Rock Solid Leg Finisher
Today's post is a guest article from Joe Pepe of Supreme Fitness. Joe is one of my best friends and an incredible personal trainer who has been published in Men's Fitness and played in the MLS. He has an expertise in developing lower body power and endurance for athletes and non-athletes, as well as a knack for making training fun. Sometimes at his own expense. Most importantly he was a groomsmen in my wedding.
It's also worth noting that Joe cried for 3 days straight when I moved to Jacksonville.
Joe and I get along for a variety of reasons, some of which is not fit to publish. We played soccer together for a number of years and both share a burning passion for fitness and making fun of each other.
We both have a strong conviction to lower body training, most of our conversations lead us to refer to him as "The Glute Guy" and me and "The Quad Guy". We also have a shared love of
intensity during a workout.
There are few people I would trust more than Joe to write a lower body finisher.
Rock Solid Leg Finisher
Athletes often neglect their legs when training. Men especially prefer to focus on their upper bodies and then they wonder why they have so little power behind their lifts. You have to build muscle in your legs to build overall strength, and you have to do it with external resistance (weights) and bodyweight exercises. Yes, running will keep you lean, but running alone won't build strength and power.
As a busy athlete, you may not have a lot of time to work on your legs in isolation. To help you out, I've put together a sample workout that will train your legs and your cardiovascular system simultaneously.
Do these exercises at most twice a week with at least 48 hours of rest in between. After each exercise, rest for eight to 12 breaths, then move on to the next exercise.
Leg Workout Finisher.
- Run 10 minutes at an easy pace to warm up your body.
- Do three sets of 25 Bodyweight Squats. Pay attention to good form and proper breathing.
- Take 8-12 deep breaths
- The next move you will complete is Jump Squats (athletes must work on their plyometric system too!). Do 5-8 reps.
- Take 8-12 deep breaths
- Do three sets of 25 Walking Lunges (each leg) with weights. If you are in a small space and cannot do walking lunges, just alternate your legs in place.
- Take 8-12 deep breaths
- You're halfway there! Do four sets of Burpees for 30 repetitions each. Now I know that for a lot of people, "Burpees" sounds like nails on a chalkboard. If you like, you can substitute Mountain Climbers at this point. These are really high intensity. No slacking off at this point!
- Take 8-12 deep breaths
- Finish with 10 minutes of run/walk at an easy pace and some light stretching.
I know when you are reading this blog you are saying, “Wait! How do I do these movements?” If you need any help with these movements feel free to email supremefit07@gmail.com and I will be glad to send you a tutorial.
