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John Fury Threatens Jake Paul, Wants Tommy Fury Bout Scheduled For March
John Fury did not mince words when discussing Jake Paul taking on his son.
Jake Paul is one of the biggest and most controversial names in boxing right now. Paul made the transition from YouTube sensation to boxing and has not lost a match just yet. As he continues to take steps up in competition, there is even more attention being brought to the sport. Paul knows how to push buttons on social media and he has done this once again after Tommy Fury backed out of their scheduled fight.
Fury was forced to remove himself from the bout after suffering an injury. Paul quickly took to Instagram to discuss how Fury was afraid of the challenge. Now, Paul will have a rematch with Tyron Woodley on Saturday.
Since then, John Fury has called out Paul. Fury, who is the father of Tommy and Tyson Fury, demanded that Paul take on Tommy or he will handle the situation himself.
“I’ll tell you what Jake Paul, if you any kind of man at all mate, let’s renegotiate this fight for March. Or I will come to America and I’ll give you and your brother a good hiding. I’ll slap the pair of you with the back of my hand,” John Fury said.
“He’s used the Fury name though, hasn’t he? But good luck to him, you know, luck was with him. The cards fell his way. It was unfortunate for us. We can deal with misfortune. I’ve had misfortune most of my life. Like I said to Tommy, I said pick your head up son, I’ve been unfortunate most of my life… We don’t value Jake Paul, or his brother, or any fighter in the world. This is what we do. It’s a business. In his heart he knows the truth. He’s sucked the life out the Fury name for three months. He’s had his money’s worth.”
It is clear that John Fury was unhappy with the way Jake Paul was using his family’s name. Paul has also made comments that Tyson could be partially to blame for Tommy Fury’s injury because of training methods. In reality, Fury has been dealing with a bacterial chest infection after suffering broken ribs.
Jake Paul has not been shy about getting in the ring with anyone. Right now, he is the hot ticket for any boxer looking to take him on for any reason — whether it is personal or financial. Now, this storyline between Tommy Fury and Jake Paul is continuing to grow. There are now some personal reasons that the two might want to meet and it is something we could see happen in 2022.
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The Most Dangerous Substances In Bodybuilding Today According To Dr. Testosterone
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Dr. Testosterone breaks down the absolute most dangerous substances used in bodybuilding today.
For almost as long as modern bodybuilding has existed, there has been an ongoing conversation about substance use in the sport. It’s widely known that many competitors use steroids and other PEDs to enhance performance. What seems to be further up for debate is just how dangerous these substances really are. But beyond the standard set of steroids, bodybuilding as a whole has engaged with other substances such as insulin, diuretics, and stimulants. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Dr. Testosterone details the truly most dangerous substances used in bodybuilding today.
There is no doubt that steroids and similar PEDs can lead to health issues in the long term. It’s the kind of risk that many competitive bodybuilders are willing to take to achieve a new level of greatness. While we don’t want to diminish the possible ramifications of steroids, there are far more dangerous drugs used in the sport as well. That’s why we turned to Dr. Testosterone to find out more clearly which substances are the most dangerous and what kind of effects they can have on athletes.
When asked the question, Dr. Testosterone doesn’t even pause to think. Diuretics, stimulants, and insulin are far and above the most dangerous substances used in bodybuilding today. The doctor has spoken previously with us about the ramifications of diuretics in a previous segment. He’s also gone into detail about the dangers of insulin. So in this segment Dr. Testosterone dives headfirst into stimulants, how they are used in bodybuilding, and why they are so dangerous.
While not as common as other substances, bodybuilders use stimulants to help burn fat. But the problem with stimulants is that they are essentially a direct poison to the body. Looking past the detailed medical and scientific explanations of what happens to the body – the short answer is that stimulant abuse can lead to a stroke. While not always fatal, strokes can lead to very serious life altering outcomes. It can also lead to death in some cases.
Strokes can be caused by the stimulants raising your blood pressure in the brain. But that’s not the only possible negative effect. Stimulants elevate your heart rate and in some cases can cause arrhythmia. It can also constrict blood vessels eventually leading to a heart attack.
There are also other dangers of substances in bodybuilding beyond life or death situations. Sex drive is often associated with drugs like steroids. This is because of the increased testosterone that can, initially, increase sex drive. But as we had previously discussed with The Anabolic Doc, that increased sex drive eventually gives way to a complete depletion of it. Dr. Testosterone corroborates that notion – and goes into more detail as to why it happens and the many forms it can take.
This does not only take the shape of decreased desire for sex. It can also lead to making it hard or impossible for men to achieve erections. And in some extreme cases can lead to a man not being able to ejaculate at all. While not as dire as a life or death health scenario – these kinds of sex issues can cause great psychological trauma to individuals and couples in a relationship.
In addition to this, Dr. Testosterone also speaks about the possible dangers of substances when it comes to increasing aggression, agitation, and anger. While “roid rage” is vastly over-exaggerated in pop culture media, the doctor does admit that certain substances can lead to increased aggression. His recommendation? Smoke a joint to help level out your mood.
You can watch all of Dr. Testosterone’s comments on the most dangerous drugs currently in bodybuilding by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Phil Heath Looks Strong But Noticeably Downsized in Recent Update
Phil Heath is looking downsized yet still strong.
Phil Heath is looking strong yet downsized in his latest update to social media. The modern bodybuilding legend worked biceps in the gym for a recent YouTube video where you can tell that he’s not quite as massive as he once was.
One the kings of modern bodybuilding, Phil Heath has been in great condition for quite some time now. As a seven-time Olympia champion Heath has known for having one of the greatest bodybuilding physiques of all time. That means having great conditioning as well as massive bulk. But ever since the all time great contracted the virus this past summer there’s been a noticeable difference in his physique.
Phil Heath originally informed the public that he had lost 30lbs of mass during his ordeal with the sickness. Having considerable bulk on your frame is a hallmark of a high level pro bodybuilder. Though we are unsure of Heath will ever make a return to action, many expected him to keep the bulk on his frame. But a recent update from the modern day legend shows a considerably smaller version of the seven time Olympia champion.
Strong Yet Downsized
In one of his most recent updates on Instagram Phil Heath is looking a bit smaller than usual. While he still has plenty of muscle on his frame you can tell that Heath is a bit downsized from the last time he was on stage.
Having some fun in the gym tonight. We’re filming a quick Bicep workout for youtube. Subscribe to my channel- Phil Heath TV ??
?Train Hard
?Train Smart
?Have Fun
While he may not be tipping the scales as much as he used to, Phil Heath still looks strong and has plenty of muscle on his frame. While expected a comeback to the stage at this point is a long shot, you can bet that Heath will still remain in great shape.
What do you think of the strong yet downsized version of Phil Heath?
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Larry Wheels Falls To Brandon Allen In Recent Arm Wrestling Match
Larry Wheels recently took on Brandon Allen in an arm wrestling match.
Larry Wheels has been putting up some incredible lifts in the gym. He has been crushing personal records in recent months and sharing his achievements to social media. While Wheels has found success and built a large following as a powerlifter, he has also dabbled in the sport of arm wrestling.
Recently, Wheels took on Brandon Allen in a best-of-six match where one competitor has to win four rounds to take home a victory. This comes after Wheels was defeated twice against Aleksandr Toproll, known as Schoolboy. Wheels got off to a strong start against Allen but in the end, it was a 4-2 victory for Allen.
The powerlifter used brute strength to win the first two rounds. After giving it his all early, Wheels seemed a bit tired and Allen took advantage. He would win rounds three and four with ease before Wheels regained some energy. Round five was a battle but Allen countered an early pull from Wheels before finishing off the match in round six.
There was some drama building up coming into the match. Larry Wheels shared a video to his YouTube channel showing some tall between the athletes leading up. This includes some comments about Allen’s coach and how Wheels believed there is no coach who could help.
Allen also mentioned that he had been training with Mike Ayello. Wheels also has experience training with Ayello and said that this could be his next opponent.
“I would shock him the next time. Matter of face, he might be my next opponent,” Larry Wheels said.
Brandon Allen joked about Wheels’ ability in training and even acknowledged the lack of following that he has compared to Wheels, who currently has 2.7 million followers on Instagram.
“From what he (Ayello) told me, there is no way you improved that much,” Brandon Allen said.
“You’re gonna disappoint your fans. My fans will be stoked, all six of them.”
Larry Wheels has recently posted some incredible lifts, such as a 950-pound squat and 140-pound dumbbell shoulder press for 17 reps. Wheels recently injured his quad in September after making his return to powerlifting. This came after his first venture in arm wrestling.
From what it sounds like, Wheels is not done in the sport. There is a great chance that he returns to arm wrestling for what could be another high-powered matchup. Wheels brings a big name and a big following into matches. Now, Wheels will be focused on fine-tuning his skills and preparing for his next match.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
How The Dumbbell RDL Is A Great Deadlift Variation
Build strength in your legs and back with this great exercise.
The dumbbell RDL, short for Romanian deadlift, is an exercise many of us have potentially tried. But for those who have not, this alternative exercise is one to really give you a great chance at seeing great gains in your lower body and back while promoting better form. It is challenging, but can be satisfying once you nail this down for developing these muscles will prove to help your results greatly.
Why care about our legs and back? Both of these muscle groups work to promote balance in us either for sport specific or more functional movements and as a result, we are better able to tackle any challenge that comes our way. Having strong legs also promotes power and speed, while a strong lower back will assist with our posture and overall form. The dumbbell RDL is a great exercise to help with both these muscle groups as we seek the best for our gains.
Let’s take a look at the dumbbell RDL and see what makes this exercise so great. From what it is, to muscles worked, the many benefits associated with it, and how to perform it, you will have all the information you need to take this exercise head on. Plus, you won’t be disappointed by the results.
What Is The Dumbbell RDL?
The dumbbell RDL is a great strength building exercise for your lower body and back. This is designed to boost strength, but also power, speed, balance, and explosivity. A nice alternative to the deadlift (1), you don’t lift nearly as much weight, but you do focus on form, allowing for mind-muscle connection work to be done, while also preventing injury.
For those wanting to do more compound movements, by increasing strength in your posterior chain, this helps strengthen those muscles needed down the line. While this exercise can be done with a barbell, using the dumbbell allows you to focus on any muscle imbalances that may hurt your gains and overall results.
Muscles Worked
With the dumbbell RDL, the main muscles worked from your lower body are your hamstrings and glutes, and from your upper body is your lower back. This is a result of engagement pre-movement, as well as during, with your hamstrings and low back feeling a stretch throughout while your glutes are engaged for balance and better stability. By focusing on the posterior chain, you also allow yourself a better foundation for those compound movements that may come up on other training days (2).
Other muscles that do feel some work done are your core muscles as a result of increased engagement, your traps and forearms from the necessary grip, and your back as a whole since this movement does require real stability. By working so many muscles, you can get your body in tune with itself so when those bigger lifts roll around, you have no problem taking them on.
Benefits Of The Dumbbell RDL
The benefits of this exercise, while of course include strength building, will make you want to try this, especially for those athletes looking to take their abilities to the next level.
Benefits of the dumbbell RDL include:
Increased strength: Build more strength in your hamstring, glutes, and low back, as well as other muscles needed for the movement.
Promote balance: As a challenging exercise, and one that requires your core engagement for stability, you can build a better foundation for balance that translates to other parts of your workouts (3).
Promote better form: Needing to put a real emphasis on form, you can build mind-muscle connection and stay free of injury (4).
Learn better hip mechanics: Our hips tend to be vulnerable and learning how to properly use them, especially with weight attached, can be a game changer in the long run.
Nice deadlift variation: Slide this into your workout for a deadlift variation that works to build strength with less weight needed, while still preventing unnecessary injury.
How To Perform This Exercise
Here are the steps for performing the dumbbell RDL. As said before, while this can be done with a barbell in similar fashion, using dumbbells allows you to build better grip strength and tackle any unfortunate muscle imbalances.
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Your grip will be overhand.
Engage your core as you get ready to begin the movement. Be sure to keep your chest up.
Bending slightly at the knees, hinge from your waist and lower the weights to the ground. Your arms will be straight and you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and low back.
When ready, slowly return to the starting position while keeping your core engaged.
Repeat for your desired number of reps.
Best Way To See Increased Growth
For those of us looking to see increased growth, looking to those supplements that can help us is incredibly important. For some essentials, a pre-workout, intra-workout BCAA, and protein powder are all great to have and will work wonders for our pre-, mid-, and post-workout gains. Other supplements that work well after performing the dumbbell RDL are creatine for boosting strength and size as well as casein protein for that overnight repair as your body looks to recover and heal those worn down leg and back muscles.
Wrap Up
The dumbbell RDL is a great exercise to really focus on your posterior chain while building strength in your hamstrings, glutes, and low back. By putting an emphasis on these muscles you work for power, speed, balance, and explosivity while of course building overall strength. A challenging exercise, this is a great one to replace the deadlift for you will still see gains without the additional risk of injury. Give the dumbbell RDL a try and see how this fits into your routine.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Bird, S.; et al. (2010). “Exploring the Deadlift”. (source)
Ridder, E.; et al. (2013). “Posterior muscle chain activity during various extension exercises: an observational study”. (source)
Iacono, A.; et al. (2016). “Core stability training on lower limb balance strength”. (source)
Calatayud, J.; et al (2016). “Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training”. (source)
Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes to Keep You Motivated
Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes to Keep You Motivated
It’s safe to say Arnold brought bodybuilding to the mainstream. If it was not for Arnie and his Greek god-like physique in Conan the Barbarian, Terminator, Commando etc., bodybuilding probably wouldn’t have flourished throughout the world.
Who would have thought a guy from Austria would end up marrying a Kennedy and become the Governor of California? The Governator is no ordinary human. His thought process, hard work, discipline, and visualization techniques have helped him get where he is. When Arnie talks, we should all listen.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Rules of Success
Make it Count
“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.”
Chase the Pump
“Not many people understand what a pump is. It must be experienced to be understood. It is the greatest feeling that I get. I search for this pump because it means that that my muscles will grow when I get it. I get a pump when the blood is running into my muscles. They become really tight with blood. Like the skin is going to explode any minute. It’s like someone putting air in my muscles. It blows up. It feels fantastic.”
Resistance is Your Friend
“The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.”
If It’s Not Fun, You’re Doing it Wrong
“Bodybuilding should be fun because you get a feeling of satisfaction which is very hard to explain. A bodybuilder knows when he pumps up his muscles it means growth. The muscles grow. So, therefore, he knows when he pumps up well, that is progress. And that satisfies him because he feels the progress in his body. Therefore the pump feels good. It’s actually the best feeling a bodybuilder can have. It’s a difficult thing to explain. Like sometimes we joke around and we get a good pump and we say you have to admit that a good pump is better than coming. Somebody off the street wouldn’t understand that, but sometimes a pump is the best feeling you can have.”
“The best activities for your health are pumping and humping.”
Shock Your Muscles
“A beginner does eight repetitions of a certain exercise with his maximum weight on the barbell. As soon as it hurts, he thinks about stopping. I work beyond this point, which means I tell my mind that as soon as it starts aching it is growing. Growing is something unusual for the body when you are over eighteen. The body isn’t used to ten, eleven, or twelve reps with a maximum weight. Then I do ten or fifteen sets of this in a row. No human body was ever prepared for this and suddenly it is making itself grow to handle this new challenge, growing through this pain area. Experiencing this pain in my muscles and aching and going on is my challenge. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens. I have no fear of fainting. I do squats until I fall over and pass out. So what? It’s not going to kill me. I wake up five minutes later and I’m OK. A lot of other athletes are afraid of this. So they don’t pass out. They don’t go on.”
Stay True to Yourself
“What I’m doing is the thing I want to do. I don’t care what other people think. If the rest of disagrees and says I shouldn’t waste my time, I still will be a bodybuilder. I love it. I love the feeling in my muscles, I love the competition, and I love the things it gives me. I have never really had to work in my whole life. I’ve never had an eight to six job. I’ve always made good money. I’ve traveled all over the world competing and giving exhibitions. I‘ve made a profession out of a pastime, which perhaps only five percent of the population can do. The other ninety-five percent are frustrated office workers, working for someone else. I’m totally independent. So, I…..feel…if I would live again or if I would be born again, I would do exactly the same thing.”
Never Be Afraid of Failure
“Just like in bodybuilding, failure is also a necessary experience for growth in our own lives, for if we’re never tested to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are? How will we ever grow?”
Be the Sculptor of Your Physique
“You don’t really see a muscle as a part of you, in a way. You see it as a thing. You look at it as a thing and you say well this thing has to be built a little longer, the bicep has to be longer, or the tricep has to be thicker here in the elbow area. And you look at it and it doesn’t even seem to belong to you. Like a sculpture. Then after looking at it a sculptor goes in with his thing and works a little bit, and you do maybe then some extra forced reps to get this lower part out. You form it. Just like a sculpture.”
Struggles Develop Real Strength
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
Visualization is the Key
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”
“As a kid, I always idolized the winning athletes. It is one thing to idolize heroes. It is quite another to visualize yourself in their place. When I saw great people, I said to myself: I can be there.”
“We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There’s really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.”
Be Yourself
“The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that.”
Never Settle
“When I was ten years old I got this thing that I wanted to be the best in something, so I started swimming. I won championships, but I felt I couldn’t be the best. I tried skiing, but there I felt I didn’t have potential. I played soccer, but I didn’t like that to well because there I didn’t get the credit alone if I did something special. I just avoided team sports from then on. Then I started lifting through the other sports and I enjoyed it the most. I won the Austrian championship in 1964 but found out I was too tall. So I quit that and went into bodybuilding. Two years later I found out that that’s it that’s what I can be the best in.”
Food for Thought
“You have to remember something: Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn.”
Which is your favorite Arnold quote? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
5 Rules Of Being A Great Workout Partner
How To Be A Great Training Partner
Working out with the wrong training partner can be worse than not having a workout buddy. The right training buddies are a match made in heaven and are blessed by the bodybuilding Gods, old and new.
If you have trained with lifting partners in the past, you’ll know that a bad spotter can not only make you hit a plateau but can also hamper your gains. In this article, we’ll teach you how to be a great workout partner so you can lead by example for your future training buddies.
Open-Mindedness
Patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn new techniques is the key to being a great workout partner. If you’re too rigid about following your training program, people with more experience might not be eager to train with you.
Exploring new training, nutrition, and recovery techniques can enrichen your fitness journey. Dismissing your training buddy’s suggestions too often is a sure-shot way of cutting short your partnership.
Honesty
More often than not, people let their egos get the better of them in the gym. Look around in your gym and you’ll surely see a spotter doing more work than the lifter. Even worse is the fact that the spotter doesn’t ask his training partner to drop the weight even when both of them are struggling with the weight.
The next time, before you say “it was all you” when it wasn’t, know that you’re doing your training buddy and yourself disfavor. Be honest about your form, performance, and any other aspects you could improve on.
Keep Your Ego In Check
People who train with a lifter who is on an advanced level often end up falling victim to their egos. Playing catch-up can prove expensive in the weight room. If you’re a beginner, focus on learning the right form instead of trying to lift heavier weights.
It’s your responsibility to keep your partner’s ego in check if you’re the advanced lifter. Remember, there is a thin line between ego lifting and pushing your boundaries. You shouldn’t get so conservative that you stop pushing your limits.
Accountability
The best training partners keep themselves and their buddies accountable. You should be proactive in making sure none of you misses workouts, meals and check if you are meeting your progress goals.
Accountability doesn’t end here, you are the person responsible for your and your partner’s motivation. When any of you lose the inspiration to train, you need to step in and make sure the train remains on track.
It Takes Time
While this article is about how to be a great training buddy, you’ll still have to find a person who you’ll be a partner to. Your and your partner’s training, diet, and recovery approach should fit live a glove.
We could give you tips for selecting the right training partner, but you’ll have to train with a bunch of people before you could find the right match for yourself. Be patient and willing to train with people across experience levels.
Do you train with a training partner? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements.
Have Non-Existent Triceps? Use These Horseshoe Building Tricks
Have Non-Existent Triceps? Use These Horseshoe Building Tricks
Triceps and biceps are two sides of the same coin, and yet the tris don’t get the same love as the bis. Training the tris effectively can be trickier as you need to hit the three heads of the triceps as compared to the two bicep heads.
Bodybuilding is a game of illusions and having meaty triceps can make your arms look bigger. A pair of shredded triceps should look like a horse has kicked you in the back of your arm.
The Best Horseshoe Triceps Building Tips
Start With Compound Exercises
Most people make the mistake of starting their tricep workouts with isolation lifts. If you perform exercises like the cable tricep press-downs at the starting of your workouts, you’ll be fatigued by the time you get to the compound moves.
While it might be a good idea to perform the isolation exercises to pre-exhaust your muscles when you’re training the bigger muscle groups (like chest or back), it can have the opposite effect for your tris if you’re fatigued by the time you get to the functional lifts.
Know The Muscle
It’s always a good idea to do some research about the muscles before you start training. The triceps is composed of 67% fast-twitch fibers, so train it according to the adage, “go heavy or go home.”
For the uninitiated – fast-twitch fibers means that you’ll get the best results from your exercises if you keep the TuT (time under tension) short and overload the muscles with heavier weights.
Use Advanced Training Principles
In the sport of bodybuilding, people are always chasing the pump, and in doing so they favor performing a higher number of reps to flush their muscles with lactic acid. Using the advanced training principles while training the fast-twitch muscles can get a little tricky.
If you’ll be using advanced training techniques like supersets, drop-sets in your training, you should make sure you’re using heavier weights (with the right form) and are performing 5-8 reps on each set.
Stretch It Out
By not stretching and posing during the workout, many people leave gains on the table. Not only will stretching improve the muscle pumps, but it will also help establish a better mind-muscle connection.
Holding an overhead tricep pull is one of the most effective tricep stretching moves. Using resistance bands, hitting the bodybuilding tricep poses like the side chest are great ways of flushing the muscles with lactic acid.
Increase The Training Frequency
If your arms are nothing more than small tree branches, you’ll have to put in more effort. We recommend training the muscle twice a week if you have lagging tris. Don’t experiment too much with the exercises and follow the same workout on both the tricep training days in the week.
One of the days should be a single muscle day where you only train your triceps. For the second tricep training day, club your tri workout with bigger muscle groups like the chest or back. Make sure you’re maintaining a balance between training all the three (medial, long, short) heads of the triceps.
How often do you train your calves? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Follow This Leg Busting Workout For Monster Gains
Follow This Leg Busting Workout For Monster Gains
Shredded legs are what separate the men from the boys. Leg day can prove to be the most brutal workout for most people. Limping around after a good leg workout is normal. Legs are one-half of your body and training them can be hard and exhausting.
Look around your gym and you’ll surely see people with muscular upper bodies and tiny legs. Leg days also happen to be the most skipped workouts around the world. We can’t make you love your leg workouts, but we can surely get you results.
1. Squats – 3 Sets – 12, 10, 8 Reps
Squats are a complete leg builder. You can’t expect to build muscle mass in your legs without doing this exercise. Squats are a compound (multi joint) exercise which builds size and strength in your legs. This exercise will also make you stronger at other exercises.
Start your workouts with 12 reps, with every set increase the weights and reduce the number of reps. Make sure you have a complete ‘ass to the grass’ range of motion. Performing partial reps won’t do anything for your legs.
2. Leg Press – 3 Sets – 12, 10, 8 Reps
Leg Press can be incredibly efficient in building size and definition in your legs. This exercise helps you train your legs from different angles by changing your feet position on the platform. Placing your feet high on the platforms train your hamstrings and the lower feet position will train your quads.
Close and wide feet placement targets your outer and inner quad sweep respectively. Leg press is also the most abused equipment in the gym. People load it up with more weights than they can handle. Use appropriate weights and maintain a full range of motion.
3. Leg Extensions – 3 Sets – 20, 15, 12 Reps
Leg extensions are an isolation exercise and help focus on your quads. This exercise helps in maintaining tension on your quads throughout the motion. Establish a mind-muscle connection with your legs and squeeze the hell out of them at the top of the movement.
You don’t need to go super heavy during this exercise. Keep the motion slow and deliberate and target muscle failure at the end of every set. You should be doing both compound and isolation exercises to make the most of your leg workouts.
4. Romanian Deadlifts – 3 Sets – 12, 10, 8 Reps
This exercise targets your hamstrings. Hamstrings can be a little harder to train since you can’t see them in the mirror and it can be a little harder to establish a mind-muscle connection with them. Keep your back arches and maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout this exercise.
During Romanian deadlifts, think of your hamstrings as chains being used to lift and lower your upper body. Using more weights than you can handle can shift the tension from your hams to your back, defeating the entire purpose of this exercise.
5. Leg Curls – 3 Sets – 20, 15, 12 Reps
Legs curls are one of the most effective hamstring exercises. This is an isolation exercise where the entire focus is on your hams. Maintain a mind-muscle connection with your hams throughout this exercise and keep your reps slow and deliberate.
Since your knees are the only joints working during this exercise, going too fast can increase your chances of an injury. Squeeze your hamstrings at the top of the movement and follow a complete range of motion.
6. Standing Calf Raises – 5 Sets – 20, 15, 10 Reps
You need to treat your calves just like any other muscle group. Doing three sets at the end of a leg workout won’t do any good for your calves. Standing calf raises target your gastrocnemius muscle which is the long head of the calves.
If you don’t have a standing calf machine at your gym, you can utilize the smith machine. Just like with all the other exercises, maintain a full range of motion and squeeze your calves at the top of the movement.
7. Seated Calf Raises – 5 Sets – 20, 15, 10 Reps
Most people have tiny calves because they don’t train them well enough. You need to be doing both the standing and the seated versions of the calf raises to train them optimally. The seated calf raises train the short head of the calves known as soleus.
You can try different feet placement to train your calves from different angles. Keeping your toes together and heels apart will target the outer head of your calves and placing your heels together and toes apart will train the inner head.
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