Tuesday · Lower Body

Testosterone Generator — Technique Guide

Heavy leg day. The squat is a non-negotiable; the split squat fixes asymmetries the squat hides; the leg raise locks in real ab strength. Here’s how to set up each one, what good reps feel like, and the mistakes that cause 90% of injuries.

Barbell Back Squats

Heavy compound · quads, glutes, core, posterior chain

4 sets × 6–8 reps · done on its own, not superset — rest a full 3 minutes between sets so you can lift heavy safely

Setup

Bar on the upper traps (high bar) or rear delts (low bar)
Hands grip just outside shoulder width; elbows under or slightly behind the bar
Step back 2–3 short steps from the rack — don’t walk it out
Feet shoulder-width or slightly wider; toes pointed out 10–30°
Take a big breath into your belly and brace like you’re about to be punched

The Movement

Break at hips and knees at the same time — sit down and back
Drive knees out, tracking over your toes
Descend until your hip crease drops below your knee (parallel or below)
Drive through the mid-foot; hips and chest rise together

Avoid

Knees caving inward — biggest cause of knee pain
Heels coming off the floor (use lifters or improve ankle mobility)
Hips shooting up first while chest dives forward — “good morning” pattern
Looking up dramatically — keep your gaze 3–6 ft in front of you
Skipping warm-up sets when going heavy

Mental Cue

“Spread the floor with your feet.” Trying to push the floor apart with your feet drives your knees out and locks your hips into the right position.

Bulgarian Split Squats

Unilateral compound · quads, glutes, balance, knee stability

3 sets × 10 reps per leg · superset with Hanging Leg Raises: after each set of split squats, rest 2 minutes, then do a set of leg raises

Setup

Stand 2–3 feet in front of a bench or low box
Place the top of one foot on the bench behind you (laces down)
Front foot far enough forward that the knee tracks over the ankle, not past the toes
Hold dumbbells at your sides, or one goblet-style at your chest
Slight forward lean of the torso engages the glutes more

The Movement

Lower straight down, not forward
Front knee bends to ~90°; back knee descends toward (or kisses) the floor
Drive through the front heel and mid-foot to stand up
The back leg is a kickstand — most of the work is in the front leg

Avoid

Front foot too close — knee shoots way past the toes
Bouncing off the back leg to get out of the bottom
Pushing through the back foot instead of the front
Letting the front knee cave inward
Skipping the weaker side or doing fewer reps on it

Mental Cue

“Down, not forward.” The hips move straight down toward the floor, like an elevator. If you’re drifting forward, your foot is too close to the bench.

Hanging Leg Raises

Core · lower abs, hip flexors, grip

3 sets × 10 reps (or Ab Wheel Rollouts) · after each set of leg raises, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Bulgarian Split Squats

Setup

Hang from a pull-up bar with a full grip, hands shoulder-width
Engage your shoulders — pull the blades down, away from your ears (no dead-hang)
Squeeze your glutes lightly to stop swinging before you start
Legs straight, or a slight bend at the knees if hamstrings are tight

The Movement

Curl the pelvis up — think of tucking, not lifting straight legs
Bring legs at minimum to parallel with the floor (toes-to-bar is the advanced version)
Lower under control over 2–3 seconds — this is where the abs work hardest
Reset before the next rep; no swinging into it

Avoid

Using momentum and swinging like a pendulum
Only raising legs to 45° — that’s a hip flexor exercise, not abs
Hanging passively with shoulders shrugged up by your ears
Dropping the legs back down — gravity does the work, not you

Mental Cue

“Roll the pelvis up.” The lift starts at the hips, not the feet. If you can feel your lower abs crunching, you’re doing it right.

Pistol Squat Progressions

Unilateral compound · quads, glutes, balance, ankle mobility

4 sets × 6–8 reps per leg · done on its own, not superset — rest a full 3 minutes between sets

Setup

Stand on one leg in front of a sturdy chair, couch, or low box
Other leg extended forward, knee slightly bent, foot off the floor
Arms straight in front of you for counterbalance
Brace the core, soft chest up, eyes forward
Loaded backpack across the chest adds resistance once bodyweight reps feel easy

The Movement

Lower under control — about 2 seconds down — until your butt taps the chair
Knee tracks over the toes; do not let it cave inward
Drive through the mid-foot and heel to stand back up without rocking
Progress: lower chair → low box → no support → full pistol on the floor

Avoid

Knee caving inward — drive it out in line with the toes
Heel popping off the floor — sit back, not forward
Dropping into the chair under gravity — own the descent
Letting the extended leg drop or touch the floor mid-rep
Skipping the weaker side or doing fewer reps on it

Mental Cue

“Sit back, not down.” The hips travel back toward the chair, not straight down through the knee. If your knee shoots past the toes, you’re falling forward.

Bulgarian Split Squats (Chair)

Unilateral compound · quads, glutes, balance, knee stability

3 sets × 10 reps per leg · superset with Lying Leg Raises: after each set of split squats, rest 2 minutes, then do a set of leg raises

Setup

Stand 2–3 feet in front of a sturdy chair, couch, or step
Place the top of one foot on the chair behind you (laces down)
Front foot far enough forward that the knee tracks over the ankle, not past the toes
Load: hold a loaded backpack across the chest, a water jug in each hand, or just bodyweight
Slight forward lean of the torso engages the glutes more

The Movement

Lower straight down, not forward
Front knee bends to ~90°; back knee descends toward (or kisses) the floor
Drive through the front heel and mid-foot to stand up
The back leg is a kickstand — most of the work is in the front leg

Avoid

Front foot too close — knee shoots way past the toes
Bouncing off the back leg to get out of the bottom
Pushing through the back foot instead of the front
Letting the front knee cave inward
Skipping the weaker side or doing fewer reps on it

Mental Cue

“Down, not forward.” The hips move straight down toward the floor, like an elevator. If you’re drifting forward, your foot is too close to the chair.

Lying Leg Raises

Core · lower abs, hip flexors

3 sets × 10 reps · after each set of leg raises, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Bulgarian Split Squats

Setup

Lie flat on your back on a mat, legs straight together
Hands tucked palms-down under your hips for lower-back support
Press your lower back into the floor — no daylight underneath it
Brace the core; chin slightly tucked

The Movement

Raise straight legs to vertical (90° from the floor) under control
At the top, curl the pelvis slightly off the floor for a brief abs squeeze
Lower over 2–3 seconds, stopping about an inch above the floor — never touch down
Reset, then go again — that pause keeps tension on the abs

Avoid

Arching the lower back off the floor — root cause of low-back pain on this lift
Dropping the legs back down quickly — gravity should not do the work
Bending the knees aggressively (turns it into a hip-flexor crunch)
Pulling on your neck or letting the head crane up

Mental Cue

“Glue the low back to the floor.” The instant your lumbar lifts, the rep is bleeding tension into your hip flexors. Shorten the range before you sacrifice the brace.

Progressive Overload

How to keep getting stronger on this session, week after week

The Lever — Double Progression

Add reps first, then weight. Live inside the 6–8 range on the squat. When you hit 8 clean, full-depth reps on all four sets, make the smallest weight jump your gym allows next session and reset to 6. Then climb back to 8 and repeat. Same logic for split squats: once 10 controlled reps per leg feels easy, add weight.

In Practice

Session	Load	Set Reps
1	155 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6
2	155 lb	7 · 7 · 6 · 6
3	155 lb	8 · 7 · 7 · 6
4	155 lb	8 · 8 · 8 · 8 ← top of range
5	165 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6 ← +10, reset

Example: back squat starting at 155 lb. Your numbers will differ — the pattern won’t. Every rep counts only at full depth.

No Equipment?

Pistol-squat progressions and chair split squats don’t have a bar to add plates to — so progress by moving to a lower chair or box for a deeper range, adding a loaded backpack across your chest, or slowing the 2-second descent to 4 seconds. Any one of those is a legitimate overload.

When It Stalls

If your knees or lower back start feeling off, or a lift stalls twice in a row, cut the load about 10% for a week before pushing again. Depth and control first — the load only goes up once the movement is clean at the bottom of the rep range.