What a difference a year makes. After falling to also-ran status (14th out of 17) in the 2008 Ms. Olympia, Heather Armbrust roared back in 2009 and nearly climbed all the way to the top when she was runnerup in the Ms. Olympia. She and husband Dylan own Armbrust Pro Gym in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, which is also the “home office” of Phil Heath, setting up the possibility that both Mr. and Ms. O could toil daily under the same roof. Legs have long been a strength for Armbrust, and as she focuses on the 2010 Ms. Olympia in September she shares her quad training philosophy and a typical quad routine.
ARBRUST’S QUAD Q&A FLEX: What’s your quad training frequency? ARMBRUST: Once per week pre-contest, and, because they’re such a strong point, only once or twice per month in the offseason. .
FLEX: You do a lot of high reps in your routine. Is this how you’ve always trained quads? ARMBRUST: I did lower reps for squats earlier in my career, but otherwise I’ve always preferred high reps for legs. High reps are harder.
FLEX: Do you hit hams with quads? ARMBRUST:I like to work hams in a different workout on a different day.
FLEX: Is three exercises and 10 sets a typical routine? ARMBRUST:I’ve done all the other exercises and I still do them occasionally, but I stick with what works best. I want to emphasis quad separation. Sometimes I finish this workout with another one to two sets of leg extensions for 20-30 reps.
