Leg day separates the contenders from the pretenders in natural bodybuilding.
Leg workouts shouldn’t be an easy walk in the park. Legs shouldn’t be uninspiring. And leg day definitely should create some fear in your heart before you even get to the gym.
The Most Common Flaw
Your physique is not complete without great legs. Without wheels, you will stand out on stage, but in a bad way. To earn those iconic wheels, you’ve got to be willing to struggle when it’s time to train your legs. Your success requires struggle.
The most common flaw for many natural bodybuilders and figure competitors is the lack of an impressive lower body. Decent quads are much more common than decent glutes, hamstrings, and calves. In natural shows, poor lower body development is one of the fastest ways to get overlooked by the judges.
It’s typical to see a man with good upper body development but nothing to offer below the waist. And it’s common to see a female figure competitor with decent quads and a flat stomach. But then she has nothing to offer from the side and rear poses.
Leg workouts are hard and can be brutal. But as a competitor, you must accept this fact. You will build amazing wheels by doing hard leg days.
What Legs Isn’t
Leg day isn’t loading up squats with too much weight and then barely squatting down. Leg day isn’t loading up the leg press with excessive weight just to slightly bend your knees during the rep.
Leg day isn’t about doing deadlifts with too much weight, too much ego, and lifting with lousy form. Leg day isn’t about doing a bunch of easy machines and avoiding the hard, honest iron work.
Leg day isn’t setting up your phone behind your butt to film your 15lb dumbbell RDLs for social media. Leg day exposes your DNA as a lifter. And leg day doesn’t lie.
The Moves That Will Build Legs
So, what actually builds elite-level wheels? Not ego lifts or fluff work, but these proven, grind-it-out moves. The primary moves that will build your legs up have not changed. And they can be performed with barbells, dumbbells, and other specialty bars. I’ll break them down by the main muscle being worked on.
Quad Dominant
• Squats
• Walking Lunges
• Hack Squats
• Sissy Squats
• Roman Chair Squats
Glute/Ham Dominant
• Deadlifts
• RDLs
• Glute-Ham Raises
• Split Squats
• Hip Thrusts
• Reverse Lunges
• Back Extensions
• Sprinting
Calf Dominant
• Calf Raises
These exercises form the foundation of an elite leg work out for natural bodybuilders. But the moves don’t work by themselves. You also need the proper intensity and consistency. Your workouts need progressive overload. This means you should add weight, reps, or difficulty over time to see growth. Going into the gym and giving a weak, fake hustle effort will get you nowhere.
Conclusion
Put in the work, build those wheels, and separate yourself from the pretenders. You can’t skip leg day if you intend to get on stage. Real champions are built from the ground up.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
