Leg press triangle superset

I've hit a bit of a plateau lately with leg day. Generally I do 1 pure leg day per week - consisting of 5-6 exercises working all parts of the leg (quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, inner/outer thigh). My goal is always to feel like jelly by the end, and be a bit sore the next day. But lately I haven't been pushing hard enough, so I sought out the perfect addition to my routine, and found it! Starting with this exercise really gave me that extra push. Try it for yourself and see...


Muscles Worked: Legs


You Will Need: A leg press machine such as the Nautilus one shown here (should be standard at most gyms)


Time to Complete: 10 minutes



Prep: Insure you are well warmed up before beginning. This 'triangle' routine is going to start with low weight, working all the way to the heaviest, then back down. Interspersed with the weight sets are body weight squats, to get the final burn (and if your legs aren't burning on the squats, add more weight!)

You'll be starting at a weight close to your body weight and moving up from their. If the machine plates are something in between your weight, I recommend taking the lower weight (you can always start higher next time!)

The routine:

1. Perform 12 reps @ your body weight (warm up). Rest 10 seconds and adjust the weight up
2. Perform 10 reps @ body weight + 20 lbs, then exit the machine and perform 20 body squats (feet shoulder width apart, arms straight out in front of you - get as close as you can to a 90 degree angle (upper part of legs parallel to floor).
3. Perform 8 rep @ body weight + 40 lbs, then 16 body squats
4. Perform 6 rep @ body weight + 60 lbs, then 12 body squats
5. Perform 8 rep @ body weight + 40 lbs, then 16 body squats
6. Perform 10 rep @ body weight + 20 lbs, then 20 body squats
7. Perform 12 rep @ body weight, then 24 body squats to finish it out!