Tom Venuto's BodybuildingSecrets.com - High Tension, Big Pump Leg Training

High Tension, Big Pump Leg Training

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT

Tuesday, July 26th. Leg day once again! I trained solo today, so I whipped through this workout very quickly, which was difficult to do. It’s pretty easy to cut down your rest intervals on small body parts because they don’t tax the cardio vascular system, but on leg day, you’re not only fighting local muscular fatigue, but also cardio vascular fatigue. Regardless, I went a bit lighter than usual, pushed the pace, and worked on high tension and a big pump.

QUADS

A1 Smith Machine squats: 3 light warm up sets; Set 1: 185 X 12 reps wide “sumo” stance, lockout & squeeze hard, then 10 more reps regular stance, no lockout; Set 2: 205 X 12 reps wide “sumo” stance, lockout & squeeze hard, then 8 more reps regular stance, no lockout; Set 3: 225 lbs X 12 reps wide “sumo” stance,lockout & squeeze hard, then 6 more reps regular stance, no lockout
B1 Leg Press: Set 1: 630 lbs (7 plates per side) X 15 reps, slow constant tension; Set 2: 630 lbs (7 plates per side) X 13 reps slow constant tension, pause, then 3 more reps; Set 3: 630 lbs (7 plates per side) X 12 reps slow constant tension, pause, then 3 more reps
B2 Leg Extension: 3 sets X 140 lbs X 10 reps; No rest between exercises B1 & B2, 90 seconds rest between supersets
C1 Hack Squat: 3 sets X 230 lbs (2 plates + quarters) X 16, 13, 12 reps, with slow constant tension (4030 tempo, only come 3/4 to 4/5 of the way up)
C2 Sissy Squat: 3 sets X bodyweight X 10-12 reps, no lockout, come up 3/4; no rest between exercises C1 & C2, 90 seconds rest between supersets

HAMSTRINGS

A1 Stiff Legged Deadlift: 3 light warm up sets; 1 set X 185 lbs X 15 reps; 1 set X 205 lbs X 12 reps; 1 set X 225 lbs X 8 reps
B1 Lying Leg curl Icarian machine: 4 sets X 180 lbs X 12, 11, 10, 10 reps, last set drop set to 130 lbs, 10 more reps

Workout Commentary

My low back is feeling better, so I decided to start out with squats today, although I did them in the Smith machine. I usually squat with a barbell (back and front squats), but I figured the Smith machine would be a good way to get back into the groove. Nothing spectacular on poundages, but the back felt strong and my quads got a killer workout as I kept rest between sets to a minimum and used some intensity techniques…

On the squats I used a stance-change technique where I started with very wide sumo-style squats, then when I got fatigued, I locked out for about five seconds, took a few deep breaths (without racking the weight), and changed the stance to conventional shoulder width and went on for more reps. At the top of each rep of the wide stance squats, I contracted the quads hard as if I were posing. This is very difficult to do because your natural inclination is to rest momentarily at the top. Then on the regular stance squats, I did as many reps as I could - fairly quick tempo - but without locking out to keep constant tension on the muscle.

After squats, I loaded up the leg press with 7 plates per side (after a couple quick build up/warm up sets), and did slow, continuous tension reps, three sets of 12-15 reps, supersetted with leg extensions.

I wrapped up quads with hack squats supersetted with sissy squats. Again, both were done with slow continuous tension - no locking out. I was really working today on pushing though the burn and forcing a lot of blood into the muscle.

For hamstrings, I went on to my 2nd workout in a row with stiff legged deadlifts. I’m still slowly building the weights back up where they should be. So far so good. Lower back feels good. If all goes well, I’ll keep the stiff leg deads in the routine all the way to show day. It’s one of the best for hams.

Mission was accomplished today… getting back into squats and SLD’s and got a major pump in the quads.

Posted 26 July, 2005 in Workouts

Comments

Joe, Philly said:

Hey Tom-

I constantly regard back to BFFM for info as well as inspiration. Thanks for this blog. It's nice to see what actually goes on in your pre-contest regimen.

Quick question. I have been doing major cardio and weights lately. But I have a natural tendency to under eat. I'm a natural mesomorph, at about 180lbs and just under 10% bodyfat. I've decided to lay off the cardio for a while and bump up the calories in order make some gains in strength. I don't have a problem with gaining or losing fat, except these last few pounds. But how long would you suggest I stay up on cals and low on cardio while my metabolism readjusts?

Thanks for your help and input in everything. It is greatly appreciated.

-Joe C.

Posted on Aug 03, 2005 12:41 PM