Iain Valliere is an IFBB professional bodybuilder and the winner of the 2021 Texas Pro and the 2021 Tampa Pro bodybuilding competitions. He is known as one of the biggest, strongest bodybuilders in the world today.
Iain trains his legs using a unique high-volume training program. If you want to learn how Iain Valliere trains his quads and hamstrings then this article is for you!
Introduction
- Part 1: Iain Valliere’s Training Split
- Part 2: Iain Valliere’s Quadricep Workouts
- Part 3: Iain Valliere’s Hamstring Workouts
In this comprehensive guide I will teach you exactly how Iain Valliere trains his massive legs for size and strength.
Iain Valliere trains 6 days per week using a traditional bodybuilding bro split. He trains each muscle group on its own separate training day including his quads and hamstrings. Check it out:
Iain Valliere’s Training Split
- Day 1: Chest
- Day 2: Back
- Day 3: Quads
- Day 4: Shoulders
- Day 5: Arms
- Day 6: Hamstrings
- Day 7: Off
Talk about a brutal training split! Iain Valliere uses a modified version of the classic 5-day bro-split where you train each major muscle group on its own separate training day. The big difference with Iain’s split is he trains his quads and hamstrings on their own separate training days.
Iain says this training split is great because it lets him train his quads and his hamstrings with more volume and intensity. This training split can be difficult to recover from but that is not a problem for him.
So how does he actually train his legs? Iain likes to pick 4-6 exercises for his quads and hamstrings and then perform 2 working sets to failure per exercise.
He sometimes performs high-intensity training techniques like forced reps, drop sets and rest-pause sets on his 2 working sets. It all depends on whether he is in his “offseason” phase of training or if he is getting ready for his next bodybuilding competition.
Let’s start by looking at Iain’s quadricep workouts. Here is a very normal looking quadricep workout for Iain Valliere. Check it out:
Workout #1
- Exercise #1: Hip adduction machine, 2 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #2: Leg extension, 2 sets of 8-20 reps**
- Exercise #3: 45 degree leg press, 2 sets of 8-20 reps****
- Exercise #4: Horizontal leg press, 2 sets of 8-20 reps******
- Exercise #5: One-leg machine hack squat, 2 sets of 8-20 reps
**On your last set perform a double drop set
****On your first set train to failure and perform several forced reps. On your second set perform a DC-style rest-pause set. Train to failure, rest 20 seconds, train to failure, rest 20 seconds, train to failure, done!
******On your last set train to failure, then perform several partial reps in the shortened position.
Here is the training video:
This is a very normal looking quadriceps workout for Iain Valliere.
First he uses the hip adduction machine to train his adductor muscles like the adductor longus. These muscles can make a huge difference in the way your legs look when they are fully developed. Just look at a picture of Tom Platz’s legs if you don’t believe me!
After that Iain moves onto 4 different exercises for his quads. Iain Valliere almost always pre-exhausts his quads with leg extensions before moving onto other compound quad exercises. This is a strategy that Dorian Yates, Branch Warren and even Arnold Schwarzenegger have used during their careers.
The basic idea is to perform leg extensions first in your leg routine to isolate your quads. Then when you perform your other compound exercises like squats or leg presses your quads will have to work harder than normal to perform the exercise.
This strategy also limits the amount of weight that you can use on your other exercises which can be helpful for avoiding injuries.
Here is another one of Iain Valliere’s quad workouts. Check it out:
Workout #2
- Exercise #1: Leg extension, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
- Exercise #2: One-leg horizontal leg press, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
- Exercise #3: Pendulum squat with bands, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
- Exercise #4: 45 degree leg press, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
Here is the training video:
This is another normal looking leg workout for Iain Valliere. As usual Iain starts his leg workout with machine leg extensions. Then he moves onto several different quadricep exercises like leg presses and pendulum squats.
Iain likes to train in the 8-15 rep range for most body parts. However, for quadriceps he likes to perform most of his sets in the 10-20 rep range when he is training for size. This makes sense as the quads have a higher percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers.
Most bodybuilders do get better results performing higher reps for quads.
Here is one more Iain Valliere quad workout that you can try. Check it out:
Workout #3
- Exercise #1: Hip adduction machine, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
- Exercise #2: Leg extension, 2 sets of 10 reps**
- Exercise #3: 45 degree leg press, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
- Exercise #4: Machine hack squat, 2 sets of 10-20 reps
**On the second set perform 10 reps with extra manual resistance on the lowering phase of each rep, then do a 10-second static stretch in the bottom position of the exercise, then perform 10 more full range of motion reps
Here is the training video:
This was a lower-volume quad workout for Iain Valliere. He performs a couple sets to failure on the hip adduction machine and then he performs 3 quadriceps exercises.
As usual Iain starts his quad workout with 2 working sets to failure on the leg extension machine. Then he moves onto 45 degree leg presses and machine hack squats. This is almost the exact same quad routine that the 6x Mr. Olympia winner Dorian Yates used during his bodybuilding career.
Now let’s look at some of Iain Valliere’s hamstrings routines. Check it out:
Workout #4
- Exercise #1: Lying leg curls, 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
- Exercise #2: Seated leg curls, 2 sets of 8-15 reps****
- Exercise #3: Kneeling leg curls, 2 sets of 8-15 reps
- Exercise #4: Deadlift, 2 sets of 8-15 reps
- Exercise #5: Lat pulldown (wide / overhand grip), 2 sets of 8-15 reps
- Exercise #6: 45 degree back extensions, 2 sets of 8-15 reps
**On the first set train to failure, then perform several forced reps with the help of a training partner. On the second set perform a cluster set: perform 4 mini-sets of 4 reps with 10 seconds rest between mini-sets
****On both sets train to failure, then perform several partial reps in the stretched position
Here is the training video:
https://youtu.be/AUb2VyywrTM?t=158
Iain Valliere likes to perform some extra upper back work at the end of his hamstrings workouts so that is why you see him performing lat pulldowns towards the end of the routine. Other than the one upper back exercise this is a pure hamstrings workout.
Iain likes to use 2 main exercises to train his hamstrings: leg curls and deadlifts. Iain starts this workout by performing 3 different types of leg curls: lying leg curls, seated leg curls and kneeling leg curls.
He performs 2 working sets to failure on each machine and he even performs some high-intensity sets like forced reps, cluster sets and partial reps on two of these exercises.
After the leg curls Iain moves onto one of his favorite exercises: conventional deadlifts. Iain believes conventional deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts are key exercises for building your hamstrings and the entire backside of your body.
Finally Iain finishes the workout with some lat pulldowns and back extensions.
Here is another one of Iain’s hamstrings routines that you can try. Check it out:
Workout #5
- Exercise #1: Seated leg curl, 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
- Exercise #2: Deadlift, 2 sets of 5-12 reps
- Exercise #3: Kneeling leg curl, 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
- Exercise #4: Lying leg curl, 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
- Exercise #5: Straight arm cable rope pullover, 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
- Exercise #6: Machine assisted pull ups (wide / overhand grip), 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
- Exercise #7: One-arm cable pulldown, 2 sets of 8-15 reps**
**On both sets train to failure, then perform several forced reps with the help of a training partner
Here is the training video:
https://youtu.be/-bW1lU97WK0?t=158
Talk about an intense workout! This is basically a higher-volume version of the first hamstrings workout we looked at.
For this workout Iain trains his hamstrings with seated leg curls, deadlifts, kneeling leg curls and lying leg curls. Iain actually performs several forced reps on all of his leg curl sets. Now THAT is a lot of work for your hamstrings!
After that Iain performs several different exercises for his upper back. Iain’s goal here is just to get some extra work in for his lats so he sticks to different pulldown variations and avoids rowing movements completely.
Conclusion
Iain Valliere trains his quads and hamstrings once per week on separate training days. For his quad workouts Iain likes to pre-fatigue his muscles with leg extensions before moving onto compound exercises like leg presses and hack squats.
Iain almost never performs the regular back squat in his training program – he just doesn’t think it is a good exercise for his structure.
For his hamstrings workouts Iain likes to focus on leg curls and deadlifts. He often performs 3 different types of leg curls before finishing off his hamstrings with conventional deadlifts.
If you are an advanced bodybuilder and you get great results from high-volume workouts then you have to give the Iain Valliere leg program a shot. It may be just what you need to take your training to the next level.
If you enjoyed this content then make sure you check out my article “The Iain Valliere Training Program!”
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100%.”
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of luck on your strength training journey!
