Lower Body (PPL W4D3)

This is the last leg day at this gym! Besides tomorrow’s push session, there’s nothing left before the move on Friday. It went well, but it ended up being slightly easier than expected. I’m not fully satisfied. I absolutely need to finish strong tomorrow!

Summary

Leg Press
Lying Leg Curl
Single-Leg Leg Extension
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
Calf Raise (Smith Machine)
Weighted Crunch

Leg Press

target 3x5-9 | RIR 1

set	weight	reps
1	235 kg	9
2	245 kg	9
3	250 kg	9

Went really well. I always wish I could go a little deeper while maintaining good form, but other than that, there’s not much to say.

Lying Leg Curl

target 4x8-12 | RIR 1

set	weight	reps
1	70 kg	8
2	70 kg	8
3	70 kg	7
4	65 kg	8

Maybe because the deadlifts gave my hamstrings a stronger stimulus than usual, today was really tough. I lost quite a bit of strength. Interestingly, looking at the footage, my left leg appears to be rotated outward compared to my right leg. It’s hard to confirm due to the camera angle, but you can see it if you look at where each leg contacts the pad, right?

Single-Leg Leg Extension

target 2x8-12 | RIR 0

set	weight	reps
1	65 kg	12
2	65 kg	12

Felt fine.

Stiff-Leg Deadlift

target 2x8-12 | RIR 2

set	weight	reps
1	80 kg	9
2	80 kg	12

Normally when I do deadlifts, I tend to overuse my lower back and it gets sore easily, but today — similar to yesterday’s pulldowns and rows — I was able to keep my shoulders and upper body in a good position, which helped me focus on driving with my legs instead of relying on my lower back.

Calf Raise (Smith Machine)

target 4x8-12 | RIR 0

set	weight	reps
1	170 kg	12
2	170 kg	12
3	170 kg	11
4	170 kg	11

My ankle range of motion isn’t great, but by squeezing hard at the top of the movement, I can feel a very strong calf contraction.

Weighted Crunch

target 4x8-12 | RIR 0

set	weight	reps
1	20 kg	15
2	20 kg	12
3	20 kg	12
4	20 kg	12

The range of motion on crunches isn’t very large either, but similar to the calf raises, I’m focusing on squeezing hard at the top of the movement, and the stimulus feels pretty good. Starting from the next leg day, I’ll be at the new gym, which should have a crunch machine.