Name: Playbook - Alexander Konevsky - W5/D7 Legs
Uploaded: 2022-05-08T06:22:31.578Z
Duration: 90 min
Description: W5/D7 Legs

This is your priming movement to activate your quads and warm up your knees. Use this to get your mind focused and in the zone for this intense session. Prioritize the mind muscle connection with these, keeping each rep controlled.  

- Sit on the machine with the pad at the bottom of your shin 
- Extend your legs and squeeze through the quads to move the weight until your leg is fully extended
- Pause at the top holding the contraction for a split second and lower slowly keeping constant tension on the quads

Leg extensions

- Pull yourself tightly into the pad to create a strong base to press from
- Keep your foot placement lower on the platform to make the movement more quad focused
- Lower your legs towards your chest in a slow and controlled manner
- Drive through your heels as you press and always have a slight flair in your knees to avoid them caving in

Leg press (quad focused)

This will be your main compound movement so stay focused and make these sets worth it. Go as heavy as you can while keeping in the recommended rep range + controlling the weight at all times. Only squat to as low as your body lets you. Do not force yourself into depth as this will cause rounding in the lower back.

Make sure to set your feet placement correctly if you’re gyms smith machine is angled. You would need to move your feet a few inches forward to avoid rolling onto your toes at the bottom of the rep. 

- Using a smith machine, keep a close stance with your feet while pointing your toes slightly outwards at a 45 degree angle. 
- Squat down with a 2-3 second tempo during the negative portion of the rep then finish the rep explosively
- Push through your heels to help engage your quads

Smith Machine Squat

Dumbbell RDL’s are recommend but barbell is great as well. Always avoid forcing yourself into depth and only go as far as your hamstrings will let you. If you begin to feel unnecessary load or rounding in your lower back, this usually means you are going too deep into the stretch. 

- Start with dumbbells in your hands standing upright as opposed to starting from the floor
- Slowly lower the weight with a very slight bend in your knees
- Sit your butt back, bending from the hips and be conscious of your lower back posture to ensure there is no rounding
- During the negative portion of the lift, guid the weight parallel to your shins until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings
- Drive your hips forward and use your hamstrings / glutes to elevate you up into your starting position

Romanian deadlifts

- Bring your heels towards your glutes, ensuring your hips do not lift up as you initiate the movement. This is the top way of cheating during a lying hamstring curl so be extra cautious
- Lower with a slow and controlled manner stopping right before your legs are fully lengthened before executing the rep

Lying hamstring leg curls

- Press using the balls of your feet
- Fully activate your calfs by pointing your toes as much as your body allows at the top of the movement, contracting as hard as you can
- Lower slowly and fully stretch the calf muscles so they are taken through their full range of motion before initiating the next rep

W5/D7 Legs

More workouts from Alexander Konevsky