Squat like you mean it

Ah... it's Wednesday. Hump day for most people, the crucial mid-week obstacle to tackle before it's smooth sailing to the weekend. For me, Wednesday is the day after. The day after what you might ask. The day after leg day.

I absolutely love to train my legs. They are super-strong, but I haven't gotten completely comfortable with them yet. I still loathe shorts season, though I'm hoping this year might be better. Putting in the work like I did yesterday is only going to help.

Here's what my leg workout looked like:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of jumping rope followed by leg swings, inchworms, lunges
Exercise 1: Good ole' fashioned squats - 12 reps x135 pounds, 8x165, 3x195, 3x165, 5x135
Cardio: 100 jumps on the rope
Exercise 2: Straight-legged deadlifts - 12x95, 10x115, 5x135
Carido: 100 jumps on the rope
Exercise 3: Barbell step-ups - 3 sets of 10x75
Exercise 4: Single leg good mornings (ain't nothing good about them) - 3 sets of 10x65
Exercise 5: Leg extensions - 3 drop sets, 10 reps per set, total 30 reps per drop set, 90 reps total...phew!
Exercise 6: Single leg calf raise - 3 sets of 8x35
Exercise 7: Seated calf raise - 3 sets of 10x50
Cooldown: Yoga complex - runner's stretch, right angle pose, twisting right angle pose, downward dog, upward dog; splits

One of my gym "friends" stopped me today and mentioned that I squat more than a lot of the guys in the gym. We had a brief conversation about how not enough women squat. And I feel bad for those women. There is something so empowering about moving a lot of weight with your body. The easiest way to do that is by using your legs since they are your biggest muscle group.

I guess this post is my invitation to women to start squatting. It's really not that hard. Ask a friend who knows how to squat or hire a trainer to teach you. There are tons of You Tube videos, too, that might give you some assistance. Once you get the basics down, it's a piece of cake. And after squatting, think of all the cake you could eat. Only kidding.

Do you squat? What variations of the squat do you like to do?


What do you eat after a really hardcore workout?