The next few Sunday Squat routines are going to be structured in a way that allows us to decrease our rest periods over time. For those of you who have been following the routines over the past seven weeks, the rest periods have been determined based on load progression (how the weights are increased or decreased) as well as movement specificity (which exercise you’re doing). The next few weeks, however, will present a framework that allows us to decrease rest periods, increase time under tension, and ultimately increase hypertrophy. Make sure you’re paying extra close attention to the time in between sets this week. That said, let’s get growin’!
Front Squats (Moderate Stance) with 1-2” Heel Elevation:
4 sets, 10 reps, 4010 tempo
Note – Rest 90 seconds between each set (this rest time will DECREASE exponentially over the coming weeks)
Note – Each rep should be ‘pulled down’ with the hamstrings being used to lower the weight on the eccentric (negative) part of the rep. This has been a common theme throughout the past weeks, and I can’t stress the importance of this enough. If you’re doing it correctly, the intention should be felt in the hamstrings throughout the entire movement.
Hack Squat (Narrow Stance):
4 sets, 8 reps, 4010 temp, 90 seconds rest between sets
Note – Feet should be slightly closer than shoulder width for quad emphasis.
Leg Extensions:
3 sets, 20 reps, 2022 tempo, 90 seconds rest between sets
1 dropset, 10 reps with each drop, 4 drops of approximately 20% (All you MI40 and Hypertrophy MAX experts should be very experienced with this)
Smith Machine Straight Leg Deadlifts (Toes Elevated 1”):
4 sets, 8 reps, 4010 tempo, 90 seconds rest between each dropset
Note – All four sets will be double-drop sets. Aim for two consecutive drops that are roughly 25% less weight than the previous set.
Lying Leg Curls:
4 sets, 20 reps, 4010 tempo, 90 seconds rest between sets
Note – For the first two sets, place your feet in ‘dorsiflexion’ (toes flexed upwards the shin) throughout the movement
Note – For the last two sets, place your feet in ‘plantarflexion’ (toes pointed) throughout the movement
Think these rest periods were difficult? Well, be prepared for them to decrease in the following weeks. Hopefully you haven’t scheduled too many outings that will require much walking in the following month. For those of you mentally and physically strong enough to stick around, I’ll see you next week.
BPak
I’m all over it!