Back On Track With Bodybuilding

[BlondBomber]

My efforts to return to the world of powerlifting have failed. I guess trying something different cab be good because it will show you that the grass is not greener, and that what you were doing, is what you want to do.

Today: Quads/Hams

1. long seat leg extensions
5platesx15
5platesx15
10platesx10
12platesx10

2. leg press
450x10
540x10

3. hack squats
180x10
270x10

4. short seat leg extensions
8platesx10
10platesx10

5. lying leg curls
3platesx15
5platesx10
7platesx10

6. one-leg curls
30x10
30x10

7. snatch-grip stiff-legged deadlifts
135x10
225x10 (straps)

Putting leg extensions as my first exercise was hard on my knees. I am going to squat again next week, I just wanted to try something different today.

 

[HodgeMN]

Seems like alot of volume to me. My leg day is:

Squats 5x5
Stiff legged deads
calf raises
lunges

I do deadlifts on back day. As for extensions, those never seemed to do much for me.........

 

[musketeer]

My last leg workout: (I'm slowly fixing my knees so not my best):

15 mins jog
10 mins cross trainer

Squat (ATF):
10 x bodyweight only
10 x bar
10 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 225
3 x 275
52 x 135

10 mins upright stationary bike

15 mins stretching

 

[kiosk]

52 x 135

forgive me, by why you jump to 52 reps like that?

 

[musketeer]

U R forgiven! Yeah it was kinda wierd - it was me knees that were killing me with 275lbs NOT the muscles, so I decided to do one set to failure with 135. My best is 75 reps - no locking the knees at the top and going all of the way down and not stopping. Did that on Wed - its Sat now, and my legs are still canning me!

 

[BlondBomber]

Seems like alot of volume to me. My leg day is:

Squats 5x5
Stiff legged deads
calf raises
lunges

I do deadlifts on back day. As for extensions, those never seemed to do much for me.........

A lot of volume, really? I went back to low-volume, heavy-duty training, so I cut down the volume a lot. I count the first two sets of leg extensions as warm-ups, the same goes for the first set of leg curls, so that would mean I hit 8 working sets for quads and 6 working sets for hams.
Do you think that is a lot?
I see that you are a member of the 5x5 Madcow camp, so maybe it would be a lot using that routine as a reference point?

 

[BlondBomber]

My last leg workout: (I'm slowly fixing my knees so not my best):

15 mins jog
10 mins cross trainer

Squat (ATF):
10 x bodyweight only
10 x bar
10 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 225
3 x 275
52 x 135

10 mins upright stationary bike

15 mins stretching

I warmed-up on the bike for 5 minutes, and I have started to stretch, so I can feel you there.
Why do you only do squats? Do other leg exercises, i.e. leg press, hack squats, leg ext., etc., hurt your knees?
I have heard that leg extensions are suppossed to be way worse for your knees than squats, do you know anything about this?

 

[Guinness5.0]

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I have heard that leg extensions are suppossed to be way worse for your knees than squats, do you know anything about this?

I've heard this from physical therapists (yes more than one) and it has to do with the strain on one of the main ligaments/tendons in the knee (I forget which one but I want to say it's the patellar tendon).

 

[musketeer]

I warmed-up on the bike for 5 minutes, and I have started to stretch, so I can feel you there.
Why do you only do squats? Do other leg exercises, i.e. leg press, hack squats, leg ext., etc., hurt your knees?
I have heard that leg extensions are suppossed to be way worse for your knees than squats, do you know anything about this?

Oh yeah buddy! I USED to be the king of leg extensions. At 15 years old I did them like a fiend 3 x a week and built remarkable quads with just that one exercise! Then I got injured, and I don't dare do them again because the next day my patellar tendon will be SO inflamed. I'm doing a back to basics type program, and using essentially only these 8 movements:

Squat
Dead
Low Incline Bench
Dip
Chin
Push Press
Barbel Row
Cross Bench Pullover
(+3 types of calf press)

I hae found that if I go real hard on the squat and deads, then I do not need additional leg work - I run and swim too! Any thing extra is just going to drain me and actually reduce the effectiveness of my program. I'm getting over a double knee injury, so my pundages are crap a the moment, but I'm making terrific progress, and I want to stay away from machines in the future as they do not encourage health joint fuction (I believe).

 

[BlondBomber]

I've heard this from physical therapists (yes more than one) and it has to do with the strain on one of the main ligaments/tendons in the knee (I forget which one but I want to say it's the patellar tendon).

That sounds like what I heard.
I think that I will only use them as a finishing/pumping exercise, once my knees are all ready warmed-up.