“Visualize yourself hiking up a mountain…you’ve hiked for 45 mins and you are almost there. Would you stop 5 steps before the top of the mountain? NO!”
I love that quote from this interview with Ms Olympia contender, Zoa Linsey because it sums up what leg training HAS to be all about. It has to be taken beyond the comfort zone and into the pain zone. It HAS to be extreme and no one can accuse Zoa of cruising through a leg workout with a “let’s get this done and get out of here” attitude. The legs you see in these pics are a result of hard work and extreme training….how extreme?
Well read on…you are about to find out. And be warned, this is not for the faint hearted!
So first of all let’s talk about your approach to leg day. I know that many athletes make a shift in their diet (mostly by increasing carbs) prior to leg day, is this the case for you?
“In the off-season I might decide to take advantage of the extra work load I just lifted, and have a cheat meal, or a larger post-workout meal after a leg day. However, more frequently, I will utilize the principles of specific nutrient timing and will add a post-workout shake containing a balanced amount of fast acting carbs and protein immediately following my workout, with a solid meal shortly thereafter. I do a lot of volume training and often my leg day workouts may last longer than 1 hour so I will also sip on a carbohydrate drink during my workout. Of course all this shifts when I am on a more restricted diet during ‘cutting’ season and carbohydrates are typically lowered somewhat.”
Also on the subject of nutrition, what is your pre and post workout strategy?
“My nutritional strategy is simple. Eat every 2.5 hours with a balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. I eat 6-7 meals throughout the day, depending on how long my day is. I will typically keep carbs in all these meals right up to the last week of the show; however the portions of carbs get smaller as the protein portion stays high. I eat mostly whole foods and limit the amount of shakes I use and try to pick a wide variety of nutritional sources. As I said I will take in a post-workout high-glycemic carb/protein shake immediately following the workout, but from there is it whole foods.”
Where do legs fall when it comes to your list of favorite body parts to train?
“Definitely legs are one of my favorite body-parts however of course it is sometimes a “love-hate” relationship! Leg workouts are some of the most brutal workouts you can put yourself through, but the most gratifying in the sense of that when you leave the gym you KNOW whether you put it all out on the line or not. However, the longer I train and the more dense my muscle has become it has become easier and easier to get that same feeling of intensity on most of my other body parts. It’s all about your ability to focus in on that muscle and push it to the extreme.”
In terms of muscle growth what would you say has been the hardest part of your legs to get to respond to your training?
“To be honest I have never thought of my legs or any part of my body as being difficult to respond. I simply analyze my physique after each competition and decide which areas need to be further detailed, or need that extra size to add more symmetry and a 3D effect on stage. Then I head back to the drawing board (the gym) and start working those areas a little harder and/or smarter than I did the previous year. I am constantly evaluating my training techniques and looking for ways to add intensity and additional challenges to my current training schedule. Bodybuilding is an interesting sport where you may bring up one area, then realize that now you have an imbalance somewhere else because of that extra size elsewhere! It’s an on-going evolution of your own personal sculpture. Currently I am continuing to work on adding density and depth to my quads and thickness to my hamstrings. Being 5’10” I have plenty of room to grow and I believe I am just beginning my career which to me is very motivating and exciting!
“Also I am continually evolving as I improve and see other areas that need further attention. I believe squats of various types (wide, narrow, front, sumo, box, 1-Leg) are all very valuable tools to help you focus in on various areas of the legs and push those muscles to go beyond what they are ordinarily comfortable doing. Many people think they are training hard until they learn to squat properly (deep enough) and with the right muscle control. In bodybuilding it is more important to know what muscles your using than to lift a monstrous weight so that is always my focus while in the gym training legs and working on improving the shape and thickness of my muscles.”
How do you feel about the concept of training a weak body part twice a week in order to get it to respond?
“This is a very individual thing and really depends on the person’s genetics, rest schedule, work schedule, discipline of dieting and cardio schedule. Basically something like that cannot be decided without first getting to know the individual and see how easily they become over-trained and fatigued.
For an advanced level athlete who is accustomed to training a body part once a week, adding an additional workout of a different intensity and rep range may be a valuable tool to further shock the muscle into additional growth. I use this technique occasionally but find if used to often, I eventually become over-trained.”
Do you do cardio in the off season and do you feel that it can hold back growth when it comes to legs?
“If I can help it I don’t do cardio in the off-season. Occasional low-intensity cardio is valuable to keep the heart healthy and energy levels high, however too frequently and you run the risk of tiring out and having your workouts suffer. Again this is very individual and also depends on your genetics, diet and training intensity while in the weight room. For me, I train my legs very intensely and find that too much cardio makes me weaker and less able to handle the volume I like on leg day. I don’t necessarily believe that cardio itself holds back growth, but under-eating and over-training will cumulatively lower your body’s ability to recover and put on those extra pounds of muscle you want in the off-season.”
How to you schedule your legs workouts into your workout week and what is the reasoning behind this approach?
“Typically I will schedule a leg day on a day after a rest day, or the day before a rest day. Either way has its advantages but my preference is to be fresh on a leg day and make this the beginning of my next 3-day workout cycle. Leg day takes a lot out of you if you do it properly as it is literally half your entire body so in my opinion it’s best to keep this in mind and realize you need that extra rest to tackle it with the appropriate intensity!”
Do you work with a training partner for legs?
“No, not all the time. I like to have someone available to help spot me on those extra reps, particularly for a free weight exercise but there are many ways to make your workout more intense if you are in the position of not having a regular workout partner. My husband tries to make himself available to spot me for my more intense sets and be there for me to encourage on the other sets, but many times I am working out alone. Over the years I have developed other ways to motivate and push myself. My preference would be to have a workout partner however part of doing this sport is not making excuses for yourself, instead finding ways to push yourself in other ways if someone is not available to push you through those extra reps.”
How many total sets would you advocate for someone who wanted to increase growth and what rep range do you find ideal?
“For legs I warm up very thoroughly so my total reps and sets may sound extremely high but I only consider a few of the sets to be ‘work sets’. Typically I will do about 24 sets for legs easily and vary my reps anywhere from 6 to 24 depending on where I am in the workout. I try to go to ‘failure’ at whatever rep range I use and just vary the weight to challenge both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers. My legs are very conditioned and are used to a high volume from my years of running and biking so what may sound extreme to some people feels good for me. However I do vary my workout volume week to week so that I give my body adequate recovery time. For example high volume, low volume, moderate volume, high volume…and repeat. I listen to my body and if I’m feeling tired will adjust my workout appropriately.”
What do you think of the idea of splitting hamstrings and quads up and doing them on separate days?
“It’s a good way to shake things up and further challenge your legs. As long as you don’t find yourself still extremely sore by the time your next workout arrives, and aren’t doing excessive amounts of cardio, it may be a good idea to incorporate this into the workout schedule.”
What about foot placement, do you vary this or tend to stick to one position?
“I vary my foot placement depending on the machine I’m using and what other exercises I have done that workout. I like to keep variety within my workout and also week to week to keep my body guessing so rarely will I duplicate the same workout more than 2 times in a row.”
Any valuable lessons you have learned when it comes to training legs that you would like to pass on?
“Don’t be afraid to push into the pain-zone with legs. Your legs are tough and require your mind to be stronger than your legs desire to walk out of the gym or just take it easy! Visualize yourself hiking up a mountain…you’ve hiked for 45 minutes and you’re almost there. Would you stop 5 steps before the top of the mountain? NO! So don’t stop short of complete failure just because you’re in a machine and have an option to stop. Don’t give yourself that option! One other thing…it’s just one hour of hell per week and it’s well worth to get the rest of your body growing…so suck it up and get working. No one just wants to win an ‘upper body contest’.”
Okay, finally let’s outline the following leg workout in terms of sets and reps:
FREE WEIGHT SQUAT:
“I will typically start my workout with some variation of a free squat, whether it is front squats, sumo squats, box squats or regular squats.
I will do 4-5 warm-up sets gradually increasing my weight until I hit a weight where my rep range is between 8-12.
At this working weight I will do a minimum of 3-4 work sets.
I will usually finish with a high rep, lower rep “endurance” set to get the blood into the muscles and force myself to push into the zone where I feel like my leg muscles are going to blow up they are so pumped and I am either going to lose it or pass out!”
HACK SQUAT:
“If I do the hack squat, I will typically do higher reps and a moderate weight. I keep my feet high on the platform and typically push through my heels as this exercise can often bother my knees (depending on the machine).
I’m already warmed up so I may just do 1-2 warm up sets to get the feel of the machine then move into 3-4 work sets.”
LEG PRESS:
“I will often do 1-Leg Leg Press instead of the typical 2-Leg. I find this works the glutes and quads very well and allows me to make sure I work on keeping my strength balanced. If I do 2-Leg Press I may alternate between standard foot position, wide or very wide, keeping my knees open and working the movement very deep.
Typically I will do 4 sets on this exercise and finish with a few burn out reps at the end.”
LEG EXTENSIONS:
“Usually I alternate between 1-Leg and 2-Leg Extensions and often do continuous sets going directly from one leg to the next and back again. It just depends on how much volume I have already done and how much energy I have left.
Typically I will do about 4 sets of leg extensions.”
For more about Zoa visit her website at www.zoalinsey.com
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