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Two-time Classic Physique Olympia champ Breon Ansley is two weeks into a rest-pause training regimen to prepare for his shift to the 212 division to qualify for the 2023 Olympia.
Ansley’s training protocol has hypertrophy in mind, as he is no longer bound by the weight cap constraints of Classic Physique. On July 13, 2023, Ansley published a video on his YouTube channel that features his rest-pause leg training. Check it out below:
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Breon Ansley’s Rest-Pause Leg Workout
Below are the exercises that comprised Ansley’s training session:
Leg Extensions
Lying Leg Curls
Glute-Hamstring Raises
Leg Presses
Calf Raises
Ansley incorporates as many warm-up sets as needed before his one or two working sets and then one to two rest-pause sets. He performs each set to failure, resting approximately 30 seconds between sets to elevate his heart rate with higher intensity. Ansley’s training begins with 10 minutes of cycling to prep his joints.
Leg Extensions
Ansley’s working sets of leg extensions consist of 15 reps with rest-pause reps mixed in throughout. Pauses can last upwards of 15 seconds for quad development.
While remaining at the same weight, if he can only secure three to five reps, Ansley rests mid-set until he’s recovered just enough to reach his desired rep range.
Ansley uses 75-85 percent of his body weight to determine the working load. For this workout, he lifted 175 pounds for leg extensions, a weight he could control throughout the movement.
Lying Leg Curls
Ansley’s main advice for leg curls is to sickle the feet up, creating more tension by lengthening the hamstring down to the backside of his knees.
“As opposed to just moving weight like powerlifting…[It’s] not about the weight; it’s about the performance,” says Ansley, suggesting that bodybuilding focuses on training muscles, not movements.
Hamstring-Glute Raises, Leg Presses, and Calf Raises
Ansley’s session continues with hamstring-glute raises, leg presses, and calf work. Hamstring-glute raises isolate the glutes, while the leg press is a lower-body compound movement.
Ansley incorporates rest-pause into the last two working sets, including his micro-rests to help him sufficiently reach mechanical failure. He pauses for a half-minute or so before continuing each set until he’s reached his desired rep range.
Breon Ansley’s Upcoming Bodybuilding Schedule
Ansley was three leg workouts into this new training schedule at the time of this workout’s recording. Although he has a lifetime invite to compete in the Classic Physique division at the Olympia as a former champion, to compete in the 212 division at the Olympia, he’ll need to win a pro show during the 2023 season in 212.
In 2022, Ansley ranked fourth overall at the 2022 Arnold Classic and the Classic Physique Olympia.In conjunction with his new training implementation, Ansley’s diet to grow into the 212-pound class has allotted him more calories that he can put to use in his heavy lifting.
If Ansley wins a pro show in the 212 division, he’ll stamp his ticket to the 2023 Olympia, scheduled for Nov. 2-5, 2023, in Orlando, FL.
Featured image: @breonma_ on Instagram
The post Here’s What Breon Ansley’s New Training Style for Leg Hypertrophy Look Like appeared first on BarBend.
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