Leg Day advice

[AnHadley87]

Hey all, I'm just looking for advice on what would be best done first thing.
Would it be wise to hit the squat rack first, before all others?

[adriannec]

Without insight into your entire program for context, it's hard to say. It also depends on your goals and what "all others" are. For me, I have one lower day where I start with squats as my core lift and I follow with accessories that are mostly compound exercises. For my other lower day, I start with deadlifts and follow with compound accessories.

Occasionally I'll do leg presses instead of squats for a few months. If you post your current program, we can better give advice.

[Partyrocking]

Squat first. They take up the most energy and you want to be fresh for them. Also, if the squat rack is free, you want to get to it before it's taken.

[itsagoodday]

Squat first. They take up the most energy and you want to be fresh for them. Also, if the squat rack is free, you want to get to it before it's taken.

^^ This

Squats are a major compound movement that hit a ton of muscle groups, and you'll get the most bang for your buck out of them when you do them first. Also, there are reasons that powerlifting meets run squats first, not the least of which is that you do not necessarily want to be in between the bar and the ground when you're tired

[AnHadley87]

Thanks guys, I have to agree. I hit the rack after doing the loaded plate squat press (that's what is labeled on it) and the machine that is basically a donkey kick/glute blaster and my legs were definitely quite weak by the time I went to the rack and that bar is freaking longer than I am tall so the balance was the hardest part.
If I try to go into describing my program, it would be confusing. .... I customize all my plans, as a runner someone who hits the gym for weight lifting so it looks nothing like other plans.
In short, I started back at the gym in March this year after a 18 month hiatus and I only focused on my upper body while trying to get my running back up in a 30-40 mpw range, things were going great until last month when my left knee began to really ache during runs and even through the day so I took a week or so off from running and made the decision about two weeks ago to start strengthening my legs and butt. My weeks are hectic and my 5 year old son (who is on the spectrum and extremely attached to me) makes it difficult, my only free time is between 2:30 AM and 6:00 AM so if I am not about to make it, I don't make it to the gym that day. I put in the leg days wherever I can fit them, sometimes twice a week, sometimes 3 days a week if I'm feeling up to it. My knee is already feeling better and my runs are without pain so I'm enjoying this, currently I mainly focus on the Squats, Squat Press, Donkey Kick machine or Glute Blaster, and Prone/Lying Leg Curls, Romanian Deadlifts.
I started tracking my workouts on here, but just started on Friday...... it's complicated when I try to put this stuff into words...

[AnHadley87]

^^ This

Squats are a major compound movement that hit a ton of muscle groups, and you'll get the most bang for your buck out of them when you do them first. Also, there are reasons that powerlifting meets run squats first, not the least of which is that you do not necessarily want to be in between the bar and the ground when you're tired

That last part there, yep that is what I was feeling Saturday morning... lol

[melDorado]

Without insight into your entire program for context, it's hard to say. It also depends on your goals and what "all others" are. For me, I have one lower day where I start with squats as my core lift and I follow with accessories that are mostly compound exercises. For my other lower day, I start with deadlifts and follow with compound accessories.

Occasionally I'll do leg presses instead of squats for a few months. If you post your current program, we can better give advice.

I also have 2 different leg days basically i run lower/upper/lower
Ill squat on both leg days... but doing it first and heavy on one day, then on the other ill deadlift first and do volume squats or a squat variation afterwards
I do this because i powerlift and i like a day for each lift....but wouldn't be a bad plan for any woman lifter wanting to beef up their lower body i guess

[AnHadley87]

I also have 2 different leg days basically i run lower/upper/lower
Ill squat on both leg days... but doing it first and heavy on one day, then on the other ill deadlift first and do volume squats or a squat variation afterwards
I do this because i powerlift and i like a day for each lift....but wouldn't be a bad plan for any woman lifter wanting to beef up their lower body i guess

I've realized that my quads and hammies are pretty weak, or at least not where they should be so that I why I started adding workouts that focus a bit more on legs and glutes. Weak quads and hammies are the cause of runner's knee. But I have to be careful, because I like to go pretty hard, heavy or unforgiving on my upper body and enjoy it. I can't start out like that with my lower because of my running, but I think that if I can get things going slowly and ease my legs and glutes into it, then I can get to a point where one day out of the week I am waddling out of the gym or bed the morning after lol.

[adriannec]

I also have 2 different leg days basically i run lower/upper/lower
Ill squat on both leg days... but doing it first and heavy on one day, then on the other ill deadlift first and do volume squats or a squat variation afterwards
I do this because i powerlift and i like a day for each lift....but wouldn't be a bad plan for any woman lifter wanting to beef up their lower body i guess

Very similar to what I do. I squat twice a week. Once as a heavy core and then lighter on the other day after deadlifts. Or I'll do a different squat variation after deadlifts like front squats, goblet squats, or leg press. The other lower day I do deadlifts as the heavy core and then as the accessory on squat day, but I'll do RDLs, speed deadlifts, or paused deadlifts that are lighter.

So twice a week squatting and deadlifting but different purposes.

[rdferguson]

Given that you're a runner, a case could be made for putting unilateral movements at the start of the workout (eg lunges, split squats) and leaving regular squats til later in the workout. That is assuming you use strength training to support running. If so, then this is the order you would generally want to do things:

1. Prehab/activation. Exercises that don't build much fatigue but help get your body firing properly and protect against/overcome injury.
2. Sport-specific strength. Exercises that have the most direct carry-over to running. These would be unilateral exercises. RPE may be high on these exercises, but you should still manage energy. Warm up sets should not be fatiguing, and there should be plenty of rest between sets (3-5min between work sets is normal). This will allow you to get the most sport-specific benefits out of these exercises, and it'll mean you're still mostly fresh when it's time for the next phase of the session.
3. General strength. This is where squats, deadlifts and other generic exercises might fit into the program. Like sport-specific strength, manage energy so that you're as fresh as possible at the start of each set.
4. Mirror muscles, fun, etc. You've done the stuff you needed to do -- now you can do whatever energy, safety and preferences will permit. Hypertrophy-oriented training for the glutes, quads and hamstrings could fit in here (not that the previous stuff won't lead to hypertrophy); chase the pump/burn; whatever, so long as it's safe and balanced.

[write2staceyz]

Squat, lunge

[AnHadley87]

I've cut lunges out for now, they severely irritate my left knee still while the squats, leg/squat press, and lying leg curls do not. And the romanian deadlifts don't cause any irritation, but lunges - whether forward, walking, reverse or side lunges, they all irritate my left knee and can cause a good amount of pain if I get off balance. I used to do them constantly back between 2010-2012 before my son was born.
I wouldn't say I'm doing these workouts to compliment or support my running so much as I've begun doing them because I know I should and other reasons. My reasons are these:

- I love weight lifting, as much as I love running but they both serve different purposes
- Weight lifting (and running) saves what sanity I have left
- I am trying to keep myself off the news.............
- Weight lifting (and running) help me deal with my road rage, my aggression, my temper and my overall dislike of humans (horrible, I know)
- I love both lifestyles

My only main concern is that I don't push it too extreme and cause a problem with my other lover, so unlike with my upper body where I can push it and push it and just keep pushing without too much fear, I can't do that with my lower body. I have to take baby steps, and actually use my head.

This morning when I went to the gym, I hit the rack first and definitely noticed it helped to go there first. The Leg/Squat Press was a bit tougher though, but not bad and it doesn't need balance so no worries there.
You can actually check out my workout this morning if you'd like, I posted it in my profile thing.
The 3.1 mile run afterwards.... yeah I could definitely feel the fatigue in my quads lol... but not awful.