Yes, this can be an extremely “unique” name for an exercise, but the first time you do this exercise, you’ll know EXACTLY why I called it that (another name I had in mind included the word “evil”). .

This exercise gives you the best of 3 worlds:

1. You get a good stretch in your quads at the end of the exercise.
2. You get a huge contraction at the top (stronger even than with a leg extension).
3. Your quads DO NOT break throughout the movement (for example, when you’re doing a regular squat or lunge, at the top of the exercise, the tension leaves the muscles entirely and is carried by the bones and joints).

Put all this together and you have an exercise that will destroy your quads! The first time I did it, I ended up doing more sets than I originally planned to do for my legs because I found it to be such a powerful exercise.

Be sure to check out the images and video of this exercise in action (side view and front view). Watching the video makes it MUCH easier to understand the mechanics of the movement and really get the most out of it when you take it to the gym yourself.

How to do it:

Basically, you’re going to be doing what looks like a hack lunge with a barbell. It will look like a lunge holding the bar behind your back instead of over your shoulders. That’s the best way to describe it, but there are a few key points that take the exercise from a mere lunge to something that will light a fire in your quads that will knock you to the ground – almost every set I’ve done of these exercises ended with me going down. !

This exercise is best done on a rack for safety reasons: doing it on a rack will allow you to really push your legs and maximize the effect of the exercise. It can be done by starting with the bar on the ground, but it makes the exercise a bit more difficult to manage and you have to finish the set a little earlier for safety reasons instead of going all out with the rack. Having the bar a little higher at the beginning also makes it easier to start the exercise, which helps a lot.

First, place the safety rails on the rack about a foot off the ground. Put a barbell on the rails and then load a moderate weight. The first time you do it, start light to get familiar with the exercise, for example, 25 to 45 on each side.

Stand with your back to the bar (it will be against the back of your legs), reach down and grab it with an overhand grip (I grab it the same width I would use for the bench press, using the smooth rings as a guide). ).

Once you’ve gripped the bar, stand up, bringing the weight back so it rests on the back of your thighs, just below your glutes. Now step your left leg forward into a typical lunge position. Come down into a lunge with the bar resting on the back of your right thigh (basically your back leg).

Now the fun begins…instead of standing, keep your torso leaning forward at an angle. And as she stands up and straightens her front leg, straighten her back leg, PUSHING THE BAR UP AND BACK as she does.

Basically, even though your left leg is forward, it’s your right leg that’s actually working directly against the resistance of the bar. The more you push to straighten your leg, the stronger the contraction you will get in your quads.

You are bearing the full weight of the bar on your right hamstring/thigh and the quadriceps contraction is what keeps it there. The left leg works a little, but not as much as the right leg; that back leg is the one you really want to focus on with this exercise, which is contrary to how the lunge normally works.

And here’s the beauty of it… at the bottom of the lunge, when your right leg is bent, you’re actually stretching your right quad well, too. THAT’s why I call this the “Damn Barbell Lunge”… the quads in the back leg are NOT broken throughout the entire exercise, from stretch to contraction and throughout the entire set.

With a regular lunge or squat (as I mentioned above), when you get to the top, your skeleton is bearing the weight, not your muscles. It’s hard to maintain a strong contraction and maintain tension in your thighs without shortening your range of motion and never going all the way up. With this exercise, the more you try and lock at the top, the stronger contraction you’ll get in your quads and the harder the exercise will work you.

Believe me, it is a serious experience in leg training and it will really open your eyes. He blew my mind when it occurred to me. And THAT’s why I’m telling you to do this exercise on the rack…because when you’re done, you’re done. Your leg will give out from the burn and you’ll have to lower the weight. The shorter the distance the bar has to travel, the better.

As for the other leg, since both legs are being worked with this exercise (even though the back leg does most of the work), the second leg you’re working will already be fatigued and you won’t get as many reps on it. If you want, you can rest for a minute and then work on the other leg instead of immediately working on the other.

Give this exercise a try at your next leg workout and let me know what you think!