Keep on track whilst on holiday!!!!

I'm writing this as I sit in Heathrow ready to fly off on my summer holiday to visit a friend in Muscat, Oman. With everyone going on their summer holidays, me being one of them I thought I'd write a quick blog on essential goods to take to still keep on track with your fitness goals. I'm having a kind of rest week, but below are a few items I'll use to get a quick workout done. 

Now for all of you who are lucky enough to have a gym where you're staying then things can run as usual however, remember your on holiday!!!! It doesn't matter if you miss a few sessions here and there. My best advice would be keep it all short and sweet. Group muscle groups together such as shoulders/arms and Chest/Back. Supersets, tri-sets and mini circuits can all be included to get a great workout in. Timings wise you'll often be training in the morning, fasted so get some BCAA's down you and get training. Plus you can leave the other half to get ready and pig out at the all you can eat breakfast not feeling guilty. 

If you're unlucky like me and don't have a gym then you can still get a great workout done anywhere. Your body weight is one of the most under used way to train your body. For this I have packed a deck of cards!!! Now you may ask, 'why a pack of cards?' very random. Well it's a little trick I learnt off of Steve Cook, giving each suit of cards an exercise, for example hearts is press ups. You'll then have four exercises in all. The number on the card will indicate the number of reps performed, all face cards are 10 with an Ace being 11. If you land on a joker it's 12 burpees. Turn the pack of cards face down, turning one over at a time, performing the given exercise and reps. You can get a great little 20 minute workout done with just your body weight and a pack of cards.

One other essential I'm taking is a Thera-band. Now this I usually use in my programme to warm up with, especially the shoulder area. However, this can also be used as part of your workout. Exercises which can be performed are as follows:

- Squats with band around your knee, restricting from your knees pushing out and with a pause at the bottom it makes it tough.

- Bent Over Rows

- Upright rows

- Face Pulls

- Bicep Curls

- Lateral Raises

Along with a few push ups you've got a pretty good overall workout, use a 4020 tempo and you'll get an unreal pump.

A foam roller is something I always pack when traveling. It helps me to relax, but more importantly when your either sitting down waiting for a flight or on a long haul flight it's great just for getting everything loose once you've arrived. Additional it can be used as a warm up pre workout and to stretch post workout. 

Nutrition is the last thing I've left as in my eyes it's the least important. At the end of the day, you're on holiday, not at home. Unless you're a sponsored athlete with a company prepping your meals for you, you won't have meals to hand to eat every 3 hours. You won't have the facilities to make all your meals. But most importantly you're on holiday!!! Relax a little. This doesn't mean however stuff yourself with all the cravings you've had over the last few months but don't restrict yourself. One or two snacks a day or one main meal at the all you can eat buffet won't hurt. If you ate like this all the time then yes but for a week it won't. Make healthy choices where you can but at the end of the day just enjoy yourself. I personally come off of all supplements as well whilst on holiday. I sometimes find it can be an hassle to get them through security and plus your body needs a rest. Much like exercise your liver needs a rest. When you start taking them again you'll also notice such a difference.

So there you have it my holiday essentials. Those of you who are going on holiday have fun, just be ready to hit it hard when you get back!!!

Jack

Deadlifts

Now after squats I believe that deadlifts are one of the best exercises you can be performing in the gym. You may ask why? Deadlifts recruit so many different muscles. The explosive phrase coming from the legs, mainly through the hamstrings which are often a muscle group neglected. Then your recruiting all core muscles and upper back with your traps also coming into play, again an area neglected. Then there is the grip which is all coming from forearms. This is why deadlifts are a must to achieve an all round great body.

Deadlifts have always been in my programme but recently I've been suffering with a bit of lower back pain and posture generated issues. I usually perform deadlifts at the end of my back routine as a post exhaustion exercise, performing 100 reps in as few sets as possible. This burns out my whole posterior chain however, the only problem is you don't achieve the strength gains from this exercise. With the change to my split, with me now including a pull day in my routine, additional to my back routine I have added deadlifts to the beginning of the workout and wow, how I've missed them.

Due to me not going heavy on deadlifts for a while I haven't just dived in and gone as heavy as I can, as quickly as possible, I have built it up slowly. I've adopted the pyramid way of training, therefore working all rep ranges with the main attention paid to the top of the pyramid, when I'm working in the strength based reps ranges. Using the remainder of the pyramid more as a pre exhaustion for the the rest of my workout. 

I worked up to 210kg for 3 reps as seen in the photo. Points to note is explode at the beginning of the movement, use the power house that are your legs. Keep the bar as close to your shins and body as possible. Keep that back straight!!! Use your core to aid this, keep it tight. I find holding my breath till the top of the moment helps. A slight pause at the top, then lower the weight under control, again keeping back straight and feel the stretch in your hamstrings. This lowering phase under control requires so much more strength than just dropping the weight, so use it!!! Also you'll feel greater weight transferred to the lats on lowering the weight, as oppose to full concentration on the erector spinal. I am just one in general for performing all my reps slow, unless the muscle is really exhausted and I'm trying to push it that little further. Lastly don't be afraid of the movement and weight. As long as you're doing the right form and your always in control, there shouldn't be a problem. Start light and build yourself up. 

https://instagram.com/p/5hk5rPHOBE/?taken-by=jacksfitnessforyou

The day after I first done this routine my back was on fire for the next few days, a bit like leg DOMS. I hadn't felt like this for a long time!! So start including deadlifts into your routine. I targeted my inner back with close pull downs, rear delts and traps after this, which is an area I'm lacking. It was one of the best workouts I've had in a long while, coming just before I jet out to Oman to visit a friend where I'm going to rest mostly, I'm sure I'll get a few workouts in from my room.

So start DEADLIFTING!!!!!!

Jack

Fellow Bloggers

I have recently taken more time to read other peoples blog to generate a higher knowledge of what you guys want and also knowledge of fitness for me, as they say you never stop learning!!! Now Born Fitness is one of these must reads!! Here I came across a blog written by Adam Bernstein on the growing dilemma for me of dropping carbs for fat loss. This has been a major part of my blogs recently as myself, and I’m sure many others are trying to drop weight for their summer holidays. 

He goes on to state how a “low carb” diet is one of the most misunderstood terms of nutrition in the fitness industry, to which I totally agree with him on. He mentions how creating a flexible diet plan is the way forward, this is being used more greatly in the fitness industry over the last few years with the boom of applications, mainly through apps such as myfitnesspal. Michael Kory, who is an ever developing Vlogger is huge on this. When creating this diet plan he a leads to certain points which have to be taken into account. 

Total training hours: A training plan which you design will coincide with the diet plan. For me these are essential as they compliment each other. With good nutrition you will get such a better workout, guaranteed.

Target bodyweight: You must have a goal at the end of it. Many people go wrong by just saying ‘I want to look ripped’. You must know your goal weight!!! When you know your target body weight it will allow you to work your macros out to which then, you can plug into myfitnesspal and get you on your way to getting the body you want. 

Body fat: this is very much like the above, you have got to know where you are, to get where you want to go. Again this will help you set goals which in turn will keep you motivated to carry on when reaching said goals. 

The one thing that I would like to add to this is carbs is the one thing in your diet which you can change so much and will in turn have such a great overall effect. Even as minimal as adding 50 grams extra a day can have such a huge effect. In its basic form carbs are a energy source, so if you are depleting yourself of carbs your body will never be as efficient as it could be. This will of course mean you won’t be able to push yourself as hard in the gym. Low carbs restrict the muscle from energy meaning it will fatigue faster. However if you have a high carb intake, especially prior to exercise the muscle will be full and what I often find is an unreal pump. 

I often cycle my carbs throughout the week, keeping the body guessing. Whenever I train legs my carb intake rises by 60 grams that day, this is split between pre and post workout. Days where I am not training I will minimise my intake as I am not training and therefore don’t need as greater energy. These are all different things you can do. Play around with carbs, it effects people in many different ways but once you know what works for you stick with it!!! You will notice such a difference. 

So there you have it Born Fitness is a great blog which you need to get reading if you haven’t already. Adam Bernstein is a wealth of knowledge, always posting up little tips to help. If you're really into your flexible dieting then Michael Kory is definitely a guy to check out on youtube, some of his recipes are incredible, plus they're yummy!!!!!!

Hope this helps

Jack

When is the best time to do cardio??

When should I do cardio?

This is the dilemma of lots of people when it comes to cutting season. If I do it pre workout I won't get as good as workout, if I do it post workout I will lose mass, should I do it fasted? These are all questions I get asked all the time and there is no simple answer, but hopefully the following will kind of explain it slightly, helping you make a decision.

Cardio firstly doesn't mean going on a run or sitting on a bike for an hour, it can also be done through weights. When I want to start cutting down I include a lot more tri sets (three exercises) and giant sets (four exercises) into my programme. This doesn't just get your heart rate up into the aerobic phase for burning fat but also conditions the muscle more, which whilst cutting it what you want as you are no longer looking for mass. This was all brought to my attention by Shaun Stafford who is WBFF champion and he uses this a lot in his workouts. You can also make your workout more circuit based as oppose to just perform four sets of 10 reps of one exercise then moving on. Bring the weight down but keep the same rep scheme. This is a huge favourite of Mister International 2010 Ryan Terry. Furthermore at the end of each set add 5 burpees on the end or hold the plank for half of your rest period. This being another great alternative.

Now fasted cardio is next. This is a great tool and some people swear by it. My first point would be make sure you take on some BCAA prior to starting in order for your body not to go catabolic, basically using the muscle as a energy source. Again this works for some and doesn't for others. Your body is working off of an empty stomach and therefore as there is no energy source will start using your fat reserves as a form of energy, targeting what you want to get rid of. However, due to the little energy source your body can recruit I don't believe you can fully push yourself using this form. Yes a slow, steady 3mile jog is fine, but if you want to start hitting the intervals then it's kind of a no go area. Living next to Hyde park, I often run into work fasted however my body is just then craving food all day and when your restricting calories as it is, it's not a temptation you want. 

Pre workout cardio I would defiantly say is a no go. It may work for you so give it a try but personally I don't like it. Your either going to hold back in order to save some energy for the main bulk of your workout or max out then have a poor workout. Yes you can make it your warm up and yes you may burn more calories in the main workout however you still won't get the both out of both parts of the workout. Give it a try first and see what you think.

Post workout cardio is last but not least. This is what I am regularly doing on top of my crossfit cardio based workouts I mentioned a few posts back. Your muscles are fully depleted at this point and your body is feeling tired so you really have to be up for it. Many people are worried about muscle break down from doing cardio post workout but I'll let you into two tips. Make sure you drink BCAA throughout your workout and make both parts short and simple. For example I like to do HIIT post workout cardio but still have some corporation to the weight workout I've done prior. For example, yesterday was Chest so I performed 250m row max effort with the rest time being 15 hand release press ups. This I performed 6 times, no rest between efforts and was over in 6 and a half minutes. I was benefitting from the cardio but also exhausting my chest at the same time. You can do the same with any muscle groups, jump squats/burpees for legs, pull ups/inverted row for back, clean and press for shoulders. Or short and sweet and makes you fill great after a workout. You can use all different types of cardio equipment as well, I just like the rower as its a full body workout. Add this on post workout and I know you'll love it. 

Give these all a try and see what you think. Different times work better for others and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. 

Jack

Crossfit for cardio???

As I'm cutting down for my holidays over the summer I've got so bored of doing cardio so instead I've recently opted for a crossfit workout to retain the high intensity and not make it boring. You may ask, but crossfit!!! But it makes this boring art of cardio so much more fun. You can time yourself over each workout, pushing you harder and at the end of the day burn more calories, which is why you're there!!!!! With this however, you've got to be careful and selective as to what workouts you're doing so not to overtrain selective body parts. Here are a few workouts I've made up using as an alternative to crossfit in my programme:

Burpee Bonanza

100 burpees for time.

Heart Breaker

25 burpees

100m walking lunge

25 burpees

400m run

3 rounds for time.

Pool workout

100m best effort

12 pool muscles ups (muscles on the side of the pool)

Amrap in 20 minutes.

So there you have it, crossfit can be used in bodybuilding as a cardio alternative. I love burpees as you can see, swimming is also a great form of cardio. The pool muscles ups are a killer!!!!!! 

Have fun and let us know how you get on. 

Jack  

Crossfit Workouts

I recently took part in a CrossFit Team Event at work and with the CrossFit Games fast approaching us in Carson I thought it was fitting to write a quick blog on it.

Now CrossFit is a training programme which builds strength and conditioning through a variety of different workouts. In these workouts many aspects of fitness are covered from gymnastics, to  weightlifting and as far as a triathlon based workouts at the games. Games you may ask? This is run every year in Carson where all the top CrossFit athletes from around the world take on events over three days to determine the fitness man and women on earth. Prior to this there are regionals and a open so anyone has the opportunity of going. Some of the professional athletes such as Rich Froning, Dan Bailey and Stacie Tovar who are ones that I personally support are in ridiculous shape and could step on stage with professional bodybuilders and wouldn't look out of place. Now with the rise of CrossFit so has the criticism of the sport, mainly because its all about doing things as quick as possible, with form sometimes leaving a little to be desired. Kipping Pull ups is an aspect which has got the most grief due to the swinging phase of the movement, as oppose to just pulling straight up, with many other exercises being adopted with a variation for Crossfit. Check these out online, some of them can be very useful, all down the individual on preferences.

CrossFit I occasionally include in my programme as either a cardio based workout or something strength related just to mix my workouts up. Now today one of the workouts which I dare you to try in a group of 3 is as follows:

250m Row
Box Jumps
Rest

There is a person on each station, with changes happening after the 250m row has been completed. This is as many box jumps and distance of the row added together to gain a score after 20 minutes. My team today managed 5,800m row with 426 box jumps, (I so shouldn't have trained legs yesterday!!!!). After this my heart rate hit the highest it had in a while and how much more rewarding it is this then a 20 minute run outside. Working more your anaerobic capacity but also will be burning a lot of calories due to the sheer intensity. Try is as oppose to just going on a run, especially those of you who are doing added cardio in order to reduce body fat for the summer. Other workouts to try:

Murph - As quickly as possible.

1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

Fran - Quickly as possible.

Thrusters (Front squats to push press)
Pull ups

Rounds of 21,15,9.

Give these a go and post you times in the comments below.

Jack

The accessories that I'm currently using, all a must have!!!!!

What Accessories should I have?

This is one thing I quickly wanted to discuss as there are always little bits that can help and aid you getting the most out of your workout and in the kitchen at home.

A food blender is the first and this is a must in my eyes in anyone's kitchen. Now everyone believes that the nutribullet is the best on the market, however you really don't need to spend that much on one. I've just got a Tefal blender which was like £25 from John Lewis, it does everything you need. Post workout smoothies's, blending my pancake mixture, even as far as making my own nut butters, it's all been done in this one blender. This is a must.

Frylight is another must have cooking spray for the kitchen. Unlike most cooking oil which you have no control over and end covering your whole dinner in unwanted oil, therefore meaning extra unwanted calories this you just simply spray on. 1 spray = 1 calorie, simple!!! They have introduced different flavoured versions, plus a new coconut oil based spray all great alternatives.  

Now to the gym!!! The first product which I don't know where I would be without is my trusty smart shake shaker, I just love them. The shaker has a stack based system on the bottom to hold supplements, nuts, just about any small snack. The filtering system which comes with the shaker also means you don't have to worry about any lumps, however this also depends on what powders you use. The last important thing of all is the longevity and how easy it is to wash. For some reason you never seem to get the smell like from others once you've used them a while, plus you drop them and they never break. I'm always dropping stuff!! They have a carabiner on the shaker as well which means it's easy to transport, just attach it to a strap on your gym bag. 

Last but not least myprotein, their straps are just amazing. Their hand wrap straps I've been using a lot recently when training back and trainings to hit my traps, they work a treat. Unlike conventional strap these have loops either end which your hands go through once wrapped around the bar, so it's impossible to then lose your grip. Like anything new they take a bit of getting use to, however once you do you'll notice the difference and never go back. Their new clothing range is also a must buy. The lycra bottoms I brought and unlike any other they don't shrink when you wash them, never seem to lose their elasticity and are just so robust. Even after a Tough Mudder they still seem brand new.

So there you have it, the must have accessories!! Hope they'll help.

Jack

New Push, Pull, Legs routine!!!

This week I have decided to split my workouts in a different manner. As oppose to doing the normal split of chest, back, legs and shoulders with a few additional areas covered, I have decided to op for the push, pull, legs followed by a further push, pull day, after watching a Michael Kory routine. Wow does it make a difference!!

The first push day was very similar to a chest workout however I included a few lateral raises which is a weak area of mine, with incline DB press at 45degrees bring more shoulders into the movement. I finished with a favourite of mine which is standing DB press which I find recruits the core so much and makes the movement much more of a rounded exercise. I felt like I hit this area as a whole a lot more effectively then just solely focusing on chest. The pull day saw me focus on both bring depth and width to my back, but as oppose to super setting a lot of my exercises I concentrated on going heavy, with fewer reps and sets. This worked a treat as my posterior chain rarely gets worked like this, with me waking up the following day with huge DOMS. This had quite an effect on my leg day for some reason. I just didn't feel as strong front squatting, so opted for a high rep day which wasn't pretty with my quads now crying out in pain 48 hours later. 

Now with the second push and pull days I broke my shoulder routine in half. My push routine I started off with push press getting up to 90kg for 5 which I was really pleased with and from then on hit the anterior and lateral head of the shoulder. A point to note with lateral raises don't go to heavy!!! If you're swinging them up than they are to heavy. I avoided this by doing them on a seated bench, super setting them with a incline press, this got a almighty pump going. I also used the cables for lateral raises which keeps a constant tension on the muscle fatiguing that head of the shoulder. Cables also featured with a Steve Cook inspired frontal raises with a rope through the legs, making sure you pull the rope apart at the top of the movement. Along with pronated incline flies which stretched the whole area out, my chest and shoulders were in bits, I couldn't even lift my water bottle up!!!! 

Second pull day I really wanted to focus on width with my back and include rear portion of the shoulder along with traps. These all blend well as along as you're contracting your back correctly when trying to build width your rear delts and traps are getting a good workout as well. This is exactly what I done with lat pulldowns to begin with, pausing slightly at the bottom of the movement for a full contraction. I targeted the rear delts much like the push workout the day before through DB reverse flies super setting with DB rows off of a incline bench. Performed correctly the upper back around the rhomboids will really be working hard. My favourite super set was using cable bent over rear flies along with cable face pulls. A full stretch of the muscle, along with a pause when fully contracted and this with build a V-shaped back that everyone wants. I finished this off with high single arm pull downs and boy did they finish me off!!

So there you go a new routine that I'm bringing in to my workouts. Always great to mix it up and if you train with a lot of volume, 5-6 times a week it's great as it allows muscle groups that all important 48 hours off. Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

Be sure to check out Michael Kory as this is who I thought of using the idea off of. Plus be sure to follow me on Instagram at jacksfitnessforyou for lots of motivation and recipe advice. 

Being away and nights out

I spent most of my weekend in Liverpool due to work commitments and therefore didn't manage to get into the gym however this still didn't stop me having a quick workout by going on a run around the docks followed by a quick on the minute every minute workout. This basically involves you performing a given set of exercises on the minute and with the remaining time left of the minute being your rest. I choose just one exercise as I wanted to just hit my aerobic capacity as oppose to any strength based training. The exercise of choice were burpees, more specifically 20 burpees. I ended up doing the whole workout for 15 minutes which totalled 300 burpees in the end. Before I begun I knew the workout was going to be difficult but towards the end I was very much regretting it, when I was only receiving 20 seconds rest. 

The reason why I am writing this blog though is what do you drink when you go out of evening what do you drink and not just consume empty calories. It’s one of the biggest dilemmas for people who live a healthy life style but yet still want to go out with friends and have fun. My drink of choice is a Gin and Tonic. Even though there is still around 70 calories a drink, its not as bad as say a beer. My main advice would be to stay away from mixers that you know are full of sugar, the main one of these being Coke. So many people drink JD and Cokes, this is full of calories!!!! AVOID IT!!!!  If you're a big mover on the dance floor like me then drink what you want. Get the shuffle going or even the air bass guitar which is always an hilarious move. My biggest tip of all however is have a protein shake in the fridge ready and waiting for when you get back.  Alcohol has been proved to reduce protein synthesis by 15-20% so get a shake down you to reduce the chance of this happening. Furthermore this is at its highest 24 hours after training, so you're better to drink straight after a workout as oppose to later when your body is in recovery mode.

There are a few tips that can help you when being away, having a few drinks and still stay on track.

Jack 

Weather, Wimbledon and Tennis

With Wimbledon currently all over our screens and with the heatwave we are currently in I thought I introduce you to a few tips for tennis you could do in the gym or outside. This will hopefully benefit your tennis skills and get your heart rate up, burning unwanted fat for the summer. 

For tennis the main focus are powerful legs along with strong shoulders. The recruitment of fast twitch muscles are crucial in tennis as every movement is of a explosive form. As a tennis player though you still want to remain light on your feet, great aerobic capacity for long rally's with flexibility to stretch for the short drop shots. Stability for when playing power shots and the ability to get to the shots along with pin point footwork are also aspects which are needed. However, firstly I'm going to start by how to improve the recruitment of fast twitch muscles.

Much like my recent blog on football the recruitment of fast twitch muscles are crucial to gain the explosive power to generate through the shots. Beginning with a compound exercise to recruit these muscle fibres in a high weight, low rep, explosive manner. Back squat is where I would begin. Warm up to a weight where you would normally perform 8-10 reps with. Use this weight to perform 3x5 of pause squats, pausing for a 6 second count at the bottom of the rep. Superset this with jump squats to failure. Next moving on to the posterior chain through deadlifts. Unlike the pause with the squats the attention needs to be paid to the eccentric phase, with the lowering of the weight and exploding out of the bottom. I read a recent article on Laura Robson's training and this is one of her  favourite exercises. Perform 5x5 superset with 8 tuck jumps. Both of these are aiming to increase your recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibres.

Mentioned in the article was how Laura uses a lot of pull ups in her routine to build up her upper strength. These can be performed assisted, normally or weighted all to improve strength. If you can't perform a pull up unassisted then jump up and lower yourself down under control, this will just build up the strength in the area. Press ups is the king of exercises to build the strength in the upper body. Clap press ups will suit tennis more due to the explosive manner in which they are performed. Lowering yourself down under control with a explosive press generating power, emulating an action when performing a shot. With these you can go as far as bring your whole body of the ground.

 

Movement around the court is the last aspect I'm going to address which is one of the most important. Movement can't just be backwards and forwards to and from the net as the game is mostly played across court meaning lateral movement must be efficient as well.  This is often improved through drills, such a shuttle runs, or death runs like in basketball but there are certain exercises which can help. Ice skaters where you jump laterally from one leg to the other will increase the single leg power on the plane of movement. All different types of sprints will aid with movement. Move laterally and then after 8-12 strides sprint forward. Jump 180 degrees then sprint forward. Move laterally, then backwards and sprint forwards. All these slight adjustments to just basic sprint will all help, read my football entry for more tips and advice. 

Gym based workout

1) Squats - 15,12.10,8 then 3x5 pause squats. Superset with jump squats.

2) Deadlifts - 15,12,10,8 then 5x5 deadlifts, focus on eccentric phases. Superset tuck jumps.

3) Pull ups 3 sets till failure. If exceeding 10 reps add additional weight.

4) Clap press ups, aim for 6-8 reps. 

5) Plank, 4x45 seconds.

Outdoors 

1) 5 burpees, 8 press ups, 10 jump squats. As many rounds in 20 minutes.

2) 10 Ice skaters, 5 broad jumps. 5 sets.

3) 50 m sprint

                      180 degree turn into sprint x5

                      Lateral, backwards into sprint x5

There we have a few little points that you could use to improve you strength and conditioning for when your next on the court, or you just fancy a different workout.

Jack

Killing Legs - Steve Cook style!!!!

Just a quick entry following my leg day yesterday. Now just before I trained I decided to watch a big inspiration of mine, Steve Cook on youtube, training legs. It was a video of him hitting legs aiming to put on size in a hypertrophy state. 8x8 on each exercise with only 30 seconds rest. As soon as I watched this I knew this was the principle i was going to work off of. Now to the workout out:

10 minute Watt Bike interval based warm up.

8x8 Leg Curl

8x8 Front Squat

8x8 Weight Walking Lunges - 8 on each leg.

8x8 Leg Extension/Dumbbell Sumo Squats/Wall Sit.

Leg Curl - I often neglect my hamstrings so begun with these today. Much like when your training your biceps for example ensure you get a full contraction, squeezing the hamstring. Increase the weight with each set however don't let the weight dictate tempo, keeping this 2240. The slow contraction, with a 2 second pause, followed by 4 second eccentric phase will build the muscle, not the amount of weight you can lift. 

Front Squat - This is my new favourite exercise!!! I’ve always loved squats but these at the minute are just hitting my quads so hard. Its predominantly a quad exercise hitting less of the posterior chain like in a back squat would. I took Steve Cook’s advice and put my heels on weight plates which aided my squat no end. This is simulating what it would be like to wear lifting shoes when squatting. Below is the link of me squatting using this method. Worth a watch to explain how this method can benefit your squat.

https://instagram.com/p/4jn67NnOK1/?taken-by=jacksfitnessforyou

Walking Lunges - With these make sure your always keeping a straight upper body and pushing through the movement. Keep your core engaged at all times. If you're slightly wobbly reduce the weight.

Leg Extension, Sumo Squat, Wall Sit. - This is the finisher to the leg workout. Make sure on the extension you get a full extension, pausing for a 2 second count, seeing the quads contract. Lower under control.  For the Sumo Squat hold a dumbbell with both hands in the centre of your body, with a wide squat stance. This is targeting your gluteus. Wall sit for a 20 second count or failure. Squat just above parallel. This tri-set will hurt, use light weight as the main purpose is just to push the muscle beyond the point of fatigue, forcing growth. 

Some might say this is a lot of volume, however your legs are the biggest muscle group so need to be hit hard. Ensure all exercises are done under control with particular attention paid to tempo and you wont be walking for days.

Good Luck

Jack