Squats & Calf Raises

Morning session:

High bar past parallel squats 4 sets of 15,10,5,5 reps with 40,60,80kgs close stance with feet parallel.  Near to exhaustion but keeping strict form.  Immediately dropping to low bar squat with shoulder width stance with toes pointing slightly out for 2-3 deep (A2G) squats to failure.  Legs tired after this and always feels like a good workout with the need to load with such heavy weight.  I am aware that this method does not work quads as heavily in the final upward phase of the lift as with heavy weights but I am comfortable with this weight for the time being until I sort out other issues.  It also saves me the stress of loading so heavy for parallel squats which I am not ready for.  For additional quad work Saturdays will also include front squats.

Smith Machine calf raises 4 sets of 15,10,5,5 reps with 170,210,260kgs with feet on boxes a few inches off floor to stretch out calf muscles just far enough.  All to failure.

Leg Press Machine calf raises 4 sets of 15,10,5,5 reps with 140,175,200kgs to failure.

 

Afternoon Session:

Walking lunges with dumbbells 3 sets of 15,10,5 steps (each leg) with 14,18,22kgs.  Walking lunges do not seem to stress my knee so much as static lunges where you keep stepping forwards and backwards.  After the squats in the morning this is always hard work!

Straight Legged Deadlift 3 sets of 15,10,5 reps with 60,80,100kgs to near failure strict form.  carried out on box to lower bar down to toes.  I have worked on the flexibility to do this!

Good Mornings with barbell 3 sets of 15,10,5 reps with 22.5,32.5,42.5kgs with very strict form keeping hips in line with spine and looking for the pull on the hamstrings not the lower back.  After doing straight legged deadlifts these good mornings deserve respect and I have found that concentrating on keeping my back straight and stretching my strings (knees slightly bent) allows me to perform this lift without straining my back.  Incidentally, this is the best hamstring stretch that I have found which is well documented in Yoga.

 

The usual maintenance program of stretching and foam rolling calf’s.  I have not foam rolled quads for a number of weeks due to interest and effort with shoulder pain and they were tight and sore.  Foam rolling of quads is some thing that I must remember to start doing again.  Upper R/H pec tight & can feel front R/H shoulder tight.  Rubber balled pec and front shoulder on wall and floor and always feels much better.