I was hoping to get some input on developing a leg specialization program. Not that my upper body is all that great, but my legs have always lagged; they’re naturally long and skinny (thanks Ma!) so I’ve always looked top-heavy. So I want to embark on a six week specialization to try to bring them up a bit. I know there are some routines posted here, but none have really jumped out at me as the route I want to take (though one from Dan Trink from 2012 gave me a few ideas).
I’d like to work them three days per week (MWF) with T, Th dedicated to upper body maintenance, and weekends off.
I am not sure whether to break them up by muscle focus each workout day (Quads, Hams, Glutes…I know there would be overlap) or work all groups each day but break it up by intensity (heavy, medium, light)… or some third way. I would like to incorporate compound, isolation, unilateral and explosive movements each workout if at all possible.
A few things to note:
Equipment: I workout at home. I have a squat rack, bench with curl/ext attachment, adjustable dumbbells, and a leg press/hack squat machine. I have a decent amount of weight but not enough for lower rep leg press.
Strength: I’m weak as shit. My squat max is probably around 285. Deadlift…really no idea, but would guess 350 or so. I have tried lower volume with heavier weights and I just don’t seem to ever feel trashed after those kinds of workouts (although my CNS does). So I am leaning towards a higher volume program. I am not afraid of overtraining; if I feel I am, I will back off.
MMC: I don’t have a very good mind-muscle connection with my legs. I certainly will feel my quads after high rep leg press or glutes after lunges, but I rarely feel the muscle contract when performing the exercise unless it’s a true isolation movement (this is another reason I’m leaning towards a higher volume approach).
I work calves separately and often, before my main workout (about 4x/week). I know my strength sucks, but I am 43 and am not willing to embark on a pure strength routine at this point; I want to focus on hypertrophy.
I am not asking for anyone to design a program for me. I am more looking for input on how to set it up (CC?) and if one way over another has worked for you in the past. I have a long list of exercises to incorporate that will definitely cover the bases. That will be my next challenge after I determine the structure. Thanks.