Like what you see here? Become a subscriber today and get a ton of free stuff!. Thanks for coming back!

In my last post, I talked about my new favorite chest exercise, the incline bench press. I am now following that chest work with a deadlift program. It’s really quite simple, but super-effective.

(I never knew how hard I could breathe until I started doing heavy deadlifts. Very similar effect to squats.)

I start out usually on the floor with a light weight, mixed grip (alternate your grip, though, so you get even development). Get down low by bending at the knees and hips, keeping the back flat. Then simultaneously push with the thighs, glutes, and hips, while lifting with the lower back, too.

Typically, I only do a few sets:

• One warmup, minimal rest (30 seconds tops)
• One with a midrange weight for 5-8 reps (60 to 90 seconds rest)
• 2 sets of 3-5 with increasing weight (120-180 seconds rest)

Deadlifts are funny (not “Ha-ha” funny) in that you’re better off doing fewer reps with heavier weight, using super-strict form, rather than doing higher-rep, lower-weight sets. It is so critical that you do these with the strictest form possible that getting carried away with too many reps will literally get you carried away!

The more reps you focus on, the less you focus on your form; so, do fewer reps but in strict form!

Please. No back injuries.

Deads are so great for your core strength that they ought to be a staple in your weight-training programs. They stimulate muscle growth and Growth Hormone production in a way similar to a squat program, but they really blast the upper body (all areas of the back and traps), including the biceps and forearms.

They may be a better exercise than bench presses!

I’m a slow learner. It took me a really long time to figure this out. This fact, coupled with my lower back issues over the past 10 or so years, has really kept the blinders on.

But now that I can see clearly again, I’ll never turn my back on the deadlift! I love them now!

Got Quads?

Lots of “experts” and “gurus” in the bodybuilding and weight training scenes will tell you that  to build massive thighs, you need to do Squats.

I wholeheartedly agree.

But many of these same “experts” will tell you that the simple Leg Extension is worthless as a thigh-building exercise. I say, “Poppycock!” This is the nicest way I can call, “BS!”

Let’s get a few things straight. First, Squats are AWESOME quad builders. They’re simply the best. In fact, they’re the BEST lower body exercise you can do! They’re also the BEST exercise on the planet for overall body growth. I’ve written about this before, here, here, here, and here, to name a few places.

Think about the quadriceps only for a moment. The function of the quads is to move the lower leg from a bent position to a straight position. That’s it. The quads don’t care how you straighten your leg; they only care that you do.

When I tore up my knee a long time ago, the #1 exercise I did in physical therapy was leg extensions. Lately, the PT crowd has taken them off their list of top exercise to do after knee surgery, due to the shear force on the knee, but not because they don’t build and/or re-build the muscle!

Leg extensions do put a great force on the knee joint itself. But if you have a stable and strong joint, you should be able to do Leg Extensions with no issues whatsoever.

My most important suggestion is one of caution: Don’t go ridiculously crazy with the weight!

Here’s how I suggest you incorporate Leg Extensions into your thigh-building routine:

1. Use them as a pre-exhaust exercise to isolate your quads before you Squat. Often, other major muscles will fatigue sooner than the quads when squatting. So, do a superset of Leg Extensions, 10-15 reps, followed by a set of Squats. This will blow up your quadriceps like nothing else.
2. Use them as a “ripping up” exercise after Squats. Do your normal leg workout, then finish it off by doing a set or two of high-rep Leg Extensions (15-20 reps, holding and squeezing at the top of the movement for maximum contraction). Doing them in this way will really etch in the cuts in your frontal thigh. Hold for at least one second.

So, you see, there is a place for Leg Extensions in your workout routine. Do not listen to the so-called “experts” all the time. There is a time and place for nearly every exercise ever developed.