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As someone who lifts heavy, actually tracks progress and whose gains speak for themselves I have to clear a few things up.
Real talk: If you’re not training your entire body, you’re not just limiting your aesthetics, you’re capping your strength.
Building huge glutes while neglecting your upper body? Sounds cute… until you can’t set up your own barbell or carry your weights. And let’s be real a toned back makes any backless dress hit different.
And strong shoulders give you that snatched waist illusion.
So yes, you need legs but you need power up top to actually build them. (If y‘all like this thread i can do an upper routine as well).
ABOUT STRUCTURE
- Strategic exercise order (shortened → lengthened → unilateral → finishers)
- Proper rep range (6–8 for growth, 20+ for finishers)
- Balance & symmetry (correcting imbalances = better aesthetics & injury prevention)
- Full-body strength (helps you actually do the damn workout)
- Consistency > Burnout (I train legs every other day currently, due to an upper body strain, but normally: 3x legs, 2x upper = chef’s kiss.)
Designed for shelf, underbutt, width & symmetry
- Hip Thrust Machine – 135kg / 298lbs (plus starter weight of like 20kg/45lbs)
→ Heavy thrusts to build glute shelf & peak glute power (shortened position)
→ 3 sets, 6–7 reps - RDLs with Barbell – 70kg / 154lbs
→ Stretch-based movement for the glute-ham tie-in (lengthened position)
→ 3 sets, 7–8 reps
⚠ Requires upper body strength to hold the bar. Weak lats = weak RDLs. - Abductor Machine – 95kg / 209lbs
→ Side glute width, roundness & outer fullness
→ 3 sets, 20–25 reps total (I do ~8 forward-lean, ~10 leaned back) - Smith Machine Good Mornings – 105kg / 231lbs
→ Controlled hinge for posterior chain development for a hot lower back and glute shelf
→ 3 sets, 7–8 reps
→ Amazing for posture + glute depth - Step-Ups with Kettlebells – 18kg / 40lbs per hand
→ Unilateral glute builder, knee stability & real-world strength
→ 3 sets right leg, 2 sets left leg (correcting imbalance) - Cable Kickbacks – 75kg / 165lbs
→ Upper glute detail, mind-muscle connection
→ 3 sets right, 2 sets left, ~7 reps
→ Tip: don’t swing – slow squeeze, full control - Calf Press on Leg Press (quick hack) – 125kg / 276lbs
→ Widen your lower leg silhouette & finish with fire
→ 2-3 sets, 20 reps (burnout) - Single-Leg Press (Right only) – 77kg / 170lbs
→ Targeting right-side imbalance, strength & symmetry
→ 3 sets, 7 reps
➤ I save this for last because if I do it earlier, my right leg gets so fried that it messes with every bilateral movement after. This way I can just kill it at the end without compromising anything else.
Added a pic for credit, lol. The gains don’t lie.
(and yes we’re still chopped in the face. living that gymcel life)