just thought I’d ask. How many exercises do you guys normally do for quads/hams, and what exercises would you normally substitute in for the exercises in your typical session. For me right now I’m making better gains by just doing 3 exercises for legs: back squats, good mornings, and hs leg extensions. For all 3 exercises I do 3-4 sets ramping it upward to an all out set.
I do back squats, leg press, SLDL, lying leg curls and standing calf raises. 3 working sets of 8 to 11 reps except for calves which I do 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Good mornings for legs??? lower back, no?
I always thought of good mornings as a hamstring exercise as much as a lower back one. I’m having trouble fitting it into my back workout since I do about 4-5 exercises for back including deadlifts, so I just include it in legs.
[quote]NeedforStrength wrote:
I always thought of good mornings as a hamstring exercise as much as a lower back one. I’m having trouble fitting it into my back workout since I do about 4-5 exercises for back including deadlifts, so I just include it in legs.[/quote]
I include deadlifts with legs. I just alternate with which one I start with between deadlifts and squats although they’re 2 different variations. Generally, I’ll do Sumo deadlifts with front squats second one day, then do back squats with stiff-legged deadlifts 5 days later and cycle through that. Other exercises include leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, and lunges. Calves are done on a separate day.
I do 4 lifts generally: power cleans or power snatches followed by heavy front squats or deadlifts, followed by 1 accessory work exercise (i.e. reverse lunges, SLDLs. I choose quads if I do deadlifts, and hams if I did front squats), followed by standing or seated calves.
Good mornings are an eccentric hamstring strengthening exercise on the way down (predominantly), with concentric low back on the way up.
Train hamstrings/quads in different sessions. Hamstrings together with deadlift.
So after deadlift its leg press with feet high on the plate to get a good stretch and then leg curls. Those to movements are super-setts A1 Leg press A2 Leg curls…
Quads I first train Squat, Then leg press with narrow stance super setted with Leg extensions.
The superset between leg press and extensions really gives me the burn, I love it 
Also used front squat super set with lunges before, really like super setting the leg workouts.
Articles worth to read, about hamstring/ quad training:
EDIT: for calves I do 5x15 standing calf raise once a a week. Works for me.
I too split the hams and quads - i see MUCH improved results with the higher volume possible.
ATM i am doing 9 sets for hamstrings and 12 sets for quads… so 21 for the upper leg and around 9 for the lower.
Hamstring:
GHR 3xfail
Leg Curl 3x6-10
RDL 3x8-12
Quads:
Squat 2x4-8
1x20 widows
Incline Leg Press 3x8-12
DB Lunges 3x12-15
Machine Leg Press 3x15-20
Calves:
Standing Calf Raise 3x6-12
1 Leg DB Calf Raise 3x12-15
Seated Calf 3x20-100
JJ
how big are you j-j? sounds like you’ve been doing this for quite some time now.
215lbs at about 13% as of yesterday and today. 5’8"…
I have been lifting for some time now yep, but i have also been a trainer for a few years too, so that is a large factor in my education.
I do:
Deadlifts - 4x4-6
Front Squats with heels elevated - 3x10-12
Single leg deadlifts (I really feel these in the hamstrings) - 4x7-9
*Calve Jumps - 4x10-12
Yes, I know calve jumps are not the best exercise(or even one of the best) for most people, but right now, doing regular calve raises hurt the sole of my feet, so I still want some sort of calve work. At the very least I can say if they will work or not. I plan on going back to regular calve work when the pain subsides.
Its also funny how I have to explain myself, as if i hadn’t, I would have been made fun of for doing them 
[quote]GluteusGigantis wrote:
Good mornings are an eccentric hamstring strengthening exercise on the way down (predominantly), with concentric low back on the way up.
[/quote]
Hmm… this isn’t really true mate.
Hamstrings and glutes are the prime movers here contracting concentricly(sp?) on flexion of the trunk and eccentricly(sp?) on extension.
The lower back (erectors) are contracting isometricly(sp?) throughout - it is just that on the extension of the trunk the weight is being lifted and the contraction is significantly higher in tension than lowering the weight to move the trunk into flexion.
JJ
[quote]kickureface wrote:
how big are you j-j? sounds like you’ve been doing this for quite some time now.[/quote]
he wishes the same size as his avatar
[quote]sid132 wrote:
kickureface wrote:
how big are you j-j? sounds like you’ve been doing this for quite some time now.
he wishes the same size as his avatar ;)[/quote]
lol! No shit.
I know Priest was never going to be the best… his arms (and inversely his chest) and such - but i really rate him as a bodybuilder, and if any muscle group is to be over developed - i think arms are a good way to go!
(Maybe it is because i too have a weaker chest and stronger arms aestheticly… ;p here’s hoping!)
Back squats, sometimes high rep deadlifts.
I’ve split let workouts on two days a week and have done 1 day a week. To really hit the hammies with any sort of volume I think you need to hit the legs twice a week:
Leg Day 1: Quad First
A1) Squat Variation
A2) Leg Curl
B1) Leg Press Variation (include Hacks in here)
B2) Natural Glute Ham Raise
C1) Standing Calf
Leg Day 2: Hamms First
A1) Deadlift Variation
A2) Leg Extension
B1) RDL or Goodmorning or Cable Pull-Thru or Hyperextension…really depends on how the deads go
B2) Bulgarian Split Squat
C2) Seated Calf
[quote]cyruseven75 wrote:
Good mornings for legs??? lower back, no? [/quote]
Great ham exercise. Particularly the heavy PL version.
Do you think there’s a benefit in doing the closer stand version good morning. With that I mean using the same stance in the good morning as you would your conventional deadlift. Or does it not really matter at all and you can go wider with the feet with the same benefit?
Back Squat 5x5
Leg Press 3x10-12
Stiff Legged DeadLift 3x8-10
SuperSet Lunges 3x24 with Standing Leg Curl 3x8
Finish with 3x6-5-4-3-2-1* Standing one Leg Calf Raise
- I do 6 reps with one leg after the same with the other, right after 5 reps and so one, til one