IFBB Pro League women’s bodybuilder Kristina Mendoza has a physique worthy of standing on any stage, but what fans know her best for are her quads. Knowing a lot of people wonder what her keys are for building great legs, she shared her insights with Whitney Jones and Alina Popa on a recent episode of Femme Flex Friday. The 2021 Chicago Pro runner-up knows that the most progress is made in her offseason.
“There’s a lot of calories going in. Training gets more and more intense as the calories go up,” said Mendoza. She also shared that she used to train legs twice a week, but has now backed it down to once.
“I’m trying to bring my upper body up, be a little more symmetrical with the legs, so I have better flow and balance onstage.”
Mendoza went on to say that she trains hamstrings and quads on the same day with adductors added in as well. After warming up with a bike and the adductor machine, she will train hamstrings first. Then, she begins her quad work with leg extensions.
“I like to burn them out a little bit before I get into the compound movements like the leg press or squat machine,” Mendoza explained. After a brief introduction, Mendoza then demonstrates each of the movements that she likes to work with. She warms up before getting into the workout, but she still takes her time before training heavy.
“I like to start with lighter weight for the first couple of sets before I work up into my working sets,” she told Jones and Popa. Mendoza performs two to three lighter sets before doing one working set. She also said that she may follow that up with a “back-off” set with lighter weight and more reps.
Watch the episode in its entirety to learn the tips and tricks that help Mendoza master the lower body muscles. You can see all episodes of Femme Flex Friday over at www.wingsofstrength.net.
2021 Chicago Pro runner-up Kristina Mendoza Leg Workout
Seated Leg Curl – 2-3 light sets of 8-12 reps, 1 heavy work set of 8-12 reps
Lying Leg Curl (Dumbbell Version Shown) – 2-3 light sets of 8-12 reps, 1 heavy work set of 8-12 reps
Romanian Deadlifts – 2-3 light sets of 8-12 reps, 1 heavy work set of 8-12 reps
Leg Extensions – 2-3 light sets of 8-12 reps, 1 heavy work set of 8-12 reps
Leg Press – 2-3 light sets of 8-12 reps, 1 rest-pause work set to failure.
