Damn those legs looking big!
Thanks bud.
They're back to at least where they were before my knee went to fuck all.
Now it's just a very conscious effort to be sure the left leg is doing its share of work in any type of squat or press. It's behind but, getting better at least.
Speaking of the left leg, there is definitely a big difference in strength and even nerve activity there. For instance, If I'm just sitting down and try to extend the quad, I REALLY have to put effort into getting it fully extended. The right leg, goes right up. The left, I can extend to 3/4 but to get the full contraction takes effort.
This is why I know there's a bigger issue then just tendinitis in the knee but, no time to fuck with it at a dr.
Today was leg day too. I've been asked fifty times in pm how I train legs.... I post my log book but that's not really explaining things much so I'll explain a bit today.
Adductor machine - 2 working sets 1 rep short of failure. This means I finish a rep and KNOW I can't get another. 1 set to failure. This means I can't fully contract the weight when I try on the last rep.
I do Adductors first every session but, this rotation for legs I don't follow them with a leg curl because of my leg press variation after.
I put Adductors and leg curls FIRST on leg days because I want to make sure the legs are warm and I've got a good amount of blood in there. There's a few reasons here but mostly, to help prevent injury since we're warm and the muscle is pumped and, to get the cns firing a bit for when I move to my "bigger lifts". Going in cold to a safety squat or hack or whatever is asking for problems eventually and with the hamstrings and Adductors "activated" the weights feel more stable and in not trying to catch up in that regard.
Low wide leg press - 2 sets 1 rep short of failure, 1 muscle round set (6 mini sets of 4 with 4 deep breaths between each set) goal here is to completely fail during the 6th set in 4 reps. If I don't fail, I keep that set going until I do fail.
Control every rep . Deep stretch to a point where you're not putting your lower back in a compromised position.
Hack feet low and close - 2 working sets 1 Rep short of failure. I just put these in and took out split Squats since this day is very hamstrings dominant. There are only 2 working sets here because even though the leg press is bias to Adductors and hamstrings, the quads get good work as well. I'm not going ass to grass here, there's no need. I'm descending to the point where my calves touch my hamstrings which is where the quad is fully lengthened and from there contract back up. No bouncing, no hitting the bottom, just control.
If I were doing hacks to target the entire leg, I would use a reverse band here since the weight would be much heavier and I do get deeper on those. The band is to just take a little tension off the knee in the hole. It's not there to help your ego and load more plates. The band will also allow you to overload the top of the movement since you will use a bit more weight and the band stops assisting any once you're out of the hole.
Rdl - 1 working set 1 rep short of failure, I set of pause reps 1 rep short of failure. bread and butter shit here guys. Hip hinge movements are SO important in Glute, hamstring, Adductor, erector development. Guys who really hammer these movements (deads, stiff leg dead, rdls, good mornings) have crazy density from the back. On rdls, I have my feet just about shoulder width apart, toes out slightly, knees slightly bent. My focus is to push my ass out to make me go down, when I can't push it out anymore, I pull it in to come up. I'm not trying to pull my shoulders up, or press with my quads, just ass back, ass in. A good cue here is to watch your Adductors. If you have any, you'll see them "move apart" (lengthen) on the way down, then try to see them come back together at the top.
Lying leg curl - 2 sets to failure, 1 rest pause set. Not much to talk about. Try to force your hips down into the pad on every contraction, don't let them come up or forward. Control the beginning of the rep, don't jerk it up to start contraction. Slow eccentrics, slight hold at the stretch.
Hip extension - 3-4 sets to failure I do these standing on a cable. I've got pancake ass so that's the biggest reason they're in there but, it also has helped with my hip strength. My quads and hamstrings have outpaced my hips so I was getting pain handling the heavier weights in the hip. These seem to help so far but I'm sure there's a better alternative I haven't tried. Standing straight up, leg straight, pull back by contracting the Glute and squeeze the fuck out of it.
I started training calves again a few weeks back. When I say I started training them I mean really training them like everything else. Not 3 sets of whatever cause I was already doing this. Progressive overload, long hold in the stretch, forced reps.
I don't do any different types of toe position, I just have one cue. Toes straight and I imagine I'm holding a Water bottle between my ankles and not letting it drop. Try that next time.
That's it. Hopefully someone will get something out of this long ass post.
I'd hate to turn my whole back into a big sheet of velcro.