I’ve been trying to find ways to torch my quads without undo knee stress. I’ve had a pretty nasty bout of knee tendonitis over the last month and can’t squat more than 225 pounds without debilitating knee pain. Like, really bad.

So I’m started to make lighter weight “harder” through complexes, supersets and the like. A bonus of using complexes (three-plus exercises completed in succession with minimal breaks in between) or super sets (two exercises back-to-back) is the fat loss benefits. It’s a metabolic boost conventional weight training with long breaks in between sets doesn’t quite accomplish.

Here’s a mechanical drop-set – whereby the set gets “easier” as fatigue sets in – using front squats and back squats in a superset fashion. 185 pounds is harder with front squats, so I start with that, and then quickly transition into back squats when fatigue starts to set in, allowing for more reps than you otherwise could get if you kept trying with front squats.

This is a great way to blast your legs with relatively lighter weights, while minimizing joint and lower back stress. The days of squatting up to a one rep max are still ahead of me, but there’s times throughout the year when you need to scale back the volume and heavy loads. It’ll help you stay upright with no injury setbacks!