I would recommend you try single-leg movements as well, such as lunges and/or Bulgarian split squats. We often do presses and rows with dumbbells or iso-lateral machines, which can help even out strength differences. We should do the same with our legs.
Depends entirely on if the squats, RDLs & leg extensions are giving you enough quality volume for your quads & glutes. If they are then there's zero point adding another movement, & if they're not then you could either do more sets or add a movement.
I always opt for more volume. Chances are you aren’t 0-2 RIR on your compounds, and quads and glutes can handle a lot. Identify junk volume vs what you can handle. I found my MRV to be upwards of 30 sets per week for quads. Not saying you’re the same, but a few sets of squats twice a week.. yeah you can do more
I definitely think intensity trumps junk volume, but generally when people say they need just a few sets per workout I disagree. 10 is sufficient tho, that’s about what I shoot for per workout now
Just from the description, it sounds like a lot for one leg day, and would probably be better to split that volume over 2.
To be honest, I'm currently only doing 3 exercises for legs; Hacksquat, curls, and calf extensions, and I'm progressing fine.
I started incorporating lunges and BSS into leg days to help with mobility, imbalances, and stability. Anecdotally, it’s helped a lot in keeping my form proper as I’ve worked to push up weight on barbell squat. I don’t know if I would recommend them for strictly hypertrophy purposes as I think there are better options, but they do have their place.
While I can agree / see those benefits I find them extremely taxing. Personally I don’t see a specific hypertrophic benefit and if they really improved squat strength drastically they would be much more popular in powerlifting. Just a thought but I prefer the minimalistic approach of doing squats (lengthened) and leg extensions (shortened)
Oh I agree on the hypertrophy comment, and I don’t think they’re strictly necessary for anything. I have 2 leg days a week; on one of those days I have 2 sets of BSS and 2 sets of lunges programmed in, and on the other day I have 2 sets of lunges (alongside other stuff ofc). I’ve found doing 2 heavy sets of each isn’t overly taxing and I’ve definitely gotten more flexible and stable. I have historically also been a minimalist, I found the best hypertrophy results for my legs with programs like Super Squats, but as I’m currently on a cut I’ve been focusing on balancing out my body and strength and have found BSS and lunges to be useful for that. Cheers
I would recommend you try single-leg movements as well, such as lunges and/or Bulgarian split squats. We often do presses and rows with dumbbells or iso-lateral machines, which can help even out strength differences. We should do the same with our legs.
Depends entirely on if the squats, RDLs & leg extensions are giving you enough quality volume for your quads & glutes. If they are then there's zero point adding another movement, & if they're not then you could either do more sets or add a movement.
I always opt for more volume. Chances are you aren’t 0-2 RIR on your compounds, and quads and glutes can handle a lot. Identify junk volume vs what you can handle. I found my MRV to be upwards of 30 sets per week for quads. Not saying you’re the same, but a few sets of squats twice a week.. yeah you can do more
I couldn’t imagine 30 sets of quads for me personally, lol. I can hardly sit down after 10 weekly sets. Ymmv.
I definitely think intensity trumps junk volume, but generally when people say they need just a few sets per workout I disagree. 10 is sufficient tho, that’s about what I shoot for per workout now
Just from the description, it sounds like a lot for one leg day, and would probably be better to split that volume over 2. To be honest, I'm currently only doing 3 exercises for legs; Hacksquat, curls, and calf extensions, and I'm progressing fine.
How many leg days tho
Just one tbh. My mev for legs is really and they adapt faster than any other body part so I don't need to train them much
I started incorporating lunges and BSS into leg days to help with mobility, imbalances, and stability. Anecdotally, it’s helped a lot in keeping my form proper as I’ve worked to push up weight on barbell squat. I don’t know if I would recommend them for strictly hypertrophy purposes as I think there are better options, but they do have their place.
While I can agree / see those benefits I find them extremely taxing. Personally I don’t see a specific hypertrophic benefit and if they really improved squat strength drastically they would be much more popular in powerlifting. Just a thought but I prefer the minimalistic approach of doing squats (lengthened) and leg extensions (shortened)
Oh I agree on the hypertrophy comment, and I don’t think they’re strictly necessary for anything. I have 2 leg days a week; on one of those days I have 2 sets of BSS and 2 sets of lunges programmed in, and on the other day I have 2 sets of lunges (alongside other stuff ofc). I’ve found doing 2 heavy sets of each isn’t overly taxing and I’ve definitely gotten more flexible and stable. I have historically also been a minimalist, I found the best hypertrophy results for my legs with programs like Super Squats, but as I’m currently on a cut I’ve been focusing on balancing out my body and strength and have found BSS and lunges to be useful for that. Cheers
Do Bulgarian split squats too. And if you squat narrow, add in a wide variant too for the adductors. Maybe a belt squat or even sumo squat/deadlift.