Brett Wilkin’s well-defined legs are one of the more impressive parts of his muscular physique and he recently shared the workout which helped him build them.
Wilkin was expected to make his Mr. Olympia debut in 2023. He commenced the prep and kept his diet and training on point to make a splash on the grandest stage of bodybuilding.
However, a digestive issue forced him to pull out of the competition. After dedicating a few months to complete recovery, ‘The Butcher’ recently started following a bodybuilding diet to make off-season gains.
Recently Wilkin shared the quad-focused leg workout that helped him gain massive amounts of muscle and grow into a Men’s Open bodybuilder. Irish bodybuilder and fitness influencer Blessing Awodibu joined him as Wilkin tackled the exercises.
Awodibu started his professional bodybuilding career with a few lacklustre performances but scored some great victories in the 2022 competitive season to get his maiden Olympia qualification. Like Wilkin, he will also try to make a splash in the 2024 competitive season.
Brett Wilkin shares the quad-focused leg day
Wilkin’s quad-focused leg workout includes several isolation and compound exercises.
Typically, it consists of:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Machine Hip Adductions | 1 | 12 |
| Lying Leg Curls | 2 | 12 to 15 |
| Leg Extensions | 4 | 12 to 15 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10 to 12 |
| Hack Squats | 3 | 10 to 12 |
| Superset – Hip Press and TruSquat | 3 | 10 to 12 for each exercise |
NOTE: No. of reps and sets are based on the visual observation of the video. Actual numbers may vary.
Wilkin and Awodibu pushed each other through the workout and here is the summary of their training session.
Machine Hip Adduction
Wilkin prioritizes getting his muscles properly stretched and warmed up before delving into the more complex and growth-inducing exercises. For this, he commences the workout with accessory work to promote blood flow.
Him and training partner Blessing Awodibu started the workout with machine hip adductions and did a few sets to warm-up the muscles.
Lying Leg Curls
Next up in Wilkin’s list of accessory exercises is the lying leg curl. Apart from working the hamstrings, this movement is excellent for warming up the knee joints.
Wilkin advises controlling the rep and pressing the hips into the pad to force the hamstrings to work without compensation.
Leg Extensions
Wilkin next took to what he refers to as the ‘bread and butter’ of quad development. To get the most out of the movement, he suggests fully extending the legs to contract the quadriceps. A few sets of leg extensions later, the warm-up was complete and the duo jumped into the main workout.
Leg Press
This served as the first compound lower body movement in the workout. It has been the meat and potatoes of Wilkin’s quad routine and he explained some key pointers to get the desired results from it:
“We’re putting our feet as low on the platform as possible without the heels coming up. The rule of thumb – the higher your feet are on the platform, it’s a little bit more glute and hamstrings focused. The lower you are and more narrow, it’s going to be a little bit more quad-focused.”
Hack Squats
Wilkin explained that the angular motion of the hack squat makes it more quad-focused and that the foot placement criteria are the same as that of the leg press. The key here is to let the knees go over the toes to get maximum stimulation in the quads. Wilkin and Awodibu executed a few good sets of the exercise and jumped into the next.
Superset – Hip Press and TruSquats
‘The Butcher’ turned up the heat for the last exercise – a superset of hip presses and trusquats. The hip press primarily targets the upper quads while the TruSquats target the lower portion of the quadriceps. The training partners tackled all the sets of these exercises in rapid succession to increase the aerobic intensity of the workout and wrapped up the session on a high note.
Watch the full workout video below, courtesy of Brett Wilkin’s YouTube channel:
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