Lets say you are happy with you upper body verses lower body symetry, I would workout 4 days a week. If you do not want to workout on the weekend, something like this would work. Lets say you want to build up your upperbody more then your lower body:

Week 1
Monday - Upperbody Strength Day
Tuesday - Lowerbody Speed Day (does not really tax your system)
Wednsday - Upperbody Speed Day
Thursday - Lowerbody Strength Day
Friday - Upperbody Speed Day

Saturday - rest
Sunday - rest


In reality, what I do is deternmin how my muscles feel. Lets say you want to priortize your upperbody and it feels fresh, do Strength Day upperbody.
If you are relatively happy with your lower legs, and they are fresh, and you want to bring up your hamstrings, priortize hamstrings then quads and do a Strength Day leg workout the following day.

The next day, if you feel tired. Rest and do not go to the gym.
The following day, if you feel that both your upper and lower body feels good but a little too tired, do Speed Day on your upperbody if that is your weakpoint.

Next day, if your legs are fresh, and your believe your legs are not too big, do Strength Day for legs.

_________

Basically, each day you determine what would be best to build your body according to your prototype. With only a 2 day split, you do not have much choice. I use a 4 way split :

Priotized:
Back/Biceps
Chest/Triceps
Shoulders/Lats
Quads/Hamstrings

These are Phase I exercises which I do not superset.
Phase II in the workout I superset level III exercises with my subsiderary muscles groups.
Abs
Calves
Glutes

For example in Phase II

On Back Day, it is:

Seated Concentration Bicep Curl supersetted with Weighted Ab Crunchs.
In order to determine which subsiderary muscle to use in Phase II, again, weak point evaluation.


In the end, everything changes day to day depending on my weak points and priortization.

I generally only use Speed Day as a quasi rest day, where my muscle are tired, but not fatiqued and my neurological system is good compared to the option of a rest day.

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[Dirk Howat]

Speed Day Leg Workout. Function to build different muscle fibers, build explosive power, aid in blood flow and muscle recovery.

Do when your body is tired not not over taxed. If that was the case, rest day. An example of a Speed Day Leg Workout:


Lets say you feel your legs are getting to big.


Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps

Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps

Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps

Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps

Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps

Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps

Barbell Lunges
2 reps
Leg Extension
2 reps



A rep is using perfect form, going from point A to point B as fast as possible. You are working on explosive power. You are using around 60 percent of your maximum weight level. Never use a fast rule. Use the instinctive principle to determine the weight levels. You do not want the tension to be very heavy, just heavy enough when you move the weight as fast as possible from point A to point B, there is sufficent resistence. It should be hard, not easy, but not repping out hard. You are building explosive power. This method makes blood flow into your muscles, and aids in recovery and also builds a different set of muscle fibers.

To aid in recovery, I actually use Active Release Therapy to loosen my muscles but more salient, loosen the scar tissue on your ligiments which are on your ligaments. You want to destroy the scar tissue to prevent injury.

I do ART after every workout.

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[courtneybcca]

mkay......

630pm
Sushii.. I know I didn't eat enough today...

800 pm
coffee


730am
3/4 cup of oatmeal 225C
1 tbsp soy nut butter 90C
1 scoop choc protein 100C
Vitamins
Greens

 

[*Bunny*]

Wow that 'owned' crap really messes with my eyes for some reason