Day 29:Legs (Quads Emphasis)

Welcome to the first day of Phase Two on my 8-Week Fat-loss Figure Trainer. We’re going to make some changes from Phase One in these workouts, but our training split will remain the same as it was in Phase One. That means we’ll be starting with legs and emphasizing quads in today’s workout.

As you did in Phase One, you’ll follow this workout on each of the first training day of each week during Phase Two. We’re making some changes to the exercises and their order during Phase Two, and I’m also going to encourage you to make some changes to rep-ranges, the tempo at which you perform reps and sets, and we’ll throw in some intensity techniques for good measure. It’s important to recognize during these workouts you can change the range of motion. You can change the time between sets, the rest times. Anything that makes it more intense will work. Find what works for you to help you accomplish your goals. And train that way.

Take a look at my workout chart and take note of the exercises, sets and reps I recommend. These are my baseline recommendations, but as always you should make adaptations based on your needs and what works best for you. I’m keeping the reps high in general to encourage greater calorie expenditure to support burning body fat while also allowing you to maintain or add lean muscle.

Today we’re starting with Smith Machine back squats. Choose a comfortable weight that allows you to warm up your quads as well as your knees and hips. You want to push some blood into the area you’re training before you start to take up the weight.

The second move for this phase is stationary split lunges. To perform this exercise you place your lead foot on the ground in front of you, and you place the top of your back foot on a bench a couple feet behind you. Take a look at my video to see how I position myself for this new exercise. Some people like to place the ball of their trailing foot on the bench, but I find this be an uncomfortable position that puts too much stress on the front of my foot.

Next up are hack squats. I want you to make sure your knees are nice and warm since today we’re going to be throwing a little more weight around. If you have knee issues or you want to avoid knee issues, you can bust out some knee wraps to really protect this joint and really push the weight.

With leg presses, I want you to take your time and keep the movement smooth throughout the rep. Place your feet nice and wide, and engage the muscles of your legs, emphasizing your quads.

We’re going to end the legs portions of today’s workout with leg extensions. You’ll be tired by this time, but I want you to keep pushing. Keep the rest between sets short and choose a heavy weight that you can use for all sets and reps. For this move once you choose a weight, there is no changing. Try to keep your rest periods to only 30 seconds between sets, but take more time rather than adjusting weight or reps unless you are experiencing pain.

Don’t forget that you also have abs and cardio today. As with Phase One, you can perform these at any time of day—upon rising, as a warm-up, as a cool-down immediately after you finish your workout, or as a separate workout later in the day. Choose what works best for your body and your schedule.

DAY 29—Legs (Quads Emphasis) Workout

Smith Machine back squats	4 SETS / 15 REPS
Stationary split lunges	4 SETS / 15 REPS
Hack squats	4 SETS / 20 REPS
Wide leg presses	4 SETS / 20 REPS
Leg extensions	4 SETS / 15 REPS
Twisting floor crunches	3 SETS / 15 REPS
Wheel roll outs	3 SETS / 15 REPS
Cardio	20 MINUTES

CYDNEY SAYS: One technique you can use to complete all your sets and reps if you got a little overly ambitious is rest pause. For this technique, you set the weight down for only 2-3 seconds before completing another couple reps. Continue to use this technique until you’ve completed all reps for your set at the desired weight. This technique is especially beneficial for exercises such as leg extensions.

PRE-KAGED This pre-workout product primes me for my workouts. I like to get in Pre-Kaged about 30 minutes before each weight-training workout. That’s because it helps heighten mental focus and provides ingredients that spur your body to better performance. The patented ingredients in this product include CarnoSyn beta-alanine, BetaPower® betaine, fermented BCAAs, fermented Glutamine, L-Citrulline, patented Creatine HCl, PurCaf Organic Caffeine, and SPECTRA antioxidant blend. Pre-Kaged helps enhance mental focus, improves performance during training, and increases energy to get you through your toughest workouts. CYDNEY SAYS: Taking a pre-workout product is especially important when you’re on a bodyfat-reducing program. I make sure to emphasize Pre-Kaged when I’m dieting.