Training Notes:
A1: Keep your back against the back pad throughout and maintain an arch in your lower back. Perform the concentric powerfully, pause for a count in contraction, then really control the eccentric and generate tension in your hamstrings. Get a full ROM on each rep. After EACH set, rest for 5 deep breaths then continue to failure with slow tempo partial reps from the stretch. Aim for 50% ROM on the partials and get a huge pump. Rest ~60 sec before A2.
A2: The load here should be moderate. Make sure to wear straps so your grip isn’t the limiting factor. Take small and choppy steps with your front heel staying in line with the back foot’s toes. Be sure to shift the weight from side to side as you walk but do NOT rotate your trunk or hips. Keep the hinges level and concise. Try to make sure the tension stays mostly in your hams and glutes even though your low back will definitely be working hard. Brace your abs throughout and don’t get sloppy as fatigue sets in. Full rest before returning to A1.
B: Use a seated, pin-loaded machine here if possible. And select a load that would be about your 20 rep max. Adjust the seat so the bottom of the ROM (when the weight stack is resting) is the lowest point your mobility will allow without your hips rolling off the pad. Take a low, narrow stance on the platform (and elevate your heels if possible for more quad focus). Perform the concentric with power but control the eccentric and allow the load to settle for a count at the bottom before beginning the next rep. Aim to get to the rep target in as few sets as possible. Take each set as far as you can, rest for 20 sec as needed, then continue. Make sure to perform a couple of feeder sets before beginning.
C: Use a load that would be about your 15 rep max. Attach bands from the top of the machine to reduce the resistance at the bottom of the squat. Get a full ROM on each rep and make sure to really control these. Try to make these more quad focused by getting max knee flexion at the bottom of the ROM. Rest ~30 sec between clusters and take the last to technical failure. Make sure to perform 1-2 feeder sets before starting the clusters.
D1: Use a load that would be about your 30 rep max. Pause in contraction of each rep and try to cramp your quads up! These are meant to get as much blood into those quads as possible so push through the pain and take each to failure. Rest ~30 sec before D2.
D2: Note the tempo on these. Slow the eccentric down to build time under tension in those quads and then pause at the bottom to stretch them. Elevate your heels here to encourage more knee flexion. At the top of the movement, you should be hinged over fully with your torso parallel with the floor. Then through the eccentric, your hips should be dropping down into the squat while your torso angle rotates up at the same time so you end up in a normal squat position at the bottom. The concentric should be the exact reversal of this. Make sure you’re holding on with your hands for stability. Push these HARD but leave a rep in the tank on each set. Full rest before returning to D1.
E: Hold the DB in your contralateral hand and use your ipsilateral hand for balance and stability. Perform 2 feeder sets of 10 reps each before the top set. After failure on the top set, perform a 10 sec isohold in the position in which you can generate the most tension in your glutes. Then drop the weight by ~50% and go to failure then repeat the isohold. Finally, drop to bw, go to failure, and perform an isohold for as long as you can. Perform this whole sequence on one side, take a full rest, then repeat on the other side.