Leg workout
When we think about leg workout exercises, it comes in mind goes straight to squats, deadlifts, and variations of there. But lower body moves recruit more than just your quads and hamstrings.
Basically, our legs muscles are in different parts in large groups of muscles and we need to train each of separately. Here listed some common workout exercises which are effective for more than one muscle.
This blog will give you a solid understanding of your leg muscles, how to train them and the compound exercises you need to reach your goal.
Leg Muscles Anatomy
· Hamstring Muscles
· Quadriceps Muscles
· Adductor Muscles
The thigh has three sets of strong muscles: the hamstring muscles in the back of the thigh, the quadriceps muscles in the front, and the adductor muscles on the inside.
The quadriceps and hamstrings work together to straighten (extend) and bend (flex) the leg. quadriceps muscles have three parts front quads, middle quads, and lower quads.
Why is a Leg Workout Important?
Even though it is the most hated day of the week, there are a number of reasons why leg day isn’t just good for your legs but your overall health. Here are a couple of reasons why you can most definitely not skip leg day. And personally, I will advise we should do leg workouts weekly twice.
Build more muscles
The squats and deadlift are sure to give you huge muscles since it increases testosterone in the body and testosterone serves as a natural steroid, which means huge slabs of meat. Compound exercises are key for any leg work out since they occupy large muscle groups that help elevate your testosterone levels.
Burn more calories
The Gluteus Maximus is the largest muscle in our body and to train it requires a lot of energy which means that you will be burning a lot of calories during workouts of legs.
Increased strength
When we are trying to lift heavy weights, our body recruits our abs and legs. So, if we are lifting some heavyweights, our core muscles also getting stressed, that stress converting into our overall strength.
Top Best Leg Exercises
Here are the most effective exercises that are great compound exercises and will give good results, these exercises will improve the size of our legs muscles.
Back Squats
The back squats can be called the king of leg exercises and no workout can really be complete without back squats. The back squat is a compound exercise that puts a strain on your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Back squats are the main exercise for our legs.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Quad
Secondary muscles
1. Calf
2. Buttocks
3. Hamstring
4. Lower back
How to do it:
1. Take a barbell and place it on your shoulders.
2. Stand firm with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
3. Lower down as if you were sitting on a chair and incline until your hip not in a position is lower than your knees
4. Keep your weight on your heels and drive back up to the starting position
5. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
6. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Leg Press
This exercise will develop your legs overall, it will train your glutes, quads, and hamstrings muscles. It can be an amazing addition to your leg workout. leg press exercise, we can reach maximum weight lifting capacity.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Quads
Secondary muscles
1. Calf
2. Buttocks
3. Hamstring
How to do it:
1. Using a leg press machine, sit down on the machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you at a medium (shoulder width) foot stance.
2. Unlock safety bars holding the weighted platform in place and press the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of you.
3. Inhale, release slowly platform by fixing upper body, platform until your upper and lower legs make a 90-degree angle.
4. Pushing mainly with the heels of your feet and using the quadriceps go back to the starting position as you exhale.
5. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
6. Maintain 1 minute’s interval rest in-between of all sets.
Hamstring Deadlift
Deadlifts are another compound exercise that strengthens your lower back, hamstrings, and core.
Hamstring deadlift best exercise for backside legs and use for
· Strengthen the entire posterior chain (hamstrings muscles)
· Develop amazing core, grip, and functional strength
· Build tons of muscle mass
· Enhance cardiorespiratory fitness and fat loss.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Hamstring
Secondary muscles
1. Calf
2. Buttocks
3. Hamstring
4. Lower back
5. Forearm
6. Lats
7. Quad
8. Traps
9. Upper back
How to do it:
1. Stand with your feet under the barbell
2. Bend over and grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip
3. Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar
4. Lift your chest up and straighten your lower back
5. Take a big breath, hold it, and stand up with the weight
6. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
7. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Leg Extension
Leg extensions are a great addition to your leg work-out as it puts a strain on your quads, making for more muscle size and definition.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Quad
How to do it:
1. First, choose your weight on the leg extension machine and sit with your legs under the pad (feet pointed forward) and the hands holding the sidebars. This will be your starting position.
2. Using your quadriceps, extend your legs to the maximum, ensuring that the rest of the body remains stationary on the seat. Pause a second on the contracted position.
3. Slowly lower the weight back to the original position as you inhale. Make sure that you do not go past the 90-degree angle limit.
4. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
5. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Leg curls
This is an isolation exercise that works on your hamstrings and calf muscles. This is a must-have exercise for every leg workout.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Hamstring
How to do it:
1. Start by lying flat on your stomach and adjust the roller pads so they rest on the back of your ankles
2. Lift your feet smoothly as you exhale, keeping your hips firmly on the bench.
3. Inhale as you flex your knee and pull your ankles as close to your buttocks as you can.
4. Hold this position for a second, allowing yourself to make sure you are focused as you prepare to lower your legs.
5. Inhale fully as you return your feet to starting position in a smooth, slow, controlled movement.
6. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
7. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Dumbbell lunges
Dumbbell lunges another compound exercise that trains your, hamstrings, and quads muscles.
The dumbbell Lunge, or Step-Back Lunge, is an under-appreciated variation of a popular leg exercise. During a reverse Lunge, momentum shifts the center of gravity too far forward, placing the bodyweight on the ball of the foot rather than the heel and moving the knee too close to the toe.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Quads
Secondary muscles
1. Calf
2. Buttocks
3. Hamstring
4. Lower back
How to do it:
1. Stand up with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand hanging by your sides.
2. Step forward with one leg, bend at the knee and lower your body so that your thigh is horizontal to the ground.
3. While you perform this motion ensure that your chest remains upright.
4. To return to the starting position push through your front leg and bring your feet together.
5. Ensure you perform this exercise the same number of repetitions for each leg.
6. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
7. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Machine abductions
The Machine abduction exercise is important for the abbuductor muscles. The hip abductor machine trains your lateral gluteal muscles (glutes), including both the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.
Muscles used
Primary muscles
1. Abbuductor
Secondary muscles
1. Buttocks
2. Hamstring
How to do it:
1. Sit on the machine with your legs spread.
2. Force your thigh together.
3. Slowly return in the starting position.
4. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
5. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Bodyweight squats
The bodyweight squat exercise is a lower-body strengthening exercise that can be performed virtually anywhere with no equipment and limited space available.
This exercise trains all the major muscles of the legs to help in fat burning.
Muscles used
Primary muscles:
1. Hamstring
Secondary muscles
1.Calf
2.Buttocks
3.Hamstring
4. Quad
5. lower abs
How to do it:
1. Stand straight with your arm directly out in front of you.
2. Palms facing the ground, feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Inhale, tense your core muscles, and lower your torso by bending at the knees, try to push into your heels, keep your arm in front of you.
4. Ensure your chest remains up and bum is sticking out.
5. When you have reached as low you can go, push off though your feet, ensuring that you connecting on your quads and driving upwards squeezing your buttocks as you near the top, exhale.
6. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
7. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Side lunges
The side lunge is an important exercise, it works for sides of the glutes (the gluteus medius), it is important stabilizer muscles for the hip joint. Moving in a different direction also helps you work your quadriceps muscles from another angle.
Muscles used :
Primary muscles
1. Quad
Secondary muscles
1. Buttocks
2. Hamstring
How to do it:
1. Stand up straight with the keep your feet together.
2. Shift your weight to the right leg and push hips and bends knees into squats, ensuring the foot in the width of twice of your shoulder, your right leg should stay perpendicular to the floor and your left leg remains flat on the floor.
3. During shifting weight into your right leg keep your hands chest, which will make stable your body weight balance.
4. Now reverse movements back to the other side and repeat as necessary.
5. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
6. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Standing leg curl with rope
The standing leg curls great exercise for hamstring muscles, it works to build muscle and gives strength to your hamstring and buttocks.
Muscles used
Primary muscles:
1. Hamstring
Secondary muscles
2. Buttocks
How to do it:
1. Stand in the machine so your knee can pressed against the movable pad.
2. Hook your ankle with a cable attached with weight, Straighten your leg, and grasp the machine to restrain your upper body as you do the movements.
3. Take support by holding the machine leg.
4. Inhale, and bending leg from the knee towards up as you can move.
5. Straight your leg in the starting position, Exhale.
6. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
7. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Machine Hack squats
The hack squat is a great exercise that works for the entire core muscles, lower back muscles, entire leg muscles, glutes.
Hack squats even strengthening tendons muscles and help to maintain a healthy body.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles:
1. Quad
Secondary muscles
1. Buttocks
2. Hamstring
3. Calf
How to do it:
1. Place your body in the machine such condition, Position your self so that your backrest on the machine and shoulder pads are on both sides of your head.
2. Your legs should be extended and about shoulder-width apart slightly in front of you.
3. Inhale and bend your legs as if you are going to sit on the chair.
4. Your squads or hamstring should right angle with your calves.
5. As you sit maximum, push through the plate ensuring that your quads are going to the majority of the work.
6. Exhale and return to the starting position.
7. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
8. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Dumbbell step-up
A dumbbell step-up is a simple body resistance exercise. This exercise works in the legs and buttocks muscles. This is a good general lower body strengthening exercise.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles:
1. Quad
Secondary muscles
1. Buttocks
2. Hamstring
3. Calf
How to do it:
1. For the step-up exercise need a flat bench or box at knee height and dumbbells weight, grasp dumbbells on hand, stand in a straight position.
2. If you don’t have dumbbells weight you can do with bodyweight itself.
3. Put a step on bench with forwarding single leg then keep the second leg.
4. Come down again the same sequence you step up.
5. Now change the same for alternate leg also.
6. Make sure that your heel on the bench and your knees does not go over your toe. Keep chest up throughout the exercise.
7. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
8. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Dumbbell dead-lift
The Dumbbell deadlifts are a fast and effective way for improving hamstring muscles, inside its effects on your traps and buttocks. This is a great exercise for new lifters and beginners for strength gain.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles:
1. Hamstring
Secondary muscles
1. Buttocks
2. Traps
How to do it:
1. Stand up in straight condition with dumbbells grasped in both hands, ensuring standing your feet in shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the floor in front of your body, slightly bend your knees also.
3. Stand up then back to starting position.
4. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
5. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Good morning
The good morning exercise is a great exercise that works for your hamstrings, lower back, and abs muscles. This exercise effective when this performed with barbells as opposed to other weights, like dumbbells. A beginner should avoid it, it should always incorrect body posture and weight balanced way go through, otherwise, there is a chance of back injuries.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles:
1. Hamstring
Secondary muscles
1. Buttocks
2. Lower back
How to do it:
1. Stand up in straight position, place the barbell across your traps/ top of your shoulder, and feet should be within shoulder width.
2. Inhale and tilt your body forward at the waist.
3. Maintaining a strong back as you bend. if the barbell is too heavy use a broomstick.
4. Keep your keens slightly bend as you perform the exercise.
5. Once you can feel the stretch in your hamstring, process it to the original or starting position, ensuring that your back remains straight throughout the movement.
6. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
7. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Dumbbell squats
The Dumbbell squats are a compound exercise for your leg muscles, this works on hamstring, quads, calf muscles.
The dumbbell squats are a great exercise for beginner, for strength to lower body and build strong muscle.
Muscles used:
Primary muscles
1. Quad
Secondary muscles
1. Calf
2. Buttocks
3. Hamstring
4. Lower back
How to do it:
1. Stand up straight with feet slightly apart and grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your arm
hanging down to your side.
2. Inhale and tense your core muscle as lower yourself.
3. The motion is as you ware to take a seat in a chair, whilst doing ensuring that your chest is remained up and bum is sticking out.
4. When you have reached as low you can go, push off through your feet, ensuring that you are concentrating on your quads and driving upwards squeezing your buttocks as you near the top and exhale.
5. Complete all 3 sets form in 15,12 and 10 reps.
6. Maintain 1 minutes interval rest in-between of all sets.
Key points
These compounds exercises will help you grow legs muscles in quick response, it is important, not only from an aesthetic standpoint, but it is also important if you are looking to gain strength, improve your core and lift heavier weights.
