LEG DAY

LEG DAY: FEATURING SHARON’S PERSONAL LEG ROUTINES ~ HEAVY DAY & LIGHT DAY

YES! THE LEG MONTAGE FEATURED IN THE HEADER OF THIS PAGE ARE MINE (FEATURED IN MUSCLE & FITNESS MAGAZINE).

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE OUTER-SWEEPS, FULL HAMSTRINGS, ROUND GLUTES, SEPARATIONS AND FULL CALVES ~ FOLLOW MY PERSONAL SPLIT ROUTINES I PERFORMED ON AND OFF SEASON. MY WORKOUTS ALWAYS CONSISTED OF HEAVY DAY (SIZE) / LIGHT DAY (SHAPE), FOR ALL BODY PARTS.

BE SURE TO HYDRATE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER WORKOUTS. DO NOT WORKOUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. FEED AND HYDRATE YOUR MUSCLES!

MY PERSONAL WORKOUT PROGRAM:

  • DAY 1 ~ SHOULDERS, CHEST, TRICEPS.

  • DAY 2 ~ BACK, BICEPS.

  • DAY 3 ~ LEGS. ABS, STRETCH ~ EVERY DAY.

  • CARDIO ~ (PRE-CONTEST ONLY), EVERY DAY ~ 45 MIN.

HEAVY LEG DAY

WARM-UP EITHER 10 MINUTES ON STATIONARY BIKE OR BARE BAR SQUATS FOR 20-50 REPS (BOTH DAYS)

SQUATS: BARBELL (SOMETIMES I WOULD USE SMITH MACHINE IF I DID NOT HAVE A SPOTTER)

5 SETS (EACH REP TO FAILURE ASCENDING IN WEIGHT EACH WEEK - AS HEAVY AS COMFORTABLY AND PROPERLY (FORM & EXECUTION) POSSIBLE. HEAVY DAYS HAVE SPOTTER ON HAND OR USE SMITH MACHINE)

  • FIRST SET X 10-12 REPS

  • 2ND. SET X 8-10 REPS

  • 3RD. SET X 6-8 REPS

  • 4RTH. & 5TH. X 4-6 REPS

Woman performing a barbell squat in a gym, wearing a blue sports bra and black shorts, with a focused expression and visible sweat.

BARBELL SQUATS

A woman in athletic clothing squat with a barbell resting on her shoulders, wearing white sneakers and pink socks, in a gym setting.

SMITH MACHINE SQUATS

LEG PRESS: (REGULAR OR DECLINE) SOMETIMES I WOULD PERFORM ONE-LEG PRESS = EACH REP AND SET EACH LEG

  • FIRST SET X 12-15 REPS

  • 2ND. SET X 10-12 REPS

  • 3RD. & 4RTH. SET X 6-8 REPS

A woman doing leg press exercise in a gym, lying on a machine with her legs extended upward and weights in the background.
A woman wearing a colorful striped skirt and orange shoes lying on a workout bench and lifting a dumbbell in a gym.
A woman lying on an examination table at a medical facility, with her legs raised and supported by stirrups, indicating a gynecological examination or procedure.
A woman with short dark hair wearing sunglasses, a purple bikini top, and rainbow-striped shorts is relaxing on a lounge chair at a gym, leaning back with her legs elevated. In the background, an elderly man in a blue shirt and shorts is sitting on another lounge chair. The gym contains various exercise equipment and weights.
A woman with curly hair wearing a beige athletic swimsuit working out on leg press machine in a gym.

LEG EXTENSIONS:

FIRST SET: (TOES STRAIGHT/WORK FULL FRONT OF QUAD X 12-15 REPS

2ND. SET: (TOES TURNED IN/WORK OUTER QUAD X 12-15 REPS

3RD. SET (TOES TURNED OUT/WORK INNER QUAD X 12-15 REPS

4RTH. SET (TOES STRAIGHT) X 12-15 REPS

*DO NOT “BOUNCE MOVEMENT” ON ANY EXERCISE.

(MORE SO EXTENSIONS ~ EXECUTE SLOW, CONTROLLED MOVEMENTS)

A woman with dark hair tied back, wearing a fitted, sleeveless, striped athletic outfit, lifts a barbell in a gym with various workout equipment in the background.

ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS (RDL’S) : GLUTE/HAMSTRINGS *EXECUTE PROPER FORM AT ALL TIMES!

  • 4 SETS X 15-20 REPS EACH (can use barbell or dumbbell or cable

A woman in workout clothes is lifting a barbell in a gym.
A man in striped workout shorts and a red tank top bent over during a workout in a gym, with weightlifting equipment in the background.
A muscular woman with curly hair lifting a barbell in a gym, wearing a turquoise sports bra, striped shorts, and white socks tossed down.

LEG CURLS: LYING, seated OR STANDING MACHINE

FOUR SETS X 12-20 REPS EACH (to failure)

  • when curling legs in, push hip into pad and slightly raise knees off pad (NOT TOO MUCH/WILL STRAIN LOWER BACK) IN ORDER TO EXECUTE FULL, PEAK CURL ON THE HAMSTRING BICEPS AND GLUTES

A woman lying face down on a massage table, receiving a massage. She is wearing a striped tank top, and her arms are resting on the table. The scene appears to be in a massage or therapy room, with various equipment and a person’s head visible in the background.
A person lying face down on a workout bench, holding weights with their feet resting on the edge of the bench, in a gym setting.
A woman demonstrating a one-legged curl exercise with a machine, wearing striped workout shorts and sneakers, in a gym setting.
A woman in a white tank top with blue text, sitting on a red workout machine at a gym during the night. She is holding the machine's handles and looking at the camera. Her dark hair is styled voluminously.

calves: seated, standing calf machine or donkey raises

  • FOUR SETS X 20-30 REPS EACH

LIGHT LEG DAY

works glutes, quads, hamstrings, ~ concentrates on inner thigh development.

  • wide stance, toes over knees. execute with Proper posture and form!

  • FIRST SET X 15-20 REPS

  • 2nd. SET X 12-15 REPS.

  • 3RD & 4RTH SET X 10-12 REPS.

ballet squats: smith machine, barbell or dumbbell

A woman with dark curly hair squatting, wearing a light beige tank top, white shorts, and white athletic shoes with matching socks. The text on the image says 'Sharon Bruneau, North American Champion, 170 FLEX.'

HACK SQUATS: (OR NARROW SQUATS ON SMITH MACHINE)

primarily targets the OUTER SWEEPS OF THE quads and to a lesser degree also targets the calves, glutes and hamstrings.

*IMPORTANT TO KEEP KNEES AND FEET SQUEEZED TOGETHER THE ENTIRE EXECUTION !

  • FIRST SET X 15-20 REPS.

  • 2ND. SET X 12-15 REPS.

  • 3RD & 4RTH SET X 10-12 REPS.

A woman in athletic clothing is doing a squat exercise at a gym, standing in front of a red sign that has the words 'Hack Squat' on it.
A woman wearing sports clothes sitting in a wheelchair, raising her arm in a muscular pose inside a gym.
A woman working out on a leg press machine in a gym, wearing sports attire and yellow socks.

SISSY SQUATS:

primarily strengthen the quadriceps / separations and ~ also work the hip flexors, core strength and can improve balance. With a sissy squat machine, you're able to lean back securely without fear of falling over or disrupting your posture.

CAN BE EXECUTED WITH DUMBBELLS/PLATES OR NO WEIGHT FOR BEGINNERS.

*IF A SISSY SQUAT BENCH IS NOT AVAILABLE REVERT TO LEG EXTENSIONS

3 SETS X 15-20 REPS EACH

A person performing a seated sissy squat exercise with a barbell on their shoulders in a gym.

LUNGE: BASIC STEP FORWARD LUNGE, REVERSE LUNGE, WALKING LUNGE, BENCH LUNGE (SPLIT SQUAT)

BARBELL, DUMBBELL OR NO WEIGHTS

  • 3 SETS X 15-20 REPS EACH LEG

*WALKING LUNGES 3 SETS CONSISTING OF AT LEAST 15-20 STEPS EACH LEG

Two female bodybuilders lifting dumbbells in a gym, showing muscular physiques with defined muscles.
Woman working out in a gym, holding a dumbbell in one hand, in a lunging position. She is wearing pink workout clothes and white sneakers.

BENCH LUNGE (SPLIT SQUAT)

BASIC FORWARD LUNGE (CAN US SMALL BLOCK TO STEP FORWARD ONTO OR STEP FORWARD ON FLOOR)

A muscular woman in a red workout bodysuit lifting a barbell in a gym.
Woman in red tank top performing a barbell squat in a gym.

BASIC FORWARD LUNGE/ BARBELL

LEG CURLS: LYING, STANDING OR CABLE

A woman wearing colorful shorts and a purple sports bra doing leg exercises on a machine at a gym.

4 SETS X 12-20 REPS EACH

A young girl in colorful striped shorts and a yellow tank top performing a fitness exercise on an exercise pad, with instructions overlayed that read 'Press Hips Down, Lift Knees off the Pad.'
Close-up of muscular legs and calves of a person wearing yellow sneakers standing on a wooden platform at a gym.

CALVES: FOUR SETS X 20-30 REPS EACH