WORKOUTS
Muscle-Building 12-Week Workout: Week 2
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DAY 3: STRENGTH AND FORM - PUSH/PULL EXERCISES FOR LEGS
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Week 1 Workouts
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Week 3 Workouts
Week 4 Workouts
Week 5 Workouts
Week 6 Workouts
Week 7 Workouts
Week 8 Workouts
Week 9 Workouts
Week 10 Workouts
Week 11 Workouts
Week 12 Workouts
New! View Other Members Who Are Tracking Their Workout Progress
Muscle-Building Workout Participants Forum
Workout Program Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Supersets?
Week 1 Workouts
Week 2 Workouts
Week 3 Workouts
Week 4 Workouts
Week 5 Workouts
Week 6 Workouts
Week 7 Workouts
Week 8 Workouts
Week 9 Workouts
Week 10 Workouts
Week 11 Workouts
Week 12 Workouts
| WEEK 2, DAY 3 EXERCISE VIDEO DEMOS |
| WARMUP | |||||||||||
| Superset | Exercise | Muscles | Weight (Goal) | Set 1 Reps (Goal) | Set 1 Reps (Actual) | Set 2 Reps (Goal) | Set 2 Reps (Actual) | Set 3 Reps (Goal) | Set 3 Reps (Actual) | Set 4 Reps (Goal) | Set 4 Reps (Actual) |
| Spin Bike | Legs | Heavy Resistance | 5 - 10 mins | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| WORKOUT | |||||||||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Drop-Down Lunges | Legs (quads, glutes) | Rep Max | 20 each leg | 20 each leg | 20 each leg | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | Dumbbell Squats | Legs, Full Body | Rep Max | 20 | 20 | 20 | N/A | N/A | |||
| Single-Leg Knee Extensions | Legs (quads) | Rep Max | 15 | 15 | 15 | N/A | N/A | ||||
| Barbell Squats | Legs, Full Body | Rep Max | 16 | 12 | 12 | 10 | |||||
| Barbell Russian Deadlifts | Legs (hamstrings, glutes) | Rep Max | 16 | 12 | 12 | 10 | |||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Seated Leg Presses | Legs (quads, glutes, hamstrings) | Rep Max | 16 | 12 | 12 | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | Plyometric Jump Squats | Legs, Full Body | N/A | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 - 30 | ||||
| CARDIO TRAINING | |||||||||||
| Exercise | Time | Overview | |||||||||
| Spin Bike or Stair Machine | 30 Minutes | Do 30 minutes biking on a spin/indoor bike or 30 minutes on the stair machine. Get your heart rate up to a moderate level. | |||||||||
| EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS IN BRIEF | |
| Exercise | Overview |
| Drop-Down Lunges | Stand upright with your back and shoulders straight and your feet almost shoulder-width apart. Clasp your hands behind your head with your elbows in line with your shoulders. Next, step your right foot approximately two feet in front of you. Don't overdo the length of your step; keep your steps short enough to maintain control and balance. When your right foot is place, lunge forward with your right leg until you have a 90-degree bend in your right knee, staying light on your back foot. Your upper body and right knee should not move forward as you lower and raise your body. Make sure your right knee does not go beyond a 90-degree angle. Reverse direction and return to the starting position. To fully isolate your hamstring, glutes, and quad muscles, avoid putting any weight on your left leg as you come up from the lunge position.Perform a full set repeating with your right leg forward, and then turn switch legs and do a second set with your left leg forward. |
| Dumbbell Squats | Stand on the floor holding dumbbells at your side with palms inward and your feet shoulder-width apart. Position your feet so that your toes are pointed straight ahead. Next, slowly lower down to a fully squatted position, pulling your weight down through your leg muscles as you descend. Keep your weight back on your heels as you go down. Push your chest out very slightly in front of you to counterbalance the heavy load on your heels. When you have reached the depth of the squat, reverse motion and drive up through your heels to return to the starting position. |
| Single-Leg Knee Extensions | Sit on a leg extension machine with only one leg behind the resistance bar and the other neutrally to the side. Be sure to keep your center lifted through this exercise—no slouching. Next, lift the resistance bar until your leg is straight. Maintain the flex in your quads throughout the lift. Reverse direction and return your leg slowly to the starting position, resisting the downward pull of the weight as you do so. Be sure not to let your lower leg come further back than perpendicular to the floor, as this puts too much tension on the tendons around your knee. Do a full set with one leg, and then do another set with the other leg. |
| Barbell Squats | Place a neck pad or neck cradle at the center point of a barbell positioned at shoulder height on a rack. Stand upright in front of the barbell so that it is resting across your shoulders and behind your neck. Your feet should be hip-width apart and your toes pointed forward. Hold the barbell on either side of your neck about one foot more than shoulder-width apart, with your palms facing forward. Lift the barbell off the rack and step back to give you room to squat. Next, slowly lower down toward a fully squatted position, pulling your weight down through your leg muscles as you descend. Keep your weight balanced between the balls of your feet and your heels as you go down. If you feel any knee pressure, shift your weight back more to your heels and let your hips ride back more to take some of the weight off of your toes. Push your chest out very slightly in front of you to counterbalance the heavy load on your heels. Your back should maintain a natural arch. When your thighs are parallel to the floor reverse motion and drive up through your feet to return to the starting position. |
| Barbell Russian Deadlifts | Stand upright in front of a weighted barbell with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and take up a modified squat position, with your knees slightly bent, hips pressed slightly back, and back flat. Your chest should be high, head forward, and neck in line with your spine. From the modified squat, grip the barbell with both hands about shoulder-width apart and palms facing you. The barbell should be at the level of the middle of your shins, either resting on the floor (if the plates are large) or held off the floor in your hands. Keep the majority of your weight back on your heels, while still applying pressure through the balls of your feet. Next, keeping your chest forward, use your legs to lift the barbell and stand up straight to a fully upright position. Focus on using your legs to lift and your core engaged throughout to protect your back. Hold for a moment, and then press your hips behind you and bend your knees as you sit back down into a squat. Keep your back flat as you squat down. Lower the barbell to the floor or down to your shin level starting position, and then immediately move into the next rep. |
| Seated Leg Presses | Lie on your back on a sled leg press machine, with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands lightly grasping the handles for balance. You should have enough engagement through your leg muscles that you can engage the weights throughout the exercise, never completely releasing the resistance. Push strongly with both legs to press the foot plate away from you. Come all the way to a full extension, with your legs straight. To focus the work of this exercise in your quads, press the plate with the balls of your feet. To focus on your glutes and hamstrings, press more from your heels. From the extended position, bend your knees to return to the starting position. |
| Plyometric Jump Squats | Stand on the floor with your arms up at the sides of your head with elbows bent, your hands gently cupping the sides of your head, and your feet shoulder-width apart. Position your feet so that your toes are pointed straight ahead. Slowly lower down to a fully squatted position, pulling your weight down through your leg muscles as you descend. Keep your weight back on your heels as you go down. Push your chest out very slightly in front of you to counterbalance the heavy load on your heels. When you have reached the depth of the squat, reverse motion and jump up into the air as high as you possibly can. When you land from your jump, go immediately into your next squat. |
| EXERCISE IMAGES |
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Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith
