I have legs tomorrow

Legs are by far the most difficult muscle group to train. It’s not even close. There aren’t hundreds of reddit posts asking, “Why won’t my biceps grow?” Really, what other muscle group is as hard to tell how much you have left in the tank? Plenty of times squatting I have thought to myself mid set, 300 pounds on my back, there is no way I’m getting another rep, just to surprise myself with 3.

There are no upper body exercises I would describe as, ‘character building’. But there are certainly some on leg day that qualify. Triple drop-sets to failure on leg extensions are simply painful. Bulgarian split squats, using straps so grip is not a limiter, is excruciating. They have their own day in nearly every program for a reason.

Very rarely will I cramp after training a muscle, but after last week’s leg session I had the privilege of experiencing a double quad cramp. So going into this next leg day I’m excited to push some heavy ass weight, but also scarred by the recent memory of extreme soreness.

Tom Platz is really the prime example of how everyone should train legs (in bodybuilding at least). Known for his legs, and preaching the barbell back squat instead of alternative movements like the leg press, hack squat, or pendulum squat. It is hard to argue with his 30 inch legs. And although his exercise selection philosophy is skeptical, his training philosophy of giving everything in every set is a great one. I am a true believer that the majority of those who strength train, aren’t training their legs hard enough. And while I don’t have Olympia-winning legs by any means, at least I can say I left it all at the gym.