Bill Grant's Old-School Bodybuilding Series: Leg Workout

Once again, bodybuilding legend Bill Grant is showing his stuff. In this article, we have video of Bill Grant as he completes his signature leg workout.

In the first Bill Grant's Old-School Bodybuilding Series article, you got to know more about this bodybuilding legend and learn some of his secrets to building and maintaining massive arms for over 4 decades. Many readers of the article and viewers of the video clips emailed us looking for more of Bill's workouts. So, here it is, you got what you ask for!

Bill invited me to join during his awesome leg workout at the Diamond Gym.

Introduction Video

Overview Of Bill Grant's Basic Training Program

To recap, Bill's intermediate to advanced training routine includes training 4 times per week maximum, with each workout session lasting about 1.5 hours. Bill trains his different muscle groups as follows:

Mondays: Chest/back (supersets for chest and back), shoulders, biceps/triceps (supersets for arms)
Tuesdays: Legs (quads/hamstrings/calves)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Repeat Monday
Friday: Repeat Tuesday
Saturday & Sunday: No training, recovery/recuperation days.

Note About Cardio: Bill derives his cardiovascular training benefits from his fast paced weightlifting workouts. Bill does not do any aerobic exercise like running, cycling, etc. Bill will also discuss more about this in future videos and about how he keeps his body fat levels low all year long without aerobic exercise.

Bill Grant's Legs Workout

The following is a list of exercises Bill performs in his basic leg workout program. When you are watching the video clips, keep in mind that Bill is a professional athlete and most people cannot exercise at the same level of intensity and duration.

From watching Bill's workout I can let you know that his conditioning is at the elite athlete level. We videoed the entire leg workout as Bill would normally do it, in one workout session.

In addition to this, after the legs workout, Bill went on to perform his abdominal workout, which is included in the next article along with some of Bill's nutrition tips here at Bodybuilding.com.

Upper Legs Exercises (Full-Length Video)

Bill performs the upper leg exercises in a conventional weightlifting progression: one exercise at a time, for a few sets. View the full length video for details.

Leg Extensions: Intro

4 sets.

Leg Extensions: First Set

Angled Leg Presses: Intro

3 sets demonstrated, but Bill does up to 4 sets.

Angled Leg Presses: First Set

Lying Leg Curls: Intro

3 sets.

Lying Leg Curls: First Set

Deadlifts With Dumbbells: Intro

3 sets.

Deadlifts With Dumbbells: First Set

View the Full-Length Upper Legs Video:

Lower Legs Exercises

Calf Circuit (also called a Giant Set)

Bill performs the seated calf raise, inclined seated calf raise, free standing calf raises , and toe raises with stretching as one circuit (giant set), without rest between the exercises, but with rest between the circuit sets. Bill performs this circuit 3 times. View the full length video to see how Bill performs this circuit.

Seated Calf Raise: Intro

Seated Calf Raise: First Set

Inclined Standing Calf Machine: First Set

Freestanding Calf Raise: First Set

Toe Raises With Stretching: First Set

Calf Circuit #2 (also called a Giant Set)

Bill performs the standing calf raise, free standing calf raises and toe raises with stretching as one circuit, without rest between the exercises, but rest between the circuit sets. Bill performs this circuit 3 times. View the full length video to see how Bill performs this circuit.

Standing Calf Raise: Intro

Standing Calf Raise: First Set

Freestanding Calf Raises: First Set

Toe Raises With Stretching: First Set

View Full-Length Lower Legs Video:

Bonus Video Clips

Bill also included a special video clip about the squat and tips about keeping motivated, like he has, to keep him pumping iron for 45 years. Pay careful attention to the tips Bill talks about on the video clips which he gives before, during and after each set. Therefore, it is best to watch all of the video clips for the total education experience.

Bonus Video: Full-Length Clip:

Squats

Why should you do squats? How to properly perform squats.

Squat Introduction:

Squat Demonstration:

Bill Talks About The Golden Eagle

Bill talks about Tom "The Golden Eagle" Platz and how he built his massive legs.

Who Is The Golden Eagle?
Tom Platz, who became famous for his legendary leg development, competed for over 15 years before retiring from the sport. Platz's nickname "The Golden Eagle" was appropriate given the number of airline miles he logged while guest posing nearly every weekend to supplement his income.

Many experts claim that Platz's legs are the most completely developed legs in the history of bodybuilding. FLEX readers agree: In a "best bodyparts of the 20th century" poll, the results of which were graphically chronicled in our Mr. Y2K Big poster (January 2000), Platz was deemed to have the best quads and hamstrings of all time.

See more information on Tom Platz's career.

Motivation & Conclusion

How do you stay motivated? What do you need to do?

View the Full-Length Bonus Video:

Bill Grant's Modulated Training Approach

Regarding reps, Bill generally performs 12 to 20 reps per exercise most of the time. Periodically, he does 8-10 reps, for four weeks, then returns back to the 12 to 20 rep range. Regarding workouts per week, Bill follows his 4 day routine for most of the year, but will also periodically just train 3 days per week and 2 days a week, then return to the 4 day per week workout schedule.

Bill calls this type of training "Modulated Training", and we will provide more details about his Modulated Training approach in future articles. Bill's Modulated Training approach helps him to prevent overtraining syndrome, while maximizing gains. Bill keeps his workouts fast-paced and generally completes his training sessions in 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours, but occasionally they could last up to 2 hours.

Workout Routine

The following is a sample basic leg workout program put together by Bill Grant.

Upper Legs:

  • Leg Extension - 4 sets
  • Angled Leg Press - 3 sets
  • Lying Leg Curls - 3 sets
  • Deadlifts With Dumbbells - 3 sets

View The Printable Log Of Bill's Upper Leg Workout.

Lower Legs:

Circuit 1:

Three sets of the following exercises performed one after the other, with no rest between the exercises of a circuit set, but rest between the circuit sets.

  • Seated Calf Raise
  • Inclined Seated Calf Machine
  • Free Standing Calf Raise
  • Toe Raises With Stretching

Circuit 2:

Three sets of the following exercises performed one after the other, with no rest between the exercises of a circuit set, but rest between the circuit sets.

  • Standing Calf Raise
  • Free Standing Calf Raises
  • Toe Raises With Stretching

View The Printable Log Of Bill's Lower Leg Workout.

Want To See More?

Many people have e-mailed us about offering Bill Grant's Old-School Bodybuilding SeriesTM videos on DVD. We are in the process of doing this and plan to offer Bill's basic 4 day per week workout on DVD along with extra exercises and tips; which debuted October 2005.

Article Copyright © 2005 Bill Grant Nutrition and SUPPLEMENTFACTS International LLC. All rights reserved. Video Copyright © 2005 Bill Grant Nutrition. All rights reserved.

Contact Bill Grant or Dan Gastelu with input or questions regarding this webcast workout video lesson series.

Notice and Disclaimer: This article is not intended for use as a substitute for consultation with a qualified medical practitioner. If you have symptoms of any illness or injury, it is essential that you see your doctor without delay for proper treatment. These videos are for education and entertainment purposes only. We strongly recommend that you consult a physician before beginning any exercise program. The viewer should understand that participating in any exercise program can result in physical injury and agrees to do so at their own risk. Additionally, Bill Grant is an advanced level bodybuilder and you should not expect to be able to follow his training program as demonstrated.