What’s a winning physique? It’s surely not a dude with bulging shoulders and pecs strutting around on chicken legs. Look, a lot of guys avoid leg day, but you’re doing yourself a disservice. Stop running away. Smash your goals.
Here’s exercises that are proven to help you get massive gains that are also safe and smart. Let’s check them out.
How To Work The Legs
Before we get into the exercises, though, let’s get a general understanding of working the lower body. You need proper form. Work on proper form first, and you will have better results from the beginning. Lastly, don’t focus too much on higher repetitions. Work within the 80-85% 1RM range for the most growth.
Recommended Leg Exercises For Growth
With some basic information out of the way, it’s time to introduce the exercises.
Barbell Back Squat
Note: Best performed inside a rack for safety.
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do:
Start with your feet under the bar, hands in position. Get under the bar. Adjust your grip if you need to. Keep the chest up and the elbows down. Squat up to unrack the bar and keep your core engaged, back long. As you continue to perform a rep, keep your heels under your shoulders with the toes out on a slight diagonal. Get your backside as low to the ground as comfortable for your joints. To get up from the squat, drive through glute and hamstring muscles, squeezing and pressing.
Barbell Front Squat
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do: Bring your arms up under the bar. Keep the elbows high, upper arms parallel to the floor. The bar should rest atop the deltoids when your arms are crossed. From there, lift the bar from the rack by pushing with your legs up and keeping the torso straight.
Step away from the rack and take a squat position—feet under shoulders, toes pointed outward. This is the starting position.
Lower down slowly. Maintain a straight posture as the knees bend. Eventually, the thighs should be below parallel with the floor. As you start to lift from the bottom position, exhale and push the floor through the middle of the foot while engaging the quads.
Repeat.
Barbell Lunge
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps on both sides
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do: Once you have unracked the bar, step forward with either your right or left leg. Maintain balance and squat down. Think about lowering the hips, not bending the knees in order to keep your form. The torso remains straight. Knees bend to 90-degrees. Don’t allow the front knee to go beyond the toes. Once you reach the lowest point, power back up through the feet. Repeat this movement 9 more times on one leg then switch.
Leg Press Machine
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do: Start by sitting at the machine with your back firm against the seat. Your feet are flat on the foot plate, slightly wider than hip-width apart. Grab the handles on either side of the seat. From there, push the plate away by extending through the knees and hips. Turn the locking safety handle so you can move freely. Then, keep pushing through the feet until you’re extended. Bring the plate back slowly. Never fully lock the knees as your work. Repeat the motion.
Leg Curl Machine
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do: Once you’ve readied the machine for use, place the back of the lower leg on the padded lever. Second the lap pad against your quads, above the knees. Grasp the side handles. Make sure you start with the legs fully straight out behind you. Now, exhale, pulling the machine lever back as you bend the knees and lift your heels towards your back. Hold the contraction for a second. Slowly lower back to starting position. Repeat.
Standing Calf Raise
3 sets x 8-10 reps
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do: [Use dumbbells or the machine] On a workout step or platform, stand with your feet under your shoulders. The balls of your feet are on the top half of the platform/step, and the heels are hanging off. Push up, extend the knees, and keep the torso erect. Never lock the knees as you rise. Continue raising the heels as you breathe then lower slowly to starting position, feeling the calf release and stretch. Repeat.
Romanian Deadlift
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Rest: 3 minutes
How to do: Hold a bar at hip level with palms facing down. Shoulders are back, the back is arched, and the knees are slightly bent. This is where you start. From there, lower the bar down by moving the butt back. Keep the bar close to the body as you move. When done correctly, the maximum range is just below the knee. At the bottom position, squeeze through the back body and drive the hips forward to return to standing. Repeat.
That’s it! You don’t need anything else—just consistency and determination.
You can’t spell legendary without “leg day.” With these exercises, you can grow your legs and get that bodybuilding physique and strength you’ve been working hard to achieve.
Enjoyed this article? For more tips and tricks and information on how to train effectively, check out my YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button.
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Shoulder Day with Almeen Swint, RunThaCity, and Mack: No Excuses, Just Volume
“Whatever it is… you double it up.”
That’s how the day started — no warm-up pleasantries, no easing in. Just heavy dumbbells and a mindset carved out of straight grit. This isn’t your average shoulder day. This is RunThaCity volume — the kind of session where Almeen Swint, Mack, and the crew push until there’s nothing left in the tank.
You want results? Then you better come ready to suffer for ‘em. Let’s break down this raw, unfiltered shoulder training session and show you how real work gets done.
Phase 1: Heavy Pressure from the Start
It kicks off with 35kg dumbbells (~70 lbs) — and that’s just the start. No half reps, no soft lifts. Just focused tension and explosive control. You can hear it in the soundtrack, in the iron clanging, and in the breath between each grind.
Almeen Swint sets the pace with controlled aggression, showing that shoulder day isn’t about fancy movements. It’s about volume, pain tolerance, and reps on reps until your delts are screaming.
RunThaCity Volume Protocol
Here’s a breakdown of the RTC Shoulder Protocol from the video:
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Seated Shoulder Press – Heavy sets with low rest
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Lateral Raises – High reps, with minimal swing
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Front Raises – Controlled lift, full range
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Rear Delt Flys – Isolate and burn out
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Shoulder Burnout Circuit – No rest between movements, just pure fire
The keyword here is volume. If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not building anything.
💥 Quote of the session:
“You owe five more—what happened to the other five? Then give me six!”
Almeen Swint Shoulder Day
Mind Over Muscle: No Excuses, Just Execution
What separates a RunThaCity workout from the rest? The mentality.
Almeen, Mack, and the crew don’t tolerate quitting. You’ll hear it in the gym talk:
“You afraid of fat [ __ ]? Then get the other four back.”
That’s the push — not disrespect, but accountability. Real partners don’t let you fold. They drag greatness out of you, set after set.
Even when the juice runs out, they find more. That’s the RunThaCity way.
Small Adjustments, Big Results
Technique matters. As the session grinds on, you’ll catch Almeen Swint adjusting form mid-set:
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“Put your feet closer.”
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“Don’t rush the press.”
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“Stay locked in.”
These micro-corrections keep the tension where it belongs — right on the delts. It’s a reminder: sloppy reps rob gains. Precision under fatigue is what separates real lifters from casual gym-goers.
Final Sets: When It Hurts, That’s When It Counts
“No more juice, right?”
By the end, they’re on fumes — but the bar doesn’t care. The last reps hit different. Shoulders on fire, grip fading, but no one backs down.
Mack digs deep. Almeen leads from the front. No skipping. No hiding.
This is shoulder day done right.
Real Talk, Real Brotherhood
Even through the pain, there’s room for laughs. Gym banter flies:
“I already only got one testicle… so it don’t matter.”
That’s the crew energy. Humor, pain, sweat — all part of the RunThaCity grind. You don’t just lift — you show up, you show out, and you leave better than you came.
Final Thoughts
Shoulder day with Almeen Swint and the RunThaCity crew isn’t about checking a box. It’s about outworking the voice in your head that says stop. It’s about volume, form, and never making excuses.
You want that cap look? You want that strength? Then you better be ready to suffer for it.
Strength is Built, Not Given.
📲 Drop a comment below if you’ve run this shoulder day.
🎥 Tag @RunThaCity in your grind — we repost the hardest workers.
🔗 More training fire → RunThaCity Workouts -
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The Best Hamstring Strengthening Exercises
The joke of skipping leg day is an old mainstay within fitness communities, and this is largely the result of leg exercises being harder to adhere to in the past. With less motility than arms, finding the right regime of easily-performed exercises for various leg muscles, especially the hamstring, can be something of a nuisance.
Today, we’re going to look at the best exercise routine for strengthening your hamstrings. Before we begin, it goes without saying that you want to balance these evenly, and never be excessive with speed, routine length, or the like. Injuring your hamstring can be excruciatingly painful, and can temporarily (or in rare cases, permanently) reduce or take away your ability to stand or walk.
How do I Know My Hamstring is Underfit?
If you already have a decent regime of general leg exercises, you may be unsure if you need to alter any of your routines to provide a better workout for your hamstrings. There are symptoms that can easily be picked up on, though.
- Cramping, Spasms, Charlie Horses – Charlie horses are very painful, uncontrolled contractions of muscles that are essentially a form of acute cramp. The most common Charlie horse that happens within the leg is in the calf muscle, or along the sole of the foot, but they can also occur in the hamstring and other upper leg muscles, if they’re not properly fit. It’s worth noting that this can also be a symptom of potassium or vitamin deficiencies as well, though if that’s the case, such problems will occur in other parts of the body as well.
- Gluteal and Upper Leg Fatigue – If walking, standing, squatting and other leg-related activities result in significant fatigue across the back of the upper leg, or the base of the gluteal area, this can be a sign that your current routines aren’t sufficiently exercising your hamstring, causing it to fatigue much more quickly than other muscle groups.
- Restless Legs – True restless leg syndrome is not what we’re talking about – that’s something that a physician should address immediately due to it being a symptom of much more severe problems than your workout routine. However, mild restlessness, which leg workouts should usually help to abate, can indicate some muscles not being properly worked, and your hamstring is a prime candidate for this.
Dangers
Let’s take a moment to talk about how important leg exercises are as a whole. On a cosmetic level, if you focus only on your upper body, you will look patently ridiculous. We’ve all seen those guys who spend all day lifting and bench pressing, but neglect their legs entirely. They look like cartoon characters!
But, on top of this, you also greatly increase your risk of knee and hamstring injuries, and these can have lasting or permanent ramifications, leaving you permanently walking with a limp, or experiencing significant pain.
It also makes squats much harder to do, as well as any practical lifting to carry or move heavier things.Gender Doesn’t Matter
Something else we need to point out right now, is that this is just as important for women as it is for men. The same danger of leg injuries can happen if a woman’s hamstrings aren’t properly trained and well-exercised.
Equally, let’s all be honest. What kind of legs do most men prefer on a woman? Scrawny, neglected beanpoles? Or, is a woman with shapely, toned legs usually preferred? And, ladies, which would you prefer? Healthy, toned legs, or skinny, weak ones? It really matters for both sexes, equally.
You Don’t Need Crazy Equipment!
One last thing to point out, before we look at the six most effective exercises is, while having some decent equipment at your disposal does help, but you don’t need ridiculous, expensive and overwrought equipment to get a solid hamstring workout.
We live in a time that’s unrivaled historically in both fitness and nutrition sciences, as well as the elaborate equipment we can produce. This equipment is all well and good, but you really only need a few simple things, to get a full workout, including hamstring-targeting routines.
There are two routines we’ll look at that need some fitness equipment usually, but you can makeshift these if need be.#1 – Romanian Deaflift
The Romanian deadlift is one of the simplest routines you can do. Simply hold a weighted barbell at shin level, arms straight, bending horizontally at the waist, and partially at the knee. Lift upward until your legs, waist, and arms are straight, the barbell at just below your pelvis. Hold, tightening your legs slightly, and lower back down in a controlled descent.
#2 – Barbell Back Squat
This is another simple exercise. Hold the barbell across the back of your shoulders, just at the base of the neck, elbows bent, palms outward. Have your legs apart so your feet are just past your shoulders.
Bend at the knees, outward, producing a spread-legged squat. Hold, and lift back up slowly. Remember proper squat form with this one.#3 – Bulgarian Split Squat
This one should not be attempted by people with hip or knee trouble. Start with one leg bent at the knee, behind you on a bench. Hold weighted dumbbells at either side of your body. Bend your other leg at the knee and hip until it’s at a near sitting position, your leg on the bench at a J-like bend as a result.
Use some tension in the benched leg when returning to a standing position. Alternate between legs, evenly.#4 – Glute-Ham Raise
This one is best served with leg press equipment. Lie face down, legs braced, cushion under your upper legs. Cross your arms across your chest, and lift yourself to a vertical position at the knees. Hold, and lower yourself back after a couple seconds. This is one of the most powerful (and fatiguing) hamstring exercises.
#5 – Leg Curl
This is the other exercise best suited with a weighted leg press. Lie face down, bracing the weighted lift just above your heels. Bend at the knee, as far as your leg and the weight will permit. Hold for about one second, and lower it back under muscle control.
#6 – Kettlebell Swing
This exercise is usually a “cooling down” or “finishing” routine, and is one of the higher kinetic impact exercises. This also works as a partial cardio exercise, so if your doctor has warned against excessive cardio, be wary of this one. Using ball weights, start bent horizontal at the waste (similar to the Romanain deadlift), the weights held back, between your legs. Bend up at the waist and the knee, swinging the weights in a parabola until your arms are almost level in front of you.
Swing back into the start position under control (don’t let inertia do it for you). Be extra careful on resuming the start position, that you don’t allow inertia to bring your arms at high speed into your groin – it doesn’t matter what your gender, that will hurt.
To learn more about hamstring exercises and other difficult group targeting routines, subscribe to my YouTube channel today. I have so many awesome things to show you!
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The Benefits of Yoga for Sportbike Riders
Sportbike riding, with its high speeds and sharp turns, demands a lot from riders. It requires not just physical strength and endurance but also mental focus and flexibility. This is where yoga, an ancient practice known for its physical, mental, and spiritual benefits, can play a pivotal role. Integrating yoga into your routine can offer sportbike riders numerous advantages, enhancing their riding experience and overall well-being.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced Flexibility and Balance: Vital for maneuvering and maintaining posture while riding.
- Increased Core Strength: Supports proper riding posture and reduces fatigue.
- Improved Mental Focus: Essential for concentration and quick decision-making on the road.
- Stress Relief: Yoga’s meditative aspects can help riders unwind and relax.
- Injury Prevention: Regular practice strengthens the body and aids in recovery.
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Comparison Table: Yoga vs. Traditional Strength Training for Sportbike Riders
Aspect Yoga Traditional Strength Training Flexibility Significantly increases Limited increase Core Strength Builds through balance and posture Focuses on targeted muscle groups Mental Focus Enhances concentration and awareness Less emphasis on mental aspects Stress Relief High due to meditative practices Moderate, through physical exertion Injury Prevention High, with low-impact exercises Moderate, risk of overexertion Enhanced Flexibility and Balance
Yoga is renowned for improving flexibility. For sportbike riders, being flexible is crucial as it aids in maneuvering the bike more effectively and prevents muscle strains and injuries. Yoga poses or asanas stretch and elongate the muscles, increasing range of motion and making it easier to adopt the proper riding posture. Furthermore, balance is essential for sportbike riders, especially at high speeds and when taking tight turns. Yoga improves balance, which can help riders maintain control of their bike in challenging conditions.
Increased Core Strength
A strong core is vital for sportbike riders. It supports proper posture, helps manage the bike’s weight during turns, and reduces fatigue during long rides. Yoga poses are effective in strengthening the core muscles, including the abdominals, back, and pelvic muscles. A stronger core leads to better riding form, enhanced stability, and reduced risk of lower back pain, a common issue among riders.
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Improved Mental Focus and Concentration
Riding a sportbike requires undivided attention and quick decision-making. Yoga can enhance mental focus and concentration through meditation and breathing exercises (pranayama). These practices help calm the mind, reduce stress, and increase awareness, allowing riders to stay focused and react promptly to unexpected situations on the road.
Stress Relief and Relaxation
The thrill of riding a sportbike can be exhilarating, but it can also be stressful, especially after navigating through traffic or challenging routes. Yoga offers an effective way to relax and de-stress. The combination of physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation promotes relaxation, reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone), and improves overall mood.
Better Breathing Techniques
Proper breathing is essential for maintaining endurance and focus. Yoga teaches various breathing techniques that can help sportbike riders control their breath, even under physical exertion. Learning to breathe deeply and evenly can improve oxygenation, enhance energy levels, and ensure that muscles receive the nutrients they need to perform optimally.
Injury Prevention and Recovery
Regular yoga practice can help prevent injuries by improving flexibility, strength, and balance. Additionally, yoga can aid in the recovery process after rides or in the event of an injury. Gentle yoga poses can help alleviate muscle soreness, accelerate recovery, and prevent stiffness, making it easier for riders to get back on their bike.
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FAQs About Yoga for Sportbike Riders
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How does yoga improve riding performance?
- Yoga enhances balance, flexibility, and mental focus, directly contributing to better riding techniques and endurance.
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Can yoga reduce the risk of injuries from riding?
- Yes, by strengthening muscles, increasing flexibility, and improving balance, yoga helps prevent common riding-related injuries.
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How often should riders practice yoga for the best results?
- Incorporating yoga 2-3 times a week can significantly benefit sportbike riders.
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Are there specific yoga poses that are most beneficial for riders?
- Poses focusing on the core, legs, and back, such as the Plank, Warrior II, and Downward-Facing Dog, are particularly beneficial.
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Can yoga help with post-ride recovery?
- Yes, gentle yoga can aid in muscle recovery, reducing stiffness and soreness after long rides.
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Is yoga suitable for beginners or those new to fitness?
- Absolutely, yoga offers various levels of difficulty, making it accessible to beginners and seasoned athletes alike.
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Conclusion
For sportbike riders, incorporating yoga into their fitness regimen can lead to significant improvements in flexibility, strength, mental focus, and overall riding performance. Whether it’s through attending a yoga class, following online tutorials, or practicing at home, the benefits of yoga can help riders enjoy a more comfortable, focused, and enjoyable riding experience.
Sportbike riding is not just about the machine and the road; it’s also about the rider’s body and mind. Yoga offers a holistic approach to enhance both, ensuring that riders can tackle every curve with grace, precision, and ease.
For more insights into fitness and wellness for riders, visit RunTheCity’s Fitness Blog.
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