LEG THRASHIN' IN THE 619!

It was another one of our typical leg thrashin’ sessions this morning. After 20+ years of doing this, you’d think I might have had enough by now…But, like Ronnie Coleman’s famous quote about bodybuilding “cuz’ I love it.” states, it’s really that simple. Why else would we subject our bodies to the relentless hammering and punishment of the ongoing quest for size, mass and density? It surely isn’t for financial gain – and the health benefits of hard work in the gym, as plentiful as they may be, are certainly obtained with much less investment of effort and time, and discomfort, than the way we meat-heads do it on a daily basis…so, each and every Sunday, you’ll find me and my support staff in the gym, somewhere along the process of beating those poor muscles into submission…no choice but to grow!
I am lucky enough to have a kick-ass training partner in Derik Farnsworth, IFBB Pro and pound 4 pound World’s strongest bodybuilder. I also have been blessed with super-human hard-working Meriza DeGuzman-Ciccone, my wife, partner, fellow MAN Sports athlete, and herself a physique super-hero – Meriza’s an IFBB Pro who has competed with the best in the game as a Figure competitor; she also leads by example, sculpting her body into a living work of art.

It’s only if you live this life that you understand…and please, don’t mistake my words for arrogance; I’m simply stating the answer to the question that has no answer if it must be asked…
“Why do you do this again?” If you must ask, then you wouldn’t understand…

Here’s how it went today!
We’ve been alternating our squatting program over the past several months, with the focus of building strength ongoing, but also with the goal of continued size, shape and quality as the primary goal. Today was our volume day for legs – “High Reps, Heavy Weight…Perfect form!”
As I type this, just over 2 hours after training, with 1 full meal in, along with my post-training shake, BCAAs and recovery drink, I’m still feeling queasy and a little bit sleepy. So, after I finish this, I’ll most likely go and lay down for a bit.

Anyway, here’s how we rolled today!
Giant set for quads ( 3 exercises in a row – 3 movements, 4 Giant sets)
Squats: 315 X 10 reps, 365 x 10 reps, 365 x 10 reps, 405 x 10 reps
Hack squats: 4 plates x 15 reps, x 15 reps, x 15 reps, x 15 reps
Leg press: 540lbs x 20 reps, 540lbs x 20 reps, 540lbs x 20 reps, 540lbs x 20 reps
This giant set might not seem very heavy, overall, but consider this – no stopping in between each exercise, and full, deep range of motion for each movement. Squeezing as we push, to maximally engorge the quads, and burn details deep into them from all angles…

Giant set for hamstrings:
Lying leg curls: 90lbs x 15 reps, 100lbs x 15 reps, 100lbs x 15 reps, 100lbs x 15 reps
Stiff-leg deadlift: 225lbs x 12 reps; 225lbs x 12 reps; 225lbs x 10 reps
Vertical High-press: 4 plates x 15 reps; 4 plates x 15 reps; 4 plates x 15 reps; 4 plates x 15 reps

Additional hamstring and detail work:
Razor-curls (a.k.a. “supermans”): bodyweight for 8-10 reps x 3 sets
Hack Sissy-squats (Tom Platz style): bodyweight with hack sled x 10 reps x 3 sets

This workout may not seem like that much, balls-out heavy weights, but let me tell you, my legs are aching now! Like major headache deep in the muscles! It was a fast-paced leg beating that didn’t tax the system the way they typical heavy leg day would…but it smoked the lower body deep into the tissues, for sure. I know I’ll be sore tomorrow!
For all you nay-sayers out there, try it and then let me know! After all these years, I still love this stuff!
And, honestly, I was fired up on a mixture of Clout and GameDay to get me through this scorcher – Thanks again, MAN Sports, for providing the fuel to keep the fires lit and burning like an inferno!