Bodybuilder Blessing Awodibu Annihilates a Leg Day Workout in Prep For 2022 Olympia

Blessing Awodibu is an Irish bodybuilder that competes in the IFBB Pro League in the Open division. He made his pro debut with a third-place finish at the 2021 Indy Pro. Furthermore, in the lead-up to the 2021 New York Pro, the Boogieman developed a fierce rivalry with Nick Walker. Walker went on to win the show while Awodibu finished sixth. 

After his humble finish at the 2021 NY Pro, the 30-year-old chose to take an extended break from competing to improve his physique. Much to the delight of his fans, he returned with a bang—winning the 2022 Indy Pro and 2022 New York Pro. The competitions took place on May 14 and 21, respectively.

With the wins, Awodibu secured an invitation to the 2022 Olympia, scheduled for Dec. 15-18, in Las Vegas, NV. The prep for his Olympia debut is going on full throttle. The Boogieman admittedly focused a lot more on the upper body during his early years of training. As a result, his legs are the weakest part of his physique. However, the Irish bodybuilder is not leaving any loose ends in prep for the Olympia. 

On Aug. 18, 2022, Bodybuilder Blessing Awodibu took to his YouTube channel to share a taxing leg day workout.

Blessing Awodibu’s full leg day workout

Warm-up

Awodibu started his leg training session with warm-up exercises, including hip adduction and leg curl. Both knee and hip joints are crucial in most lower body exercises. Leg curls are an effective way to warm up your hamstrings and knee joints without putting a lot of stress on the knees. On the other hand, machine hip adduction is a great movement to increase blood flow to the hip joint. Due to these benefits, an increasing number of bodybuilders are adopting these movements in their warm-up routines.

Warm-up: Machine hip adduction

Awodibu started his warm-up with the machine hip adduction and performed a few sets before jumping to the lying leg curl.

Lying leg curl and seated leg curl

Awodibu performed the leg curl with a slow and controlled movement and paused at the top for a few seconds before starting the negative phase.

“The goal is to slow everything down, take my time with it because my hamstrings are very very stubborn. So I’ve got to find ways to tweak it, make it seem a lot harder than it is, and shock the muscles. I always try to slow it down, pause on top, stretch and squeeze,” Awodibu said.

After a few sets of lying leg curls with this technique, Awodibu did the last set with a few partial reps as a finisher. He then performed a few sets of the single-leg curl to minimize the strength imbalance between his left and right leg.

“The single-leg [curl] gives me a better connection with both left and right leg. I’ve got to get the left to match the right leg,” the Boogieman said.

Awodibu wrapped up the warm-up session with a superset of seated and lying leg curls and jumped into the main workout.

Leg Workout

Leg extension

After working his hamstrings with leg curls, Awodibu shifted his focus to the quads and performed leg extensions. The initial working sets had a 12 to 15 rep range. However, he annihilated his quadriceps by performing a few partial reps after achieving his pre-determined rep goal.

Weighted split squat on the machine

The Irishman next performed the weighted split squat to work his quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Since it is performed with a single leg, the split squat tends to work the core more as they help maintain balance during this exercise.

Hip press

After the weighted split squat, Awodibu shifted his focus to heavy sets on the hip press. While the movement in leg press is similar to squats, the hip press eliminates the use of the core and helps isolate the lower body for better results.

Hack squat

The hack squat machine keeps the lifter in an inclined position, helping focus on the target muscles better while reducing the chances of injury. In a nutshell, the hack squat is a great way to build lower body strength and muscle mass.

Awodibu started the hack squat with two plates on each side and slowly worked his way up to five plates for the last few reps. The Boogieman really felt it in his legs after the workout was over as he said:

“That sh*t was crazy. Right now, my quads and glutes are so messed up.”

Smith machine squat

Smith machine squats served as the finisher for Awodibu’s leg day workout. He performed three working sets of this exercise and wrapped up his leg day.

“My squats are a lot better now. I’m able to go deeper. So that makes me feel good about my leg training,” Awodibu said.

Blessing Awodibu Olympia Debut Leg Workout

Overall, the workout included:

Warm-up

• Machine hip adduction
• Lying leg curls: double leg and single leg curl
• Superset: lying leg curl and seated leg curl

Leg workout

• Leg extension
• Weighted split squat
• Hip press
• Hack squat
• Smith machine squat

Awodibu’s 2022 Indy Pro and New York Pro wins are testimony to the Irish bodybuilder’s ability to address issues with his physique and come back stronger. 

Competing against the likes of the reigning Olympia champ Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay, Brandon Curry, Hunter Labrada, and rival-turned-friend Nick Walker is a Goliathan task. However, with the recent improvements, Awodibu has momentum on his side and proved that he has the necessary drive to achieve big things in the sport. 

Before he even became a pro, Awodibu was a social media star and has nearly two million followers on Instagram. The work he has been putting in is proof that the Irishman is driven to achieve competitive success and not just fame or popularity. Therefore one should not be surprised if Awodibu emerges as a serious threat to Ramy’s Olympia crown later this year at the Olympia.

You can watch the full leg workout video here, courtesy of Blessing Awodibu’s personal YouTube channel:

Find complete coverage of the 2022 Mr. Olympia, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final results at our Olympia coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia

Published: 19 August, 2022 | 6:14 PM EDT

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