Name: Playbook - Michael Smith - W4/D3 LEGS - QUAD FOCUSED
Uploaded: 2024-04-15T15:37:50.807Z
Duration: 90 min
Description: W4/D3 LEGS - QUAD FOCUSED

Intensity:
- Aim to keep your heart rate at 70% of you maximum heart rate [ 220 - age in years].

Set-Up:
- Adjust the seat height and handlebar position on the stationary exercise bike to ensure proper posture and comfort throughout the warm-up.

Warm-Up Phase:
- Start pedaling at a slow and steady pace, focusing on smooth and controlled revolutions.
- Keep your resistance level low initially, allowing your muscles to gradually adapt to the motion.
- Maintain a relaxed grip on the handlebars and engage your core muscles to support your posture.

Warm Up - Bike

- Press up using your toes activating your calf muscles
- Lower slowly stretching the calf muscles

Seated Calf Raise

- Adjust the padded lever of the calf raise machine to fit your height
- Place your shoulders under the pads provided and position your toes facing forward 
- The balls of your feet should be secured on top of the calf block with the heels extending off it
- Push the lever up by extending your hips and knees until your torso is standing erect
- The knees should be kept with a slight bend; never locked
- Raise your heels as you breathe out by extending your ankles as high as possible and flexing your calf
- Hold the contracted position by a second before you start to go back down
- Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in by lowering your heels as you bend the ankles until calves are stretched
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions

Standing Calf Raise

Set 1: Perform 8 reps at approximately 50% of your working weight.

Set 2: Perform 5 reps at approximately 80% of your working weight.

Execution:
- Position yourself under the bar: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing the machine. Step forward and position yourself under the bar, ensuring it rests comfortably on your upper traps or slightly below your neck. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

- Adjust your stance: For a close stance squat, move your feet closer together, approximately hip-width or slightly narrower. Your toes can be slightly turned out if that feels more comfortable for you.

- Set your body posture: Engage your core, keep your chest lifted, and maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise. Take a deep breath and brace your abdominal muscles.

- Squat depth: Aim to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or slightly below if you have the flexibility and mobility to do so. Going deeper can increase the activation of your glutes and hamstrings but only go as low as you can while maintaining proper form.

- Drive through your heels: Once you reach the desired depth, push through your heels and extend your hips and knees simultaneously. Focus on driving the barbell straight up. Maintain control and avoid locking out your knees at the top of the movement.

Close-Stance Smith Machine Squat

- Position yourself under the bar: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing the machine. Step forward and position yourself under the bar, ensuring it rests comfortably on your upper traps or slightly below your neck. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

- Adjust your stance: For a close stance squat, move your feet closer together, approximately hip-width or slightly narrower. Your toes can be slightly turned out if that feels more comfortable for you.

- Set your body posture: Engage your core, keep your chest lifted, and maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise. Take a deep breath and brace your abdominal muscles.

- Begin the squat: Initiate the movement by bending at your hips and knees simultaneously. Lower your body down by pushing your hips back and down, maintaining control throughout the descent. Keep your chest up and your gaze forward to help maintain a proper posture.

- Squat depth: Aim to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or slightly below if you have the flexibility and mobility to do so. Going deeper can increase the activation of your glutes and hamstrings but only go as low as you can while maintaining proper form.

- Drive through your heels: Once you reach the desired depth, push through your heels and extend your hips and knees simultaneously. Focus on driving the barbell straight up. Maintain control and avoid locking out your knees at the top of the movement.

- Using a leg press machine, sit down on the machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you at a medium (shoulder width) foot stance
- Lower the safety bars holding the weighted platform in place and press the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of you (Make sure that you do not lock your knees)
- Your torso and the legs should make a perfect 90-degree angle
- As you inhale, slowly lower the platform until your upper and lower legs make a 90-degree angle
- Pushing mainly with the heels of your feet and using the quadriceps go back to the starting position as you exhale
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and ensure to lock the safety pins properly once you are done

Leg Press

Begin by adjusting the seat height and the leg pad position of the seated leg curl machine according to your comfort. Make sure that the leg pad aligns with your lower leg, just above the Achilles tendon.
Grasp the handles on the sides of the seat for stability. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged throughout the exercise.
Start the movement by flexing your knees, bringing your heels towards your glutes. Maintain a controlled and smooth motion throughout the exercise.
As you curl your legs, focus on squeezing your hamstrings to initiate the movement. Avoid using your hips or lower back to lift the weight. Your upper legs should remain in contact with the leg pad at all times.
Continue curling until your knees are fully flexed, and you feel a strong contraction in your hamstrings. Pause briefly at the top of the movement to maximize muscle activation.
Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position by extending your legs, maintaining control throughout the descent.

Seated Leg Curl - DROPSET on last set

- Adjust the pad so that it falls on top of your lower leg (just above your feet) Also, make sure that your legs form a 90-degree angle between the lower and upper leg
- Using your quadriceps, extend your legs to the maximum as you exhale
- Ensure that the rest of the body remains stationary on the seat
- Pause a second on the contracted position
- Slowly lower the weight back to the original position as you inhale, ensuring that you do not go past the 90-degree angle limit

Leg Extension

- Start with the barbell on your upper back
- Step back with the first foot and lower down until knees are 90 degrees
- Repeat on the opposite side

Barbell Reverse Lunge

W4/D3 LEGS - QUAD FOCUSED

Federico

Stephanie

Mark

W1/D1 PUSH

Andres

Brandon Molina

W1/D2 PULL

Stephen

Loved the intensity. Forgot my headphones and had to push through with Katy Perry playing at my gym LMAAAOOO. Not looking forward to the next leg day 💀💀(will do it anyway of course)

Silbestre

W1/D3 LEGS - QUAD FOCUSED

Alfonso

Justin

W1/D4 PUSH

Neil

Pharaoh Williams

W1/D5 PULL

Bakeer

Russ

Another solid workout completed. 6 days in a row, looking forward tot his off day tomorrow! 🫡

W4/D3 LEGS - QUAD FOCUSED

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