I vary my leg workouts a lot. My exercises will include lunge variations (reverse lunges, static lunge, bulgarian squat), light dumbell squat variations (sumo squat holding a 50lbs dumbell, dumbell "squats" holding 30s), leg press, and various hamstring exercises such as leg curls, swiss ball leg curls, back extensions. With the exception of the leg press, my leg work is high rep-- 20-30 reps. On leg press and occasional leg extension I will do sets of 10-15. I will sometimes add in some plyo.Oscar_Actuary wrote:Drake,
What exercises do you do for your legs now?
An example leg workout:
Static DB lunge supersetted with unweighted plyo lunge x 2.
Sumo DB squat supersetted with unweighted plyo sumo squat x 2.
Swiss Ball Leg curl supersetted with one legged unweighted romanian deadlift x 1 each leg.
Leg press x 1-2.
Calf raises x 1-2.
Here's a quickie I've been doing lately that has been great (sets don't include warm ups). I've been enjoying doing some machines lately. It's a nice change from the mostly free weights I usually do, and the machines allow me to use heavier loads on my legs. I've found that altnernating these type of workouts works well (heavier machine based workouts with lighter free weights workouts like above). I don't have any set alternating schedule. I train instinctively.
Barbell reverse Lunge x 1 (10-15 reps)
Leg Press x 1 (10-15)
Leg Extension x 1 (10-15)
Leg Curl x 1 (10-15)
Calf raises x 1 (20)
When I gave up heavy back and front squats I was really worried about losing mass. Especially coming from a bodybuilding background. I haven't lost any leg mass or function in eight years of training with pretty light weights. I think this is partly because legs tend to respond well to lighter weights and even high reps, and legs get a lot of exercise through activities if you are active, such as biking, running, and even walking. I've known a lot of people over the years who don't work legs in the gym at all, but have awesome legs from their recreational life of wake boarding, biking, running etc... I hike a great deal, and believe that my hikes probably are the most "functional" and productive workouts I do for legs. I used to mountain bike a lot, and would drop leg training during the summer months when I was biking 5 days a week. I say this because there are a lot of people who injure themselves with heavy squats and deadlifts, and when that happens, those people (I've been one of them) will wish they could take back every rep of every squat they did.
Peace