My Routines for Building Lower Body and Chest

Many of you are looking for new weights routines and ask what I do. To focus on the great results I’ve seen in the last few months, I wanted to share a few of the routines I’ve been doing.

Hack Squat Machine

I change my reps, sets, weight, and exercise order frequently and change my exercises every two months. I find this keeps my muscles challenged and boredom at bay. I love starting new routines! I’ll be creating new ones in the next week.

My trainer friend Roy Cohen recommends training posterior muscles first (when they’re fresh), since they are usually weaker than the front muscles. Another strategy I’ve been using to build muscle is to take in more calories. I’m at a good weight right now but active people trying to build muscle need to consume 400-500 calories more than they would normally (called “over maintenance”). Also: I lift heavy.

Lower Body Crush

Since I strained my lower back a few months ago this legs routine avoids exercises that are hard on your back. Normally I would include stiff-legged deadlifts and squats because they provide great results. Whether I do two or three calf exercises just depends on how hard I want to hit them that day.

This is a challenging leg routine and you can easily exclude one of the ham/glutes exercises. As you can see, I’ve been focusing on my hams more heavily than quads the last couple of months.

Hams/Glutes

• Lying Hamstring Extension
• Standing Hamstring Curl
• One-legged Cable Kickback

Quads

• Hacksaw Squat or Walking Lunge
• Hack Squat or Leg Press

Calves

• Calf Press (leg press machine)
• Standing Calf Raise
• Seated Calf Raise (donkey raises)

Chest Blast

I keep it simple with chest  and usually do chest exercises in the same session as legs. I used to include chest with shoulders and triceps, but doing those muscle groups separately lets me work them harder.

My chest gets fatigued pretty quickly because I go heavy. I usually only do three exercises but am including a fourth for days when I’m up for it.

If you don’t like saggy armpits or want some definition in your upper pectorals, work your chest hard! Guys, I don’t have to preach this one to you, it’s already on your radar.

• Barbell Bench Press In order to get the most out of a bench press, please use proper form!
• Push up with Feet Elevated The guy in this video’s back is totally arched! I keep my back completely flat. Use your core and don’t let your torso sag. There are a lot of variations to push ups but this one challenges me nicely.
• Dumbbell Incline Press
• Cable Crossover (optional)

Any feedback on these routines? Things you do differently? Enjoy!