Example of Leg Day Work Out

So we talk a lot about what types of fuel you should use to best serve your body’s needs, but we haven’t talked a lot about different types of energy expenditure. Occasionally people will ask me about specific body parts or want work out advice, and the best thing I can suggest to people is to create variety. You always want to introduce new challenges to your body to promote change. Additionally, different types of intensity of work outs will change your fuel requirements, so always listen to your body and feed the machine.

Yesterday was an awesome leg work out so I want to share my success with you all. In regards to food, I ate approximately 1,400 calories which included an additional small nighttime snack to balance out my heavy energy output earlier in the evening. This snack was comprised of one honey almond meal biscuit and about 2oz of chicken. Remember to eat protein at night, and avoid the carbs! I also have to admit that when I got off work yesterday I was not in the mood to go to the gym. I wanted nothing more than to do home, cuddle up on the couch with my puppy, and snooze. So before I headed to the gym I decided that this work out would be about variety, and incorporating non-traditional exercises. I found myself inspired, challenged and extremely pumped up once I got going in the gym. Changing up the weight, reps and types of movements I was doing really put life back into my evening work out. I left feeling pumped up, and now today feeling extremely toned and sore!

*Note if you’d like a reference to what these exercises are please visit www.bodybuilding.com and watch tutorials.

LEG DAY:

Super set 1:
Pike Squat or “Ass-to-Grass” Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps.
Calf raises: 3 sets of 15-20 (changing feet facing in or out after each set)
Roman Chair or Leg Raises

Super set 2:
Kettle ball, single leg deadlift: 3 sets of 15
Wide leg, toes out, deep squats: 3 sets of 15, plus 5 pulsing mini squats at the end of each set
Barbell Step-ups: 3 sets of 8 per leg
Oblique standing crunch: 3 sets of 15

Super set 3:
Hamstring curls: 3 sets of 10, and then 4th set using a slightly lighter weight do 12 reps
Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 10, and then 4th set using a slightly heavier weight do 6 reps
Seated calf raises: 3 sets of 20

Super set 4:
Lunges with weighted barbell: 3 sets of 20
Stiff leg dead lifts: 3 sets of 15 (I do these with the same barbell used for lunges, that’s why I group them together)
Leg raises: 3 sets of 15-20 (put a small weight between your feet if you can. I use 5-7lbs)

Also, at any point when I was feeling fatigued or my muscles needed a few extra moments to recover, I used active rest moments to keep my heart rate up, but not faint from over exerting my muscles. You can jump rope, hop in place, do jumping jacks, high knees, mountain climbers, or jog in place. If you have extra time I usually try to intermix my abdominal workouts in between these supersets. I hate doing multiple abdominal exercises in a row, or doing them all on one day, so I spread the torture throughout the week to make it do-able!