Can you think of anything more valuable on your muscle-building journey than training with some of the best bodybuilders on the planet? We can — training with the people who train those athletes, like pro coach Joe Bennett.
On Apr. 30, 2024, “the Hypertrophy Coach” took to YouTube to break down how he designs and builds an evidence-based leg workout for bodybuilding. For context, Bennett works with top-tier competitors like two-time Arnold Classic winner Terrence Ruffin. Pull up a chair; Bennett is taking you to school:
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Before you dive in, understand that Bennett’s training philosophy doesn’t revolve around elevating specific exercises up to “must-do” status. Yes, there are certain moves he recommends (and we’ll explain why). But those exercises aren’t the only way to make good on your leg gains.
Good bodybuilding coaches rely on principles and construct workouts that reflect those ideals while also meeting the needs of the athlete. In short — you’re going to have to do a bit of legwork here before you start working your legs.
Evidence-Based Bodybuilding Leg Workout | Joe Bennett
We aren’t going to bury the lede on you. Here’s the structure of Bennett’s bodybuilding leg workout, focusing primarily on the quadriceps and hamstrings, along with the exercises he recommends:
Sets & Reps: Bennett doesn’t give specific, must-do set-and-rep programming recommendations. That said, research indicates you can build muscle across a variety of rep ranges between about 5 and 30. (1)
When it comes to training volume, hitting between 12 and 20 hard weekly sets on each muscle group is a good evidence-based starting point. (2) If you train your legs twice per week, that would mean providing your quadriceps and hamstrings with 6-10 working sets each in this session.
Bennett relies mainly on machine leg exercises for hypertrophy due to their consistency and stability. “It doesn’t necessarily need to be these specific exercises in this exact order,” Bennett notes. His workout design is guided by adhering to a few fundamental principles:
Leg Workout Principles
- Train Full Range-of-Motion: Bennett acknowledges some of the emerging research on long-length partial reps, (3) but argues that you don’t lose out on anything by including the shortened range of a given muscle.
- Bias the Lengthened and Mid-Range Position: According to Bennett, most muscles are strongest in their mid-range of stretch, followed by being fully stretched, which should allow for more overall mechanical tension. This aligns with most scientific research. (4)
- Avoid Redundancy: Bennett recommends not performing too many similar exercises that challenge the muscle across the same line of pull or resistance curve; he cites an example of doing three flat bench press variations back-to-back during a chest workout.
- High Stability & Bracing: “You don’t want poor bracing or overly complex exercises taking away from your ability to use progressive overload,” Bennett remarks. It’s generally more difficult to produce force on unstable surfaces. (5)
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Here’s an exercise-by-exercise rundown of the movements in Bennett’s bodybuilding leg workout, plus his rationale and recommended exercise substitutions:
Seated Leg Curl
- Bennett notes that you can start the workout with either leg extensions or leg curls, but he personally prefers to put athletes into the seated leg curl machine off the bat because, “no bodybuilder has too much hamstring mass.”
- Bennett recommends using a seatbelt if the station has one to keep your hips firmly in place and allow you to produce more force.
Swap It: Stiff-leg deadlift, 45-degree back extension — Bennett strongly suggests using the seated leg curl machine if you have access to one, calling it, “definitively the best hamstring exercise.”
Hack Squat
- “We want a fully-lengthened quad,” Bennett notes about his preference for full-depth machine hack squats.
- He recommends sinking as deep into the bottom of the rep as possible, but not fully extending your knees at the top. This will help bias the lengthened and mid-range position of the quadriceps, where they’re strongest.
Swap It: Heel-elevated squat variations, split squat
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Lying Leg Curl
- Bennett turns to the lying leg curl to touch on the hamstrings’ mid- and shortened-range position.
- “You need some degree of hip extension [on the lying leg curl],” Bennett notes, but you needn’t fixate on squeezing your glutes as hard as possible to the detriment of total force output.
Swap It: Kneeling leg curl, glute-ham raise
Leg Extension
- “Between the [hack] squat and the leg extension, you can train your quadriceps through their full contractile range,” Bennett says.
- He also recommends not fussing over foot angle or positioning too much, saying that the research on how these adjustments affect muscle activation isn’t significant enough to be practical.
Bennett didn’t endorse any swaps for the leg extension machine due to how it uniquely stimulates the quads. If you’re in a bind, you can fashion the exercise yourself if you have resistance bands and an elevated seat.
Leg Press
- Bennett uses the leg press as a finisher for the quadriceps and recommends you incorporate some sissy squat technique by allowing your heels to come off the plate.
- Be sure to use a much lighter weight than you’re used to, especially if you leg press with heavy weights on a regular basis.
Bennett holds the same belief for the “sissy leg press” as the leg extension; the movement is simply hard to replicate with other equipment. If you don’t have a leg press but you do have a leg extension (or vice-versa), consider doubling-up on the number of sets you perform.
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References
- Adda, Ghoual. (2019). The effect of repetition ranges on maximal strength and hypertrophy. International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports. 8. 149-157. 10.26524/ijpefs19415.
- Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet. 2022 Feb 10;81:199-210.
- Pedrosa, G. F., Lima, F. V., Schoenfeld, B. J., Lacerda, L. T., Simões, M. G., Pereira, M. R., Diniz, R. C. R., & Chagas, M. H. (2022). Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. European journal of sport science, 22(8), 1250–1260.
- Rassier, D. E., MacIntosh, B. R., & Herzog, W. (1999). Length dependence of active force production in skeletal muscle. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 86(5), 1445–1457.
- Lehman, G. J., Gilas, D., & Patel, U. (2008). An unstable support surface does not increase scapulothoracic stabilizing muscle activity during push up and push up plus exercises. Manual therapy, 13(6), 500–506.
Featured Image: Hypertrophy Coach / YouTube
