Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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Kram said:
I'm close to just ditching almost all calf isolation training, just seems like a waste of time for minimal results for effort.
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Start doing double unders. Amazing for calves.
 
I was reading that if you train legs twice a week, do a quad dominant lift on one day and a hamstring dominant one on the other.

So I’m just trying to figure out whether the trap bar deadlift or Zercher squat should be my main quad lift or not.

The way I trap bar DL, it definitely hits my quads more, that’s where I feel it the most. And the loads are heavier than Zercher.

I definitely want to keep both lifts in my routine but I think one of them needs to become a secondary lift as the best hamstring dominant lift I could do is RDL/SLDL. It’s the only barbell exercise I’ve done that I feel it in the hamstring which you should if you’re doing them well enough.

I do Bulgarian split squats as a secondary lift.

I can’t do leg curls, leg presses or hamstring curls but that’s okay as I’m averaging 11-16 sets per leg session with just two- three exercises.

The volume is good enough. But yeah, just looking for some feedback on which lift out of trap bar dead’s and Zerchers I should make secondary as I want a hamstring dominant lift to be a main lift and I’m going with RDLs for that.
 

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Themanbun said:
Really starting to subscribe to the 'strength is mostly neurological' philosophy.
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There’s also the “strength is a skill” side of the equation.
Ie if you want to get good at specific exercise (eg bench press) you need to be doing it pretty regularly to maximise proficiency like any other skill.
 
Nearly hurt myself badly this morning ironically doing something easy.

Low weight high rep calf raises on the smiff machine moved forward to leave it thinking the bar was locked but it wasn't, so had to drop it from a very awkward spot behind my back. Lucky it was only 40kg instead of 80.
 
Coolangatta said:
I was reading that if you train legs twice a week, do a quad dominant lift on one day and a hamstring dominant one on the other.

So I’m just trying to figure out whether the trap bar deadlift or Zercher squat should be my main quad lift or not.

The way I trap bar DL, it definitely hits my quads more, that’s where I feel it the most. And the loads are heavier than Zercher.

I definitely want to keep both lifts in my routine but I think one of them needs to become a secondary lift as the best hamstring dominant lift I could do is RDL/SLDL. It’s the only barbell exercise I’ve done that I feel it in the hamstring which you should if you’re doing them well enough.

I do Bulgarian split squats as a secondary lift.

I can’t do leg curls, leg presses or hamstring curls but that’s okay as I’m averaging 11-16 sets per leg session with just two- three exercises.

The volume is good enough. But yeah, just looking for some feedback on which lift out of trap bar dead’s and Zerchers I should make secondary as I want a hamstring dominant lift to be a main lift and I’m going with RDLs for that.
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My leg day is bulgarian split squats straight into trap bar deadlifts as my first two exercises.
I use a bunch of 15kg plates (instead of 20s) as I get a little closer to the ground/greater ROM.

I often finish with slow SLDLs as well. Long femurs so there's a little bit of 'sliding' with the pads on the hamstring curl machine.

I do end up running/cycling a fair bit through so often only have one leg day per week - and it's my favourite gym day.
 
Glorfindel said:
There’s also the “strength is a skill” side of the equation.
Ie if you want to get good at specific exercise (eg bench press) you need to be doing it pretty regularly to maximise proficiency like any other skill.
Click to expand...

Ironically I had only benched 1-2 times in the past 10-12 weeks (been spamming overhead press) and hit a close grip bench PR this morning lol.
Would say that is an anomaly rather than the rule!
 
Had Ulnar Nerve Entrapment recently... annoying to say the least... but a few days of not using that arm in the gym and it's good again... phew. Lucky it was mild and will probably go a few more days in the gym without stressing it to be sure I'm on the "safe" side.
 
Coolangatta said:
I was reading that if you train legs twice a week, do a quad dominant lift on one day and a hamstring dominant one on the other.

So I’m just trying to figure out whether the trap bar deadlift or Zercher squat should be my main quad lift or not.

The way I trap bar DL, it definitely hits my quads more, that’s where I feel it the most. And the loads are heavier than Zercher.

I definitely want to keep both lifts in my routine but I think one of them needs to become a secondary lift as the best hamstring dominant lift I could do is RDL/SLDL. It’s the only barbell exercise I’ve done that I feel it in the hamstring which you should if you’re doing them well enough.

I do Bulgarian split squats as a secondary lift.

I can’t do leg curls, leg presses or hamstring curls but that’s okay as I’m averaging 11-16 sets per leg session with just two- three exercises.

The volume is good enough. But yeah, just looking for some feedback on which lift out of trap bar dead’s and Zerchers I should make secondary as I want a hamstring dominant lift to be a main lift and I’m going with RDLs for that.
Click to expand...

At a guess Zerchers will be ultimately limited by your ability to hold the bar upright, not your quads. So they'd be the better candidate for a secondary lift IMO.

I wouldn't generally consider trap bar DL's to be quad dominant or specific enough to use it as a quad specific exercise. They're still mostly a hinge pattern lift, not a squat pattern, just allow a little more quad engagement along with the posterior chain.

Have you looked at front squats / cyclist squats if you want quad specific? Otherwise some form of split squat / lunge as has already been mentioned.
 

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faible said:
At a guess Zerchers will be ultimately limited by your ability to hold the bar upright, not your quads. So they'd be the better candidate for a secondary lift IMO.

I wouldn't generally consider trap bar DL's to be quad dominant or specific enough to use it as a quad specific exercise. They're still mostly a hinge pattern lift, not a squat pattern, just allow a little more quad engagement along with the posterior chain.

Have you looked at front squats / cyclist squats if you want quad specific? Otherwise some form of split squat / lunge as has already been mentioned.
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hmm, split squats work better with higher volume don’t they?

I can actually micro load my DBs which is good but I’m not sure general gainz (work up to 6-10rm, do 4-6 half sets) works as well for split squats because it’s lower reps.

Would probably do them with better form though because the reps are lower
 
Coolangatta said:
hmm, split squats work better with higher volume don’t they?

I can actually micro load my DBs which is good but I’m not sure general gainz (work up to 6-10rm, do 4-6 half sets) works as well for split squats because it’s lower reps.

Would probably do them with better form though because the reps are lower
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I don’t think it’s a big difference, 5 x 5 or 3 x 8 are both about 24-25 reps of quality. Muscles are muscles for the most part, if you go heavy and progressively overload split squats you’ll get stronger and bigger in the muscles it uses.

Sometimes I think we get a bit caught up looking for the most optimal instead of taking what’s good and rolling with it. I know I’ve been guilty of that plenty of times.

Unless you’re a properly advanced lifter, then optimal probably is relevant.
 
faible said:
I don’t think it’s a big difference, 5 x 5 or 3 x 8 are both about 24-25 reps of quality. Muscles are muscles for the most part, if you go heavy and progressively overload split squats you’ll get stronger and bigger in the muscles it uses.

Sometimes I think we get a bit caught up looking for the most optimal instead of taking what’s good and rolling with it. I know I’ve been guilty of that plenty of times.

Unless you’re a properly advanced lifter, then optimal probably is relevant.
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Cool. I just thought like a 6rm set followed by 4 sets of 3 might be little too volume for split squats but of course, sets can be added to hit 24-25 reps and they need to be to break plateaus sometimes.
 
Coolangatta said:
Cool. I just thought like a 6rm set followed by 4 sets of 3 might be little too volume for split squats but of course, sets can be added to hit 24-25 reps and they need to be to break plateaus sometimes.
Click to expand...

Can always try a few different combinations to see what feels good, by the time you add some warm up sets in as well that can add up to a fair bit of volume.
 
Coolangatta said:
hmm, split squats work better with higher volume don’t they?

I can actually micro load my DBs which is good but I’m not sure general gainz (work up to 6-10rm, do 4-6 half sets) works as well for split squats because it’s lower reps.

Would probably do them with better form though because the reps are lower
Click to expand...
Split squats work at any volume. Lots of performance benefits to doing say, a rear foot elevated split squat, at under 3RM.
 
Coolangatta said:
split squats work better with higher volume don’t they?
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Higher volume necessitates less weight . . . Which is probably more convenient to set up. Other than that as others have mentioned it probably makes little difference (except perhaps that our lower body tolerates a slightly higher volume than upper body due to ratio of fast & slow twitch fibres).
 

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Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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