Taaffe learned how to train lower body with the decorated Olympia coach.<\/p>\n
\n Last updated on April 4th, 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n Leg days are typically the most feared training sessions of an athlete\u2019s programming. The intensity<\/a>, in combination with the physical and mental exertion needed to train the body\u2019s largest muscle groups<\/a>, is not for the faint of heart. <\/p>\n Once one overcomes the initial mental barrier, both single-bout and long-term resistance training<\/a> have been shown to produce anxiolytic effects (e.g., reduce anxiety<\/a>). (1<\/a>)<\/p>\n Three days before the new year, 24-time Olympia-winning coach Hany Rambod<\/a> published a video on his YouTube channel wherein he put natural bodybuilder<\/a> Sean \u201cShizzy\u201d Taaffe through a grueling, high-volume leg workout<\/a><\/strong>. Check out the video below:<\/p>\n Taaffe was keen on training chest<\/a>, but Rambod wanted him train legs. They flipped a $100 bill to decide, and fate\u2019s favor embraced Rambod\u2019s choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Below is the summary of Taafe\u2019s training session with Rambod:<\/p>\n [Related: Breon Ansley\u2019s Flexibility Practices for Enhanced Muscle Growth<\/a>]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Taaffe positioned his feet and knees together to bias the biceps femoris (the posterior thigh muscle) during leg curls. He used a slow rep cadence and paused at the top of each rep.\u00a0 Doing so to provide the target muscle more time under tension<\/a> can enhance muscle stimulation and potentially contribute to hypertrophy<\/a>. (2<\/a>)<\/p>\n Taaffe maintained the use of slow reps to load the quads<\/a> on leg extensions. He avoided fully extending the knees at the top, maintaining constant tension on the quads.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGet depth and go down,\u201d instructed Rambod during the pendulum squats, highlighting the importance of moving through a full range of motion<\/a>. Lengthening lower-body muscles is more beneficial for hypertrophy than training only in a partial range, and Rambod is well aware. (3<\/a>)<\/p>\n \nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C12cMAcuZ6s\/\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n [Read More: <\/em><\/strong>Best Lower Back Exercises<\/a><\/em><\/strong> for Strength and Reduced Pain]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The movement trajectory of the pendulum squat loads the quads without applying excess strain to the lower back. Taaffe paralleled his feet to each other on the platform, which biased the vastus intermedius and vastus lateralis (i.e., the mid and outer muscles of the quad.<\/p>\n Rambod put Taaffe through \u2018blood-starving\u2019 sets during Taaffe\u2019s time in the vertical leg press. That involved Taaffe maintaining his feet on the platform until he completed all four working sets. <\/p>\n The inverted position promotes blood flow away from the lower body, potentially intensifying lactic acid build-up to stimulate muscle pumps. While not quite blood flow restricted resistance exercise (BFRRE), BFRRE for short-term high-frequency training, to both failure and non-failure, can boost muscle size and strength. (4<\/a>)<\/p>\n \nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CyOQdbNLvGX\/\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/barbend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Phil-Blechman-96x96.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSean \u201cShizzy\u201d Taaffe Leg Workout<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Lying Hamstring Curl\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Leg Extension & Pendulum Squat<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Vertical Leg Press & Panatta Super Squat Machine<\/strong><\/h3>\n