Dennis Wolf's 5 Commandments for a Sick Leg Day
Dennis Wolf's 5 Commandments for a Sick Leg Day
1. How you do it matters most.
“Too many people don’t think there is a difference between weightlifting and bodybuilding. The biggest mistake I see in the gym is with form. Guys go too heavy and cheat, or don’t use a good range of motion. They just want to impress the other guys and girls at the gym or to be able to say they can squat x amount or lift all the weight the leg press machine holds— and none of that matters if your legs look like a chicken’s.”
2. Divide ‘em or don’t? A personal choice.
“Whether you should train the whole leg at once or split up quads and hams depends on the person. If your hams are very bad, train them first or on another day. If your hams are pretty good, you can probably be OK training them with quads. Actually, only recently did I realize this is advice I need to take!”
3. Fill the tanks, but don’t top them off.
“You should adjust your pre-workout meal portions depending on how large and demanding the body part is, relatively. I eat a little more carbs than usual before a leg workout, but not too much. I don’t think it’s good to have a huge meal of any kind before leg training. Then you feel sick to your stomach and that ruins the workout. I think it is also a reason you hear about so many guys throwing up from squats!”
4. Leave the maxing-out for powerlifters.
“I have never tried to see how much I could squat or leg press for just one rep. I am a bodybuilder. I think that’s stupid and a good way to get hurt for a bodybuilder. I don’t even know why so many bodybuilders talk so much about how much weight this or that guy uses— our sport is all about the physique, so how weak or strong you might happen to be doesn’t even matter.”
5. Respect the need for recovery.
“Your muscles need time to recover from a workout, and I believe bigger muscles like the quads and hams need more time. Usually my legs stay sore for at least three days after I work them. I don’t think they would be recovered if I tried to work them at that time. Maybe every five days would be OK, but I give them a whole week between workouts.”