I had an unpleasant experience at the gym last night and some other drama last night, so today I decided to hit the gym early and train legs. This is the only workout of the week where I feel myself sent into another world. I have to divert a great deal of effort, which would otherwise be centered on lifting, in the hopes of creating a mind/body focus that will serve me faithfully through a series of painful, unpleasant exercises. Pain is not the name of the game, but it certainly makes itself a key player throughout.
I have always believed in getting your heaviest lifts out of the way first. I begin my routine by setting aside 3-5 minutes for stretching, then I perform a set of eight squats, using only on the 45lb. bar. Although I don't count the first set, even as a warm-up, I feel it's imperative to use this point in time to visually perform what should be the perfect, model rep, repeated 8x for the news to spread to all back alleys and corners of my mind and the vast realm of the subconscious.
The first real set, consists of a warm-up of eight repetitions with 135lbs performed far beyond parallel. There is also a second warm-up set, again with 135, going just as deep as its predecessor. The following sets are of 225, 275, 315, and 335 -- w/ the reps decreasing as the weight increases.
Following squats, I hit front squats (usually 3 sets), lunges (3-5 sets), hack squats (usually 5 sets), leg extensions (usually performed single-leg for 5 sets), and I end the day with two calf exercises.
