front thighs:
1. Hack Squats - This exercise involves the Hack Squat Machine. Place your back against the padded surface, then place your shoulders firmly underneath the yokes attached to the machine. Place your heels 12 inches apart and your toes 16 inches apart. Lift slide up a few inches, rotate the stop handles to the sides, and straighten your legs. Slowly bend your legs down to the point where heels begin to leave the platform, then return your starting position and flex your quadriceps as hard as you can at the top of the movement.
2. Barbell Front Squats - Stand with feet 12 inches apart with your heels on a block that is about 2 to 3 inches high (the higher your block, the less emphasis there is on your gluteals). Place barbell across your anterior deltoids, hold your up arms parallel to the floor with your elbows pointing forward, cross your forearms, grasp the bar, and look straight ahead. Slowly squat down to the point where your thighs are parallel to floor while keeping your back upright and straight, then return to your starting position and flex your quads as hard as you can. Be sure NOT to bend forward as it would be dangerous to do that!!
3. Sissy Squats - Standing up, place a hand or two on something for support. Raise up on the balls of your feet with your heels off the ground. Then slowly lower yourself down with your upper body leaning back until your buttocks nearly touch your heels. Pause and let your quads feel the stress being imposed upon them, then stand back up and flex your quads as hard as you can for 4 seconds.
4. Leg Extension - Sit down on the machine, grasp the handles, and place your ankles beneath the roller pads. Extend your legs until they are almost parallel to the floor. Return to starting position.
*All exercises done to 15 reps
Rear thighs:
1. ¾ Straight Leg Barbell Deadlifts - Place hands shoulder width on barbell. Stand fully erect on platform or bench with your feet 12 inches apart and with the barbell resting on your thighs. This exercise is done in a smooth, continuous motion. Lower the barbell as close as you can to your toes as you can while keeping your legs and back straight. Begin to stand back up but only to the point where your torso comes up about three-quarters of the way up (this keeps tension on your hamstring without involving your hips or gluteals too much). Important: Keep your back straight throughout the entire movement! If you feel pain behind your knee, allow your knee to bend slightly.
2. Lying Leg Curl - Lie facedown on your elbow supporting your upper body on the padded surface and place your ankles underneath the roller pads. Raise your feet upward towards your buttocks (try to touch your buttocks with your heels) and flex your hamstrings. Slowly lower your feet back down close to your starting position, but not completely all the way down.
3. ¾ Straight Leg Barbell Deadlifts - See exercise number 1.
4. Seated Leg Curls - Sit on the machines with your legs straight and your ankles resting on the roller pad. Grasp the handles at your sides. Lower the leg restraints onto your thighs to secure them. Then lower the roller pad down and slowly let the roller pad come back up about three-quarters of the way up.
*all exercises done to 15 reps
Calves:
1. Standing Barbell Calf Raise - This exercise can be done using either a free barbell or a smith machine. Place the barbell firmly on your trapezius just above your posterior deltoids (rear delts). Use a grip width appropriate to your body type – it must allow you to pull your elbows to the rear. Take the bar off of the rack standing up and back away to avoid interference with the squat rack (this is not necessary when using smith machine) and place your feet about 4 to 6 inches apart.Raise up as high as you can on your toes and then slowly return to your starting position.
2. Selectorized Leg Press Calf-Raise - Lay down on your back on the padded surface and place your shoulders firmly underneath the yokes attached to the machine. Place your feet a 4 to 6 inches apart and push off on your toes as much as possible. Return to starting position.
3. Standing Calf Raises with Calves Block - This exercise is done on either a smith machine or a calf-raise machine using a block or a block designed for doing calf raises on. With either the barbell from the smith machine placed firmly on your trapezius or the yokes attached to the calf-raise machine placed firmly on your shoulders, place your toes and balls of your feet 6 inches away from each other and lower your heels as far down as possible and then raise up on your toes as high as you can. Return to starting position.
4. Seated Calf Raise - Seat yourself on the machine’s seat and place your knees underneath the restraint pads. Then place your toes and the balls of your feet on the foot pad. Let your heels sink as low as possible then raise your heels up as high as you can. Return to starting position.
*each exercise done to 20 reps
1. Hack Squats - This exercise involves the Hack Squat Machine. Place your back against the padded surface, then place your shoulders firmly underneath the yokes attached to the machine. Place your heels 12 inches apart and your toes 16 inches apart. Lift slide up a few inches, rotate the stop handles to the sides, and straighten your legs. Slowly bend your legs down to the point where heels begin to leave the platform, then return your starting position and flex your quadriceps as hard as you can at the top of the movement.
2. Barbell Front Squats - Stand with feet 12 inches apart with your heels on a block that is about 2 to 3 inches high (the higher your block, the less emphasis there is on your gluteals). Place barbell across your anterior deltoids, hold your up arms parallel to the floor with your elbows pointing forward, cross your forearms, grasp the bar, and look straight ahead. Slowly squat down to the point where your thighs are parallel to floor while keeping your back upright and straight, then return to your starting position and flex your quads as hard as you can. Be sure NOT to bend forward as it would be dangerous to do that!!
3. Sissy Squats - Standing up, place a hand or two on something for support. Raise up on the balls of your feet with your heels off the ground. Then slowly lower yourself down with your upper body leaning back until your buttocks nearly touch your heels. Pause and let your quads feel the stress being imposed upon them, then stand back up and flex your quads as hard as you can for 4 seconds.
4. Leg Extension - Sit down on the machine, grasp the handles, and place your ankles beneath the roller pads. Extend your legs until they are almost parallel to the floor. Return to starting position.
*All exercises done to 15 reps
Rear thighs:
1. ¾ Straight Leg Barbell Deadlifts - Place hands shoulder width on barbell. Stand fully erect on platform or bench with your feet 12 inches apart and with the barbell resting on your thighs. This exercise is done in a smooth, continuous motion. Lower the barbell as close as you can to your toes as you can while keeping your legs and back straight. Begin to stand back up but only to the point where your torso comes up about three-quarters of the way up (this keeps tension on your hamstring without involving your hips or gluteals too much). Important: Keep your back straight throughout the entire movement! If you feel pain behind your knee, allow your knee to bend slightly.
2. Lying Leg Curl - Lie facedown on your elbow supporting your upper body on the padded surface and place your ankles underneath the roller pads. Raise your feet upward towards your buttocks (try to touch your buttocks with your heels) and flex your hamstrings. Slowly lower your feet back down close to your starting position, but not completely all the way down.
3. ¾ Straight Leg Barbell Deadlifts - See exercise number 1.
4. Seated Leg Curls - Sit on the machines with your legs straight and your ankles resting on the roller pad. Grasp the handles at your sides. Lower the leg restraints onto your thighs to secure them. Then lower the roller pad down and slowly let the roller pad come back up about three-quarters of the way up.
*all exercises done to 15 reps
Calves:
1. Standing Barbell Calf Raise - This exercise can be done using either a free barbell or a smith machine. Place the barbell firmly on your trapezius just above your posterior deltoids (rear delts). Use a grip width appropriate to your body type – it must allow you to pull your elbows to the rear. Take the bar off of the rack standing up and back away to avoid interference with the squat rack (this is not necessary when using smith machine) and place your feet about 4 to 6 inches apart.Raise up as high as you can on your toes and then slowly return to your starting position.
2. Selectorized Leg Press Calf-Raise - Lay down on your back on the padded surface and place your shoulders firmly underneath the yokes attached to the machine. Place your feet a 4 to 6 inches apart and push off on your toes as much as possible. Return to starting position.
3. Standing Calf Raises with Calves Block - This exercise is done on either a smith machine or a calf-raise machine using a block or a block designed for doing calf raises on. With either the barbell from the smith machine placed firmly on your trapezius or the yokes attached to the calf-raise machine placed firmly on your shoulders, place your toes and balls of your feet 6 inches away from each other and lower your heels as far down as possible and then raise up on your toes as high as you can. Return to starting position.
4. Seated Calf Raise - Seat yourself on the machine’s seat and place your knees underneath the restraint pads. Then place your toes and the balls of your feet on the foot pad. Let your heels sink as low as possible then raise your heels up as high as you can. Return to starting position.
*each exercise done to 20 reps