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Mike \u201cThe Bad Ass\u201d Sommerfeld is on a mission to defend his Arnold Men\u2019s Classic Physique title and is taking a no-nonsense approach to outperforming the likes of Wesley Vissers and a debuting Sam Sulek. To illustrate this, the gigantic German used a recent Instagram post to share one of his go-to leg days for total domination, and you can try it too.<\/p>\n
Sommerfeld brought the complete package to the stage during the 2025 Arnold Classic<\/a>, impressing the judges with his muscle mass, definition, symmetry, and conditioning, but with a stacked field ahead of him in March, the big man shares that one of the workouts he\u2019s forged follows a back-to-basics approach. Apparently, The Bad Ass\u2019s leg day is about quality over quantity and requires just four exercises in total. \u201cTwo for hams, and two for quads,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Joining the likes of other bodybuilding great, Martin Fitzwater, Sommerfeld shared that he begins leg workouts with adductors to warm up his upper legs and get the blood circulation stimulated. \u201cI always start with adductors<\/a> to warm up my hips and get me going,\u201d explained Sommerfeld. \u201cEspecially mentally, and physically, to lift heavier weights for the upcoming exercises.\u201d He noted that while on the machine, he pushes his back to the pad as far as possible, to increase both the stretch and the contraction while executing his reps.<\/p>\n Homing in on his hamstrings, Sommerfeld\u2019s first exercise is the seated leg curl<\/a>. \u201cThe reason for that is, you get an amazing pre-stretch position by just sitting down (and getting set up) on the machine\u201d said the man-mountain. Next up is the deadlift. \u201cWhy? Because we already contracted hamstrings pretty hard, and they are pumped as hell,\u201d confirmed Sommerfeld. \u201cNow we can stretch the s**t out of our hamstrings.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving on to quads, the 2025 Arnold Men\u2019s Classic Physique champion shared that his new favorite quad exercise is the hack squat (also referred to as the hack press). \u201cThe reason for that is, it feels so much more natural to my knees.\u201d Sommerfeld explained that he feels almost zero pressure or pain on his knees with this squat variation. \u201cAnd I can go really deep into the stretch, and I can focus entirely on my way up, to contract my quads as hard as possible.\u201d The Bad Ass also shared that he likes to use rest-pause sets on the hack squat, performing his reps towards failure, taking a short break, and then going again to towards failure. \u201cSo, after hitting 10 to 12 reps, I like to pause for a few seconds, and then go again for three to four more reps.\u201d<\/p>\n Last but not least for his legs, Sommerfeld rounds out his workout with the belt squat. \u201cThe reason for that is, it\u2019s actually so much smarter to use a belt squat because it loads your hips, not your shoulders,\u201d coached the champ. \u201cIn regular (back) squats you have all the load on your shoulders, and your body needs to stabilize it all the way. That creates a lot of fatigue and we wanna train legs not our full body. This is why I chose the belt squat, an amazing piece of equipment. You can hold yourself and stabilize yourself (on the platform). You can go really deep, wait a second in the stretched position, and then go up again, and squeeze it out.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of sets and rep, Sommerfeld explained that he does \u201cmultiple, multiple, sets,\u201d but for us mere mortals, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps will bring mass building results. By focusing on the quality of his stretch and contractions and isolating his quads and hamstrings rather than fatiguing the rest of his body, Mike Sommerfeld could present his best physique yet come March.<\/p>\n To follow Mike Sommerfeld on Instagram, click here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMike Sommerfeld\u2019s 4-Exercise Leg Day Workout Ahead of the 2026 Arnold Classic<\/h2>\n
Warmup<\/h3>\n
Hamstrings<\/h3>\n
Quads<\/h3>\n
Mike Sommerfeld\u2019s Leg Day Strategy Explained<\/h2>\n