THERE ARE MANY ways to train, but it’s tough to beat the basics if you’re striving to build muscle and lose body fat at the same time. That lofty goal is called body recomposition, which you can accomplish using the right plan. Take the leg day below, provided by Men’s Health’s fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. as part of our Body Recomp Ultimate Workout video.
The workout is built upon a foundation of tried-and-true muscle-building principles. You’ll use compound movements to target multiple muscles at once, lift heavy weights within a rep or two of failure to stimulate hypertrophy (muscular growth), and rest long enough to ensure you can tackle each set with ferocity. As long as you’re consistently eating in a slight caloric deficit, you’ll build new muscle tissue while slowly stripping body fat from your frame.
EXPECT TO SPEND anywhere from an hour to an hour and 15 minutes in the gym for this workout, delegating about half that time to rest—a key to getting the most out of this session. Before you screenshot this workout and give it a try, there are a few things you should know: The RDL is a hip hinge movement that hits your back, hamstrings, glutes, and taxes your core. Samuel advises that perform this movement with a barbell, so you can load up as much weight as you can handle.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps; 2 to 2:30 minutes rest each set You’ll move onto a quad-dominant movement next—and we’re not talking about the back squat. Instead, Samuel wants you to perform walking lunges. Why the lunge and not the squat?
"We want to do something in the gym where we’re going from place to place and getting in that locomotion and acceleration.” Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps per leg; 90 seconds rest each set You’ll end the workout by isolating the muscles in your quads and hamstrings, using machines and minimal rest times to really push your limits. If you don’t have access to a seated leg curl machine, you can use a lying leg curl machine—but Samuel likes the seated machine as it “leaves a lot less room for you to cheat and involve other muscles.” Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps for both exercises; 0 to 30 seconds rest between each exercise Want more next-level tips like these so you can crush your body recomposition goals? Check out our entire program at Body Recomp Central, available only for MH MVP Premium members.
Andrew Gutman, NASM-CPT is a journalist with a decade of experience covering fitness and nutrition. His work has been published in Men's Health, Men's Journal, Muscle & Fitness, and Gear Patrol. Outside of writing, Andrew trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, helps coach his gym's kickboxing team, and enjoys reading and cooking.
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