Shadowing Practice: Old School Leg Workout for Building Bigger Legs - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Here's an old school leg workout to help you build bigger quads,

stronger hamstrings, fuller calves for a complete, impressive lower body.

Starting with the king of exercises, squats.

First a few reps with a light weight for warm up.

Now load the bar to about 70-80% of the maximum amount you can lift safely.

Take the bar.

Plant the feet a little bit wider than the shoulders.

Deep breath in, hold the breath, slowly down.

Explode up.

Just two reps on the heavy weight.

Enough to fire up not just the leg muscles but the nervous system as well.

Take a good long rest, 2-3 minutes.

Let's take another look at that breathing technique.

Advanced lifters hold their breath like this during a heavy lift

because it creates a strong frame and support for the core during the lift.

Set 2.

Lower the weight and go again.

3 sets of 10 reps.

Squats are great for strength and muscle building, but safety is key.

So if you need a refresher on correct form, check out Fit Media's guide to good squatting.

Next, leg extensions.

working the biggest muscles in the legs, quads.

This is an isolation exercise so not so heavy on the weight.

Instead focus on the squeeze as you extend the leg.

The quads are made up of four muscles working together to straighten the leg.

Keeping control, squeeze and slowly down.

High number of reps to exhaust the muscle.

Pushing through to complete four sets of 12 to 15.

Next, machine press.

You're well supported here by the machine, so plenty of weight.

Feet set low to work the quads more.

Go deep into the squat and explode up.

Unlike the leg extension, you're not locking the legs at the top.

The downward force would put too much stress on the knee joint.

So don't fully extend.

Aiming for constant tension in the muscle.

In the standing press, you're also engaging your core, which is why we use that breathing technique.

But here it's normal breathing.

Out on the way up, in on the way down.

Focusing fully on the lower body, especially those quads.

Fewer reps because it's a heavier weight, 6-8 for 3 sets. So now, walking lunges.

A highly functional lower body exercise using quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

All working together.

lunge forward, stepping out wider than normal.

Having the barbell on the shoulders also improves balance and coordination.

Take the back knee as close to the floor as possible without touching.

Four sets of 15 to 20 steps.

Time to hit the back of the legs on the lying hamstring machine.

It's a curling movement, hinging at the knee.

Hamstring is a smaller muscle, but important for creating a balance between the front and back of the leg.

The machine uses isolation, so lower weight more reps.

Concentrate on the movement, not the weight.

Keeping control on the way up and on the way down.

Squeezing at the top, four sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Finally to complete the shape of the leg, calves, standing calf machine raise.

Not so heavy.

Go for maximum range of motion.

Focus on the squeeze at the top.

Full extension at the bottom.

Go for three sets of 12 to 15.

You can vary this exercise each set by pointing your toes in or out.

So there you have it, a full leg workout to help you build bigger, stronger legs.

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143 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Old School Leg Workout for Building Bigger Legs”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: leg, weight, reps, muscle, quads. This video has 62 sentences and 562 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:04. The speaker talks at a steady 111 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
quad verb	/kwɑd/	To fill spaces in a line of type with quads. Also quad out.
hamstring noun	/ˈhæmstɹɪŋ/	One of the great tendons situated in each side of the ham, or space back of the knee, and connected with the muscles of the back of the thigh.
squat noun	/skwɑt/	A position assumed by bending deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
calf noun	/kɑːf/	A young cow or bull of any bovid, such as domestic cattle or buffalo.
squeeze verb	/skwiːz/	To apply pressure (to something) from two or more sides at once.
lunge noun	/lʌnd͡ʒ/	A sudden forward movement, especially with a sword.
explode verb	/ɪkˈsploʊd/	To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off.
workout noun	/ˈwɝk.aʊ̯t/	An exercise session; a period of physical exercise.
isolation noun	/ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/	The state of being isolated, detached, or separated; the state of being away from other people.
barbell noun	/ˈbɑɹˌbɛl/	A wide steel bar with premeasured weights counterpoised at either end, with the central span open for the hands of the weightlifter.
lifter noun	/ˈlɪftə/	A weightlifter.
refresher noun	/ɹɪˈfɹɛʃɚ/	Something that refreshes.
straighten verb	/ˈstɹeɪtn̩/	To cause to become straight.
curl noun	/kɜɹl/	A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.
downward adverb	/ˈdaʊnwɚd/	Toward a lower level, whether in physical space, in a hierarchy, or in amount or value.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
check out verb		To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
step out verb		To exit a place on foot, often for a short time.
warm up verb	/ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/	To become warmer.
work together verb		To be coworkers with someone; to share a workspace with someone.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things	wider than
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	you're not locking · you're also engaging

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/, refresher /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃɚ/, coordination /kəʊˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/, coordination /kəʊˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃən/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like quad, hamstring, squat.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Old School Leg Workout for Building Bigger Legs - Learn English Speaking with Video

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