Help me with a new leg routine

[stallion Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close stallion]

I've got to try something different. I've been largely a lower sets, high intensity guy for a while, and have good results from it, but I need to do something different with legs.

All the high intensity seems to do for me with legs is make me sick. By the 3rd set of leg presses I start feeling nauseous, and 4 puts me over the top. I end up doing a couple half ass sets of extensions and curls, but I'm too sick and spent to be any good on em and usually I've been skipping calves and going and curling up by the toilet in the crippled stall.

I've read this is suppose to be a badge of honor to puke after leg workout, but it certainly doesn't feel like it is. It actually feels like a wasted workout.

Being more of a high intensity guy, I have a hard time with believing a bodypart like legs would respond to lower weights and higher sets, but perhaps I need to change my thinking on that.

So, I come to you with an open mind and ask:

Can anyone offer a routine that seems to work for them, that may allow me to finish a leg workout without the nausea and feel like I've accomplished something, while getting some results? Thanks.

[xamo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close xamo]

Lower sets high intensity? what does that mean? High intensity to me means plyo squats etc?

[stallion Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close stallion]

I guess what I mean is that I typically don't do a lot of sets per body part. 5-8 for bigger ones, 3-5 for smaller ones. All sets near momentary muscular failure, and typically take the last set to failure. Just not working for me on legs.

[xamo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close xamo]

I'm not a pro on leg work..I mainly do high impact plyo like routines so I'll let the pros answer

[Pauliuch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauliuch]

Ego? That's like me, I like going heavy, lol. I just lowered the weight slightly on my squats last weekend (40lbs lower). So instead of squeezing out 7 or 8 I was able to do 12 reps. I will say I got down slightly lower, had a little better form and for sure a better burn. I was also not as knocked out as when I go real heavy so I got at least one extra set. Also my legs hurt much more for a longer time. Now I was still using heavy weight just not as heavy. I think form is very important.

[stallion Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close stallion]

Maybe it's a bit of ego. But I have been using a weight that allows me 12-15 reps on the leg press. There are two at my gym, the add free weights hip sled leg press, and a leg press machine. They translate well to each other, and I use similar weights on both. I had reps of 14, 12, 11, and 8 today, and I was completely sick and useless for anything else. Maybe the 3 sets is plenty enough for me to stimulate growth. I dunno, it "feels" like I need to do more.

Maybe I need to consider something like a 10x10 for this exercise? That would be a considerably lighter weight.

[Pauliuch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauliuch]

I didn't realize your were doing hi reps. Maybe your over training? Dorian Yates/Mike Mentzer say one all out set is all you need for growth if you give it everything you have, possibly with a partner for forced reps. Puking though, Hmm that's a little too much for me, lol.

[stallion Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close stallion]

When I started training back in high school and shortly after, I read a lot of what Mentzer had to say. Dorian was starting to make his run at that time too, and I have done quite a bit of Mentzers version of HIT, early on. I was pretty happy with it. I could see changes to my body and changes in strength. But I could also see results with 3 sets per exercise too.

Perhaps its time to re-visit his hypothesis for a while and see how it works. Maybe I can throw in a totally opposite German Volume training (10x10) for a change of pace. Can't hurt, cuz what I'm doing now has me not liking leg day, and I'm just about ready to quit legs.

We'll see how one all out set to failure works at Planet Fatness. I may see a lunk alarm in my future

[xamo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close xamo]

First off what are you aiming for? Just look or effective muscles? If you want to react quicker, and be more dynamic overall then do track & field/ plyo routines for your legs, plyo squats and weighted explosive squats, trust me...they'll burn the hell outta you. If you're just aiming for looks, then follow what the others told you.

[ODB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ODB]

u could also try splitting Quads + Hams workouts?
alot of guys do Quads one day then Hams the next or do a split.