Hard & Heavy: Training Legs with Trey Brewer

By Luis Olivares

Twenty-three-year-old bodybuilding "PHENOM" Trey Brewer is a big man. Actually, that's putting it a bit lightly - this kid is massive. Even in contest-shredded condition, he easily packs in excess of 260 lbs of solid muscle onto his 5'10" frame. To build this kind of mass, you've got to have a solid foundation. Trey knows this - and luckily for him, this is an area where he shines. Trey's prodigious legs have come to be his signature, built from equal parts God-given genetics and gut-busting training sessions. As anyone who has met him or seen him compete can attest, as remarkable as the rest of his physique is, it's just not every day you see a set of quads like that.

So while those genetics might be a bit hard to come by, some serious weight training is something we can all understand. Therefore, catching up with Trey to get an inside look at his current leg routine seemed like a great idea. It turns out, the man's idea of a leg workout is much like his physique - on a whole different level. His routine is as much an exercise in mental fortitude and sheer force of will as it is a test of muscular capacity. Simply put, this workout is brutal. What follows is a document of the weekly marathon Trey knows simply as "leg day."

The session begins with standing calf raises, which are paired with donkey calf raises for a calf-pumping opening superset. Though starting with calves might seem a bit unconventional, it allows Trey to really focus on one of the toughest areas to develop and give it his all before the draining heart of the workout. This superset is performed for four sets. As for the weight, I soon learn that Trey doesn't concern himself too much with the exact numbers. "We just do the stack," he offers succinctly.

Next is another pump-inducing exercise ideal for warming up the quads, as Trey knocks out four sets of leg extensions for 20 reps. So far, so good. Sure, the weight is no joke, but this workout is progressing pretty well within my expectations.

From leg extensions it's right into squats. The classic mass builder, squats are unsurprisingly the center of Trey's regimen. After taking a year off from heavily working his legs, he's now committed to getting them back and better than ever. "I'm really trying to bring my size back, so we're really focusing on the heavy squats, and doing a lot of heavy leg press," Trey explains. "Just tryin' to hit it hard and hit it heavy." He's not kidding.

Though today it's back squats, Trey points out that he usually alternates between front and back squats from week to week. Starting with a one-plate warm-up, the ascension begins, two plates, three plates, then four. All this time, rest between sets is kept to a minimum - 30 seconds, 45 maybe. So by the time Trey loads up six plates on each side and busts out 10 repetitions, it's safe to say I'm a bit taken aback. As I said, Trey isn't counting, so I'll do it for him. That's 585 lbs the man just squatted 10 times. "Sometimes I go up higher if I'm feeling good," he says matter-of-factly.

Next it's the aforementioned leg press machine, four sets of increasing weight. You might think he'd have started to tire at this point; but really, he seems to be right in a groove. "Legs have always been my favorite to train," he explains, which makes sense given his undeniable results. When I ask if building those massive quads has always come easy for him, his response is unequivocal. "I think my legs have always been my dominant part. I don't know, it's just one of those genetic things I guess I've been blessed with," he says without a hint of hubris. "Yeah, it's always come easy for my legs."

The next exercise is walking lunges, which at this point seems a little nuts. Trey does the length of the gym down and back, first with a plate on each side of the bar, then two, then three for the final set. Walking lunges with 315 lbs - this I have definitely not seen. From there it's on to hack squats. Four increasing sets of those, and Trey is finally done punishing his quads.

To finish off the workout, Trey hits his hamstrings with four sets of lying leg curls followed by four sets of seated leg curls ("We just do the stack," he reiterates). Certain weeks, the seated curls will be replaced with stiff-leg deadlifts. He maintains that his routine is unremarkable; and in terms of exercise selection it probably is. His approach and focus on fundamental movements is decidedly old-school, firmly set in the idea that what has worked for greats in the past will bring him greatness in the future. "Nothing real special man," he says. "Just get in there and do the basics, hit it hard and heavy."

But despite this seemingly simplistic approach, the scope of the workout reveals the drive and determination that sets the man apart and will one day carry him above his peers. Trey spends two hours in the gym on leg day, continually pushing the limits of both his muscular and mental endurance. Yet even after piling on exercise after grueling exercise, the gauntlet he's just run hasn't dulled his competitive edge. This pain has a purpose. "As far as the rest of my competition, nobody can touch my legs," he states with a disarming certainty that negates the need for bravado. "Especially when I get 'em back to where they were, you know, in top condition ... I don't think anybody can touch 'em."

*Obviously, Trey's training regimen is highly advanced and not recommended for everyone. So here's a pared-down version of Trey's leg routine guaranteed to blast your quads, hams, and calves and get you on the road to growth.

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