Leg day is perhaps the most important day of your training week. Not only are the legs nearly a complete half of your body squeezed into a single training day, but they contain the two largest sets of muscle groups in the body, the glutes and quadriceps. Properly training muscle groups such as biceps and shoulders are easy – you show up in a tank top and knock out your exercises. Adequately stimulating the legs requires a fair deal of preparation before the workout begins. Here are some tips for showing up better prepared in the gym the next time leg day rolls around!
Dress for war
Plan your leg day attire more closely than you do any other day. Start with some heavy duty clothes, such as shorts or training pants, that can withstand the demand you’re about to expect from them. Wear a long sleeve shirt as well. The mental anguish one can experience when seeing his arms shrivel up as his blood rushes to his legs – even subliminally – can mess with a bodybuilder’s mind. Finally, the key work is ‘protection’ when it comes to feet and lower back. A thick pair of work boots is terrific for supporting your knees and ankles when squatting. Additionally, very thin-soled shows such as wrestling shoes are ideal for calf work. Also, you should consider the use of a weight belt to protect the lower back during such heavy movements as standard and hack squats as well as leg presses.
Eat for aggression
You would never want to eat a plate of eggs, biscuits and gravy directly before training on leg day. The flour in the biscuits would turn into a brick in your gut, and the eggs and gravy would make the air quality around you suffer greatly as you pushed yourself to new boundaries. Even if you’re the type of trainer who only regulates his diet once a week, make it that meal before your leg training session. Eat a nice pile of red meat with some slow burning carbohydrates such as potatoes. Avoid the white bread and you’ll be light on your feet when you really need to be. Remember that you may push yourself to the point of vomiting on this leg day, as always, so the food you choose really does matter.
Clear your plate
In this case, your plate doesn’t refer to your diet. Rather, your plate would be the giant list of tasks – personal, work, school, home, and family – that you are forced to contend with each day. Complete these issues before stepping foot in the gym. Leave your cell phone or Blackberry in your (locked) locker and don’t think about anything else except the iron in front of you that needs moved!
Know your goals
Before you ever walk into the gym on leg day, you should have a very good idea exactly what you will be doing that day. This includes the weights you’ll be using, the exercises you’ll be completing, and any personal bests you wish to achieve while in the gym that day. Just ‘winging it’ means you won’t necessarily be pushing yourself beyond any old levels. Instead, you should work to increase the workload you demand of yourself with each new workout. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!