Legs and calves were my weakest area, so for my third teacher I chose Marek Morozov, a multiple-time champion and the third-ranked bodybuilder in the overall category. Meeting place: Coral Club, where Marek is head coach. Since Marek was also preparing for a competition, the plan is built specifically for the competition period, with the focus on definition and separation.
Why Marek’s leg and calf plan works
Each exercise is done for 4 sets of 10-15 reps. Rests stay short so the muscle is properly loaded. Warm up with 5 minutes on the bike and you’re ready to start.
Men and women who want to refine the lower body and build definition will find exactly what they need here. The plan may be a lot for beginners, so if necessary, cut the sets to two and build up gradually.
Front of the leg: extensions, squats, adduction
Diagonal leg raises on the cable machine — 4 × 10-15
This is an exercise I had never done before. You stand next to the cable station, set the cable to run from the bottom and strap your leg in. Then you raise the leg diagonally upward, not quite forward and not quite to the side. It works the hip area and gives the leg a fuller shape from the top. It’s easier to finish all 4 sets on one leg before starting on the other, because changing the strap after every set makes the rest longer.
Walking lunges with a barbell on your back plus squats — 4 × max
Put the barbell on your upper back and start walking. With every step, drop into a lunge. The walking has to be continuous, with no pauses in the bottom position. Take 10-15 steps, and when you reach the end, don’t put the barbell down. Do squats on top for as long as you have the strength. It’s a good old Ronnie Coleman exercise. Balance takes some practice at first.
Leg extensions on the machine — 4 × 4 drop sets
You sit down on the machine and extend your legs in front of you. The key is the descending weights: do 10-15 reps, take two plates off, go to failure, take another two off, go to failure again, and then repeat once more the same way. No rest while changing plates. One such set out of the four equals four consecutive efforts with no rest.
Hip adduction on the machine — 4 × 10-15
A typical “women’s machine”, but just as necessary for men. You sit astride the machine and bring your thighs together. It works the muscles of the inner thigh, and if those are well developed, it gives the whole leg a better shape.
Back of the leg and calves: curls and calf raises
Lying leg curls on the machine — 4 × 10-15
You lie down and curl your legs. Marek usually goes moderate on weight, believing a muscle can be thoroughly fatigued with a lighter load too. There’s no point in going overboard, because form matters more.
Seated leg curls — 4 × 4 drop sets
The logic is the same as with the front leg extensions. Do the maximum reps, then drop the weight two plates at a time, with no rest in between.
Calf raises on the bench — 4 × 10-15
Coral has an interesting machine: basically you sit, but not quite, and you stand, but not quite. You start with slow raises and finish with fast, pumping movements.
Standing calf raises with the barbell on your back, toes on a small block — 4 × 4 sets with a 10-second rest
The barbell is fixed in the machine so you don’t have to worry about balance. You place your toes on the block and go for it. It’s a special method: do 10-15 reps, rest 10 seconds, and repeat that four times in a row. Although it feels like four sets, it counts as one in total.
Marek’s weekly split and cardio volume
Doing the whole plan on your own takes about 1h 15 min. Training together and teaching along the way, it took us 1.5h. Marek usually adds another 30 min of walking afterwards, but that day it was skipped because we ran out of time.
Marek’s training week:
- Sun: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
- Mon: Legs, calves
- Tue: Back, Traps, Biceps
- Wed: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
- Thu: Legs, Calves
- Fri: Back, Traps, Biceps
- Sat: Off
Ab training comes in the evenings after the step session, four to five times a week.
Aerobic work (Sun-Fri, i.e. every training day): 30 min on the bike in the morning, a 30 min walk after the strength workout and another 30 min of step in the evening. That’s 1.5h of aerobic work a day in total, the volume for the competition period.
FAQ about leg and calf training
Is this leg plan suitable for a beginner?
You need to be careful with the volume. Start with two sets per exercise and build up over time. Leave the drop-set method aside for now: learn the form and the training load first, and only then add intensity.
How often should you do a leg and calf plan like this?
In Marek’s week, the leg and calf day comes up twice (Mon and Thu). For the average person, one proper leg day a week is enough, with at least 72 hours of recovery before the next lower-body workout.
Why so much aerobic work?
1.5h of aerobic work a day is the volume for the competition period, and the goal is to bring the body fat percentage down to a minimum. During a mass-building phase, 2-3 aerobic sessions a week of around 30 min each are enough.
If anything was unclear, just ask — Marek was happy to answer.
Author: joker
Source: WHO – physical activity.
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