Every gym has its own “beach boys” – the guys who bench press three times a week and step into the power rack only to do barbell biceps curls there. Their upper bodies are big, but they’re skinny from the waist down, and their athletic performance is virtually nonexistent and, to put it mildly, laughable.
Of course, every bigger gym also has the opposite type: serious guys who say little and who you never see strolling around posing in front of the mirror.
Either way, when the latter “breed” has a leg day, it’s not hard to tell. The 20 kg plates start disappearing from the plate racks and turn up on those serious guys’ squat barbells. And their legs are usually not exactly the skinniest, either.
There’s one worthwhile lesson to take from that attitude – squatting, properly and heavy, has always been the way to build noticeably powerful legs. To meet you halfway, I’m offering a 12-week squat progression that will put meat on even the poorest pair of legs. Provided, of course, that your attitude is right, you want to grow and, effort-wise, you give it everything you’ve got.
How it works…
Few exercises can rival the squat. It builds mass, develops strength and makes athletes jump higher, jump farther and run faster. In this program, heavy, explosive squats alternate with higher-volume squatting.
Squat – the program’s percentages week by week
Week I: 5 x 75%, 5 x 80%, 5 x 85%
Week II: 10 x 5 (70%)
Week III: 4 x 77.5%, 4 x 82.5%, 4 x 87.5%
Week IV: 10 x 4 (72.5%)
Week V: 3 x 80%, 3 x 85%, 3 x 90%
Week VI: 10 x 3 (75%)
Week VII: 5 x 80%, 5 x 85%, 5 x 90%
Week VIII: 10 x 5 (75%)
Week IX: 4 x 82.5%, 4 x 87.5%, 4 x 92.5%
Week X: 10 x 4 (77.5%)
Week XI: 3 x 85%, 3 x 90%, 3 x 95%
Week XII 10 x 3 (80%)
Heavy squats
Heavy workouts are done on the odd-numbered weeks and consist of three working sets, which you pyramid up to. Depending on the week, we use sets of five, four and three repetitions.
Over the 12 weeks, the progression of the weights on these weeks rises in two “waves”. The weight goes up and the set gets shorter, which ensures steady strength gains.
The focus of the heavy workouts is the weight you squat and the speed of each rep, and in every working set the aim is to move the weight as explosively as possible.
Rest periods between sets on heavy squat days should typically be 3 – 5 minutes. The goal is maximum recovery for the next set, so if needed, you can rest even longer.
High-volume squats
High-volume squats are done on the even-numbered weeks. Each of these squat workouts consists of 10 working sets, done after a warm-up, of course. Rest periods should now be only 45 – 60 seconds, since the weight used is also much lower.
While on the heavy weeks you work up as high as 95% of your record, on the light weeks you don’t go above 80%. But don’t take the size of the weights to mean there’s no effort in these workouts. In fact, for many people it’s quite the opposite. A high number of working sets combined with shorter rest periods is, for quite a few, even harder than maximal weights with very long rests.
As with the heavy squats, on the “light” weeks we also progress in waves. This is so as not to compromise strength gains and to avoid overtraining.
Accessory work
All my programs are built to test you both mentally and physically. Although the emphasis on leg day is squatting, the accessory work that follows the squat is no “walk in the park” either.
Squat days on heavy weeks (weeks 1, 3, 5, etc.)
On heavy leg days, in addition to squats, exercises such as the leg press, walking lunges, leg curls and straight-leg deadlifts work well.
Do the leg press in pyramid style: the weight goes up and the set gets shorter. The aim is to work up to heavy weights when pressing with your legs. Keep track of your progression on this exercise too and always try to hit your best top set.
For lunges you should also use added weight. I recommend a barbell across your upper back rather than dumbbells in your hands. With dumbbells, it’s generally harder to keep your body upright and maintain good technique on this exercise. With a barbell on your back, you’re practically forced to stay upright. And the more upright your posture, the more the emphasis falls on your legs and quadriceps. Lunges work well with a barbell on your back, chains around your neck or a big strongman log across your shoulders.
Next up is the back of the thighs, which we train with lying leg curls. On this exercise, try to keep your hips against the bench – this is so that the work is done as much as possible by the hamstrings. You can even ask your training partner to press your hips harder into the bench with their hands during the set.
The last exercise is the straight-leg deadlift. Do this exercise standing on a platform 8 – 12 cm high. This is to lengthen the exercise’s range of motion. Keep a slight bend in your knees, but don’t turn the exercise into a squat or let your knees move too much. Focus on the back of the thighs while trying to minimize the involvement of the spinal erectors.
Leg press: pyramid up through sets of 10 and 8 to heavy sets of 6
Walking lunges: 3 x 20
Leg curl: 3 x 8
Straight-leg barbell deadlift: 3 x 8
Squat days on light weeks (weeks 2, 4, 6, etc.)
On the high-volume weeks, too, we do the leg press right after the squat, but this time in longer sets. The aim is to pump plenty of blood into your legs and try to get 100 repetitions in four sets. Don’t let your rest between sets go beyond 3 minutes. The goal now is not so much the weight on the sets in themselves as getting 100 repetitions done in 4 sets within a relatively limited time. So, if needed, lowering the weight on the last couple of sets isn’t forbidden either. Again, so that you get the 100 repetitions done in 4 sets.
Leg press. Since your legs are probably already tired from the previous 10 squat sets, these four sets of 25 will be a serious test of your pain tolerance. But that’s not all.
The next exercise is the leg extension, 3 x 30, which finishes off the work on the quadriceps. Rest periods should again be 2 – 3 minutes. After the last set of 30, the pump should feel as if the skin on your legs is about to split.
Next we move on to the back of the thigh. The exercise is the leg curl, but we do 3 x 15.
The final exercise is the straight-leg deadlift again, but this high-volume week we do it with dumbbells. Your legs can be slightly bent at the knees, while you focus on feeling the biceps femoris working. In the bottom position, if you can go that deep, try to briefly touch the floor with the dumbbells, but without losing tension in the back of your legs.
Leg press: 4 x 25
Seated leg extension: 3 x 30
Leg curl: 3 x 15
Straight-leg barbell deadlift: 3 x 15
Summary
Squats are the focus of this leg program.
Heavy squat workouts alternate with high-volume weeks.
On heavy weeks, the priorities are the weight on the bar and explosive execution.
On high-volume weeks, you do a large number of sets with short rest periods.
The nature of the accessory work also changes every other week.
The program progresses in waves, with the aim of building strength without overtraining.
Leg training has never been easy, and this squat program is a challenge in its own right. But I sincerely believe in two things: anything valuable doesn’t come easily, and discomfort is the mother of all progress.
Author: Janar Rückenberg (translation)
Come and train! ArtGym
