Everyone has weak points. For some it might be the triceps, back, calves, what have you. For some, it’s the legs. Not only are the legs part of the foundation of bodybuilding, it’s quite embarrassing to have disproportionate legs in relative to your upper body. If your goal is aesthetics, symmetry is crucial.
In my experience, when you train legs properly, they are normally not a problem for the majority of people. But like everything, there are exceptions, and some people just have bad leg genetics, that require a different approach in order to achieve growth.
In this article, you’re going to have a 5 week program in order to bring your legs up, and finally have those quads and hamstrings that get you the respect of a true brother in iron.
Before starting, here are a few important things you need to know:
– This program shouldn’t be used by novices. If you’re a novice and your legs are lacking in size, simply focus on squatting heavy and frequently, like two times a week.
– This was made with pure bodybuilding purposes in mind. If you’re an athlete, this wasn’t designed for you. You can still use it, you will get stronger and bigger legs, but it wasn’t optimized for your sport, so keep that in perspective.
– This program shouldn’t be used by someone who trains legs once per week. That is probably why your legs aren’t progressing in the first place, increase it to at least 2 times per week before even considering touching this.
– The program might be too harsh for some people, feel free to reduce a few sets if you feel the volume is too much for you to handle.
As mentioned, the program is 5 weeks long. Each week, the reps decrease while the sets increase. The first 3 Weeks are a buildup, the Week 4 it’s an over-reaching phase, and Week 5 is a de-load week. Do NOT skip the deload.
The program organized into an upper lower split, like so:
Lower, Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower, Rest, Rest
The 2 upper body sessions will ensure you avoid any strength and muscle loss during this time. You will most likely not have any gains in your upper body, and that’s fine, because we’re going to dedicate this time for your legs, which if you’re reading this, they most likely need it.
You will do 6 exercises per session. The exercises you will use will vary from day to day, but here’s the full list of exercises you will perform:
Back Squat
Front Squat
Sumo Deadlift
Stiff Leg Deadlift
Leg Press
Seated Hamstring Curl
Standing Calf Raises
Seated Calf Raises
Leg Press can be replaced by any type of Hack squat, the Seated Hamstring Curls can be replaced by Lying Hamstring Curls, and Calf work can be skipped if you so desire.
Glute and Core work can be added. I didn’t write any direct glute work in the program because with this much squatting and deadlifting, your glutes will grow regardless. If you’re a female and want some extra glute work, do 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps of Glute Bridges or Hip Thrust at the end of each lower body session. For Core, do 2-3 sets of planks, ab roll-outs or cable crunches.
The program is based on the RPE system. We’ve published an introduction article on it and why is needed, which you can read here. But long-story short:
RPE 10 – 0 rep in the tank
RPE 9 – 1 reps in the tank
RPE 8 – 2 reps in the tank
RPE 7 – 3 reps in the tank
RPE 6 – 4+ reps in the tank
Nutrition
As you know, nutrition is a big part of building muscle, so it must be addressed for optimal results. This program must be done in a caloric surplus. Muscle isn’t built out of thin air. If you don’t know how many calories to eat to gain weight, here’s a guideline:
(11.5 x bodyweight in lbs x ((100 – estimated bodyfat ) / 100) x 1.5 (+ 300-1000))
This may sound complex, but it isn’t. I will guide you step by step:
1) 100 minus your estimated body fat
2) Divide by 100.
3) Now you multiply that number by 11.5
4) Multiply again by your bodyweight in lbs.
5) Multiply again by 1.5.
6) After that, you add a number between 300 and 1000. If you feel you have a slow metabolism and you gain weight easily, aim for the lower end, if you feel you have a fast metabolism and you have a hard time gaining weight, aim for the higher end.
The final number will be the calories you should aim to consume on this program. The calories that are given might sound too high for you, but remember that you will be training 5 times per week, and with relatively high volume.
However, like I said, this is just a guideline to get you started. Regardless of that number, you should be gaining roughly 0.5lbs to 1lb per week. If you’re gaining less than that, it means you’re not eating enough calories, and if you’re gaining way more than that, you’re probably eating too much. Adjust accordingly.
Regarding protein intake, I recommend 1 – 1.5 g per lb of lean body mass.
You can also use the calculator linked previously to figure out your protein intake.
Eat everything in moderation, have plenty of vegetables and fruits every day, and that’s it. Don’t overthink it. Put your effort into training and it will be rewarded.
Supplements
Supplements are obviously not required, however, if you want to, I recommend the following:
Creatine monohydrate: 5g/day (Pre or Post-Workout)
Beta-alanine: 3-4g/day (Spread across the day)
Caffeine: 3-4mg/kg (60 mins before training )
Fish oil: 3g of total EPA+DHA (Taken with a meal)
If you want some extra joint support (fish oil already helps a ton), you can take Glucosamine sulfate. You should take 500mg 3 times per day with a meal.
Second round
Regardless how good your program and nutrition is, building muscle takes time. It’s a slow progress, it’s the nature of it and there’s nothing you can do. Because it’s such a slow progress, I recommend doing the program at least twice, having a little break in between if you wish so. On your second run, you’re going to make the following changes:
– Replace the Back Squat with the Front Squat
– Replace the Front Squat with the Back Squat
– Replace the Sumo Deadlifts for Conventional Deadlifts
– Replace the Romanian Deadlifts for Stiff Leg Deadlifts
So without any more delay here’s the full training program (click on the pic for a larger version) :
So that’s it. Go work on your legs and good luck.
