Build Explosive Power

Add energy to your leg workout with these smart upgrades.

Here's a new way to build muscle with a barbell: place it on the floor and lunge over it. This hurdle corrects a mistake commonly made in lunges. “Most men don't step our far enough and they push of sluggishly rather than explosively,” says Scott Mendelson, CEO of Infinity Fitness. “Lunging over the bar instantly improve technique.”

As a result, you train your glutes and hamstrings harder. Do this workout 2-3 times a week.

Perform the sets within each superset without resting, but stop for one minute after you've done bone sets. Do superset 1 three times, then move onto superset 2, and do it three times.

Superset A

1. Dynamic Forward Lunge

Load 50-kilogram plates onto a barbell and stand about 60 centimetres beind it, holding a pair of dumbbells by your sides. Lunge over the bar with one foot so the back of your front leg is just in front of the bar. Then push back quickly to the starting position. Do 6-8 reps with each leg.

2. Dynamic Side Lunge

There's no need to move the barcell, but stand so that it's at your left side. Lift your leg over the bar, bringing your foot up high enough that it doesn't hit the bar. Bend your left knee and lower your body as far as you can. Then push back up explosively. Do 6-8 reps, then repeat with your other leg.

Superset B

1. Rack Squat

Place a bar on a squat rack at hip level. Stand with your back to the bar and grab it with an overhand grip. Hold the bar at arm's length behnd you, then bend your hips and knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push back up to the starting position. Do six reps.

2. Single-Leg Deadlift Reach

Place a loaded bar on the floor, 45 cm in front of you. Stand on your right leg and hold a dumbbell in your left hand. Keeping your back naturally arched, push your hips back and lower the weight towards the barbell. Touch the bar with the weight, then rise. Aim for six reps.