Rest between every set: minimum 20 seconds, no exceptions. Shorter rest reduces muscle recovery between sets and increases injury risk — especially on compound movements like squats and deadlifts. Use the time to reset your breathing, check your form, and prepare mentally for the next set.
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Rep range: 5–10 per set, 5 sets total. Stay in the 5–10 rep window on every set. Once you can complete all 5 sets at 10 reps, it's time to raise the weight and drop back down into the 5-rep range to build back up again. Your last set on every exercise should be a true system failure — the rep where your form gives out and you genuinely cannot complete another one.
Video credit: these exercise demos are not mine — shared with thanks to the creators who made them.
Cardio warm-up
Treadmill
10 min cardio warm-up — gets blood into the quads, hamstrings and glutes before any loading
10 min
mph
%
miles
bpm — before you start
Warm-up — Joint & Glute Activation
Cam Dance
Quads, glutes, hip abductors/adductors, calves & coordination — a boxing-style step-and-slide footwork drill that gets the whole lower body moving laterally before any loading. Hold a 5 lb weight in each hand.
Adjust the seat so the back of your knee sits at the edge of the pad — not hanging off, not jammed in.
Ankle pad should sit just above the ankle joint, not on your shin or foot.
Extend fully and SQUEEZE the quad hard for 1–2 seconds at the top. That peak contraction is the whole point.
Lower slowly — 3 seconds down. The eccentric builds more quad muscle than the lift up.
Toes can point slightly back to increase VMO (inner quad teardrop) activation, or slightly forward for outer sweep.
Do not use momentum to swing the weight up — lower it and start over if you have to cheat.
Seated leg curl
Hamstrings in complete isolation (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus) — the seated position keeps the hip flexed which fully stretches the hamstrings before each rep, increasing range of motion and muscle activation compared to the lying version
Adjust the seat back so your knees align with the machine's pivot point — misalignment puts stress on the knee joint instead of the hamstrings.
The ankle pad should sit just above the Achilles tendon, not on the calf or heel.
Curl your heels down and back toward the seat as far as the machine allows — full range of motion is critical here. The hamstrings are fully lengthened at the start and fully shortened at the bottom.
Hold the contracted position 1 second at the bottom — squeeze the hamstrings hard before releasing.
Return SLOWLY — 3 seconds up. The hamstrings are highly prone to strain on the eccentric; controlled lowering protects them and builds more muscle.
Keep your back pressed into the seat pad throughout. If your hips lift off the seat to help the weight move, reduce the weight.
Do not point your toes — keep feet flexed or neutral. Pointed toes recruit the calves and reduce hamstring activation.
Leg press — neutral foot position
Quadriceps (all 4 heads), gluteus maximus — feet shoulder-width, mid-platform hits the quads and glutes in balanced proportion
Move feet to the BOTTOM of the platform — heels near the lower edge.
This creates a large range of motion at the knee — the quads have to work through the entire stretch.
Your knees will travel far forward over your toes — that's fine on a machine with back support, it's safe.
Do not go lower than 90° at the knee here — the low foot position already creates a lot of quad demand.
You'll likely need to reduce weight from the other two positions. The quads fatigue faster in isolation.
Keep toes pointed forward or just slightly out — no wide stance here.
Hamstrings & Glutes
Leg press — high foot position
Gluteus maximus, hamstrings — placing feet high on the platform increases hip hinge and dramatically shifts emphasis off the quads and onto the glutes and hams
Move feet to the TOP of the platform — higher than you think feels natural.
As the platform lowers, your hips will hinge more deeply — this is exactly what targets the glutes.
You will feel this in your hamstrings and glutes far more than the neutral position. That's the point.
Control the descent especially — the glutes do the most work on the way back up from the stretched position.
Keep your lower back firmly against the seat throughout. More hip flexion means more temptation to round.
DB Romanian deadlift
Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, erector spinae — dumbbells allow the hands to travel freely around the legs, removing the Smith's fixed bar path restriction and letting you hinge deeper for a fuller hamstring stretch. Total weight: 40 lbs — one 20 lb dumbbell in each hand.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body. Stand with feet hip-width apart.
Push your hips BACK — not down. Maintain a soft, fixed bend in the knees throughout the entire rep.
Let the dumbbells travel straight down close to your legs — they can pass around your knees naturally, unlike a fixed bar. This is the key advantage over the Smith.
Lower until you feel a strong hamstring pull — aim for mid-shin or lower if your flexibility allows. Your hips going back is what creates depth, not your back rounding.
If your lower back rounds before the hamstrings are loaded, stop there and work on flexibility over time.
Drive hips FORWARD to stand — squeeze the glutes hard at lockout. Don't just straighten your back.
Cable glute kickback
Gluteus maximus, hamstring origin — direct, isolated glute work that builds the kind of mind-muscle connection and peak contraction the big compound lifts can't give you on their own
Attach ankle strap to low cable. Stand facing the stack, holding it lightly for balance only.
Slight hinge at the hip — kick the working leg straight back and up, squeezing the glute hard at the top.
Do NOT swing or use momentum. Slow and deliberate — the glute should be burning by the last few reps.
Keep your hips square — don't let them rotate to help the leg go higher.
Complete all reps on one side before switching. Increase the cable weight as the reps get easier.
Hip Abductors and Hip Adductors
Cable Standing Hip Abduction
Gluteus medius & minimus — standing unilateral version challenges balance stabilizers and hits the glute med through a longer range of motion than the seated machine
Ankle strap on low cable. Stand sideways to the stack — working leg is the one away from the machine.
Hold the cable stack lightly for balance — do NOT lean into it or use it to pull.
Lift the working leg out to the side — keep toes pointing forward, not up. Leading with the heel loses the glute.
Squeeze the outer glute at the top of the movement — pause 1 second.
Lower under control. Do all reps on one side, then turn around and switch.
Light weight is all you need. The standing balance demand makes this harder than the machine.
Cable Standing Hip Adduction
Adductors (inner thigh) — standing unilateral cable work that pulls the leg across the body, isolating the inner thigh through a long range of motion the seated machine can't match
Ankle strap on low cable. Stand sideways to the stack — working leg is the one CLOSEST to the machine.
Hold the cable stack lightly for balance — do NOT lean into it or use it to pull.
Sweep the working leg across the front of your body, away from the machine — keep toes pointing forward.
Squeeze the inner thigh hard at the end of the movement — pause 1 second.
Return under control to the starting position. Do all reps on one side, then turn around and switch.
Light weight is all you need — this is an isolation movement, not a strength lift.
Sumo Squat DB
Inner thighs (adductors), gluteus maximus & medius, quadriceps — the wide stance dramatically increases adductor and glute med recruitment compared to a standard squat, targeting the inner thigh and outer hip in a way narrow stances can't reach
Set feet wider than shoulder-width — roughly 1.5 to 2x your normal squat stance. Toes pointed out 30–45°. The wider you go, the more inner thigh and glute med you recruit.
Hold a single dumbbell with both hands in front of your body (goblet-style), or one dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Brace your core before every rep — the wide stance makes it easier for the lower back to take over if you don't.
Push your knees OUT hard in the direction of your toes as you descend. Knees caving inward is the most common error and defeats the whole purpose of the sumo stance.
Sit straight down — hips descend between your heels, not behind them. Think "sit between your feet" not "push hips back."
Drive up through your heels, squeezing the glutes and inner thighs together at the top of every rep.
Weight is light here — this is a targeted isolation movement for the adductors and glute med, not a max effort squat.
Pulse Squat
Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hip stabilizers — small controlled bounces at the bottom of the squat keep the hips and knees under tension and build endurance in the deep squat position. Can be done holding a low cable as a counterbalance, or holding a plain dance bar / dowel across the front of the body.
If using a cable: set a low cable with a rope or single handle and hold it at chest height — the weight acts as your counterbalance. If using a dance bar or dowel, hold it across the front of your body with both hands.
Feet shoulder-width, toes out 15–30°. The counterbalance allows you to sit back into a deep squat without tipping forward.
Descend slowly to the bottom of your squat — aim for thighs below parallel if mobility allows. Pause at the bottom.
Pulse means small controlled bounces at the bottom — 2 to 3 small pulses per rep before driving up.
Drive up through your heels, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Calves and Shins
Seated Tibialis Raise with DB
Tibialis anterior (shin muscle) — the antagonist to the calf. Strengthening it balances calf development, protects the ankle joint, and reduces shin tightness. Use a dumbbell resting on top of the foot, just behind the toes. Alternate legs — complete all reps on one leg, then switch.
Sit on a bench with feet flat on the floor, knees bent at 90°. Rest a dumbbell on top of the working foot, just behind the toes — heavier than an ankle weight, so go light to start.
Keep your heel planted on the floor — lift only the front of your foot, pulling your toes up toward your shin as high as they'll go.
Hold the top position for 1 second — squeeze the shin muscle hard. You should feel it along the outside of your lower leg, not in the foot.
Lower slowly and with control — don't let the dumbbell drop. The eccentric matters here just like with calves.
Complete all reps on one leg before switching to the other. Rest the working leg while the other side goes — this is your built-in rest between legs.
Start light — the tibialis anterior fatigues quickly if you've never trained it directly. Add weight once 5 sets at 10 reps feel genuinely easy.
Cool down
Treadmill
5 min cool down — easy pace, lets your legs flush out and heart rate come down gradually