Wednesday and Sunday are my leg days. My friends know I am a gym rat, and they always ask me- what in the world are you doing at the gym everyday? So here’s a small peek into part of my routine. Please remember that I’m not a certified trainer so don’t take me too seriously.

When I say leg day I mean on the big kid squat rack, not the Smith Machine, the squat rack. At my gym this requires some planning because the squat racks are popular so I try to go early on Sundays or later in the evening on Wednesdays to better my chances. You’ll notice that I mix in some arms and abs to give my legs a little break between sets. Also, I noted my current weight choices, but those go up and down as I get stronger or lazier. I try to challenge myself, but I’m not about to hurt myself for no reason, so I’m not overly aggressive about increasing weight.

Leg Day Option 1

Classic Squats

• 2 sets of 7-10 reps at 125 lbs
• 3 sets of 10-12 reps at 115 lbs

(superset between squat sets with 10 side bends holding 45 lb plate on each side to target the obliques)

Upright Rows

• 2 sets of 5 reps at 65 lbs
• 2 sets of 10 reps at 55 lbs

Dead Lifts

• 10 sets of 5-7 reps at 155 lbs

(superset between dead lift sets with 8 overhead tricep presses with 25 lb plate)

Bent Over Row

• 3 sets of 10 reps at 65 or 75 lbs

Leg Day Option 2

Superset of Front Rack Squats and Classic Squats

• 5 sets of 5 reps of front rack squats followed immediately by 10 reps of classic squats at 85 lbs (lower weight because it’s high rep and you don’t want to switch the weight between front rack and regular squats)

(superset between squat sets with 10 side bends holding 45 lb plate on each side to target the obliques)

Overhead Presses

• 3 sets of 10 reps at 45 lbs

Dead Lifts

• 2 sets of 5-7 reps at 155 lbs
• 2 sets of 8-10 reps at 145 lbs
• 1 set of 15 reps at 135 lbs

(superset between dead lift sets with 10 overhead tricep presses with 25 lb plate)

Other Options (a couple of other exercises when I need to mix it up a little)

Wide leg squats

• 3 sets of 10 reps at 85 lbs

Sumo Squats (start with feet together on one side, step into a wide squat and stand up on the other side, keep stepping and squatting back and forth)

• 3 sets of 1o reps at 85 lbs

Front Rack Lunges (hold the bar in a front rack position and step back into a lunge)

• 3 sets of 10 reps alternating legs at 65 lbs

Curtsy Lunges (instead of stepping straight back, cross your back foot to the outside of the front foot’s position, similar to a curtsy)

• 3 sets of 10 reps alternating legs at 65 lbs

If you feel like giving any of these a try, you can scale the weights up or down as needed, use dumb bells, or use the lighter weighted bars instead of a traditional bar. Just don’t forget to warm up before you start!

Do you have any favorite leg day workouts?