Never miss Legs Workout!
You must have heard this many times, if not then you will hear it from me a lot of times. The reason for saying this is because legs workout not only strengthens your legs but also helps you build a stronger core which makes you much stronger, improves your posture & your overall appearance. So, double benefit with one workout routine.
Isn’t that amazing!
I hope you get my point & would not miss your legs day 😉
So, let’s get going and design your leg day workout.
Quads
Back Squats
An important and my favorite legs workout!
This exercise not only works your quads and develops them but also activates your hamstrings and glutes. Also, it goes without saying that this exercise tightens your core.
Direction:
1. To start with, load an empty barbell on your traps and stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Here, your head should be still with your sight very straight. Keep your back & shoulder tight with your chest pumped with pride. Finally, your toes got to be angling out 45°.
2. Now, since you have gotten into position, sit back with the barbell by pushing your hip behind like you would sit on a chair. Make sure you grass your glutes & while sitting down your knees should not move forward crossing your feet.
3. Once you have grassed your glutes or pushed yourself to the ground till your mobility allows, now start pushing yourself back up to the original standing position.
4. Continue with this until you are done with at least 10-15 reps. You should do 2-3 sets of this exercise.
Pro Tip – While moving down make sure you look straight with your head still or with the motion your head should move up with you looking up when you are sitting down, as this helps you maintain a stable position.
Leg Press
This is again an amazing legs workout that helps you build those strong quads. And with building strong quads leg press also activates your calves, hamstrings & a bit of glutes.
Since this is a machine exercise it focuses a lot more on your quads.
Direction:
1. Make yourself comfortably seated in the leg press machine.
2. Now put your legs up on the leg press pad/platform in front of you with your feet shoulder-width apart like in the squat position, then angle your feet out 45°.
3. Keeping your core tight & legs strong, unlock the machine and push the platform away from your body. While pushing make sure that you don’t straighten your knees as this might cause you serious injuries.
4. From the top keeping your knees soft bring the weight back towards your body to a point where you feel the tension in your quads. (Pro tip – Make sure that you have weights that you can pull off. If you are going heavy you can support your knees with your hands to avoid any kind of injuries.)
Weighted Walking Lunges
Another cool legs workout that builds stronger quads and activates your hamstrings, glutes & calves. It also keeps your core tight and strong while performing the exercise.
Direction:
1. Load an empty/weighted barbell as per your convenience on your traps or else pickup some dumbbells again as per your convenience and hold it on the sides close to your legs. Keep your legs shoulder-width apart with your body upright.
2. Now lunge with your right leg by splitting your stance and putting your right leg forward until your right thigh is parallel to the ground. Then push down until your left knee is close to the ground. (Do not touch your knee to the ground)
3. Now push back up and bring your left leg besides your right & continue the same motion with your left leg now.
4. Go on with the workout for another 10 – 15 steps or a few more if you can. Perform 2-3 sets of this exercise to get the growth.
Weighted Stationary Lunges
This is a variation of the walking lunges.
Direction: 1. Load an empty/weighted barbell as per your convenience on your traps or else pickup some dumbbells again as per your convenience and hold it on the sides close to your legs. Keep your legs shoulder-width apart with your body upright.
2. Now lunge with your right leg by splitting your stance and putting your right leg forward until your right thigh is parallel to the ground. Then push down until your left knee is close to the ground. (Do not touch your knee to the ground)
3. Now push back up and bring your right leg back besides your left leg & continue the same motion with your left leg now.
4. Go on with the workout for another 10 – 15 reps or a few more if you can go on. Perform 2-3 sets of this exercise to get the growth.
Leg Extension
This is a machine based legs workout that focuses more on your quads & also helps you do an isolation workout to strengthen your weaker leg.
Direction: 1. Hop on to the leg extension machine and get yourself comfortable in its seat.
2. Now set the weight as per your convenience & slip your feet under the roll/cushion of the machine such that your leg is perpendicular to the ground & your feet is parallel to the ground.
3. Once your feet are locked in the position now push the roll/cushion up against gravity in turn lifting the weights. Push it to a point where your knees are still at an angle (soft) such that you feel the tension in your quads.
4. Perform this for 10-15 reps & 2-3 sets. (Pro tip – Push fast and try to bring the weight down slowly while the weight is going with gravity, so that you keep the muscle constantly under tension.)
Hamstrings
Hamstring Curls
This is also a machine based legs workout that develops strong hamstrings. There might be two different types of machines for this exercise. I’ll try to explain how to workout on both.
Direction: 1. If your gym has a 2 in 1, that is a leg extension plus hamstring machine. Then get yourself seated like you would for leg extension.
2. But this time around, keep the roll/cushion underneath your ankle, above your heel. While doing this make sure your leg is straight, parallel to the ground.
3. Now, push the weight down slightly faster contracting your hamstrings & bring it back up slower such that even during the negative motion the muscle is under tension.
4. Perform this for 10-15 times to work your hamstrings. Recommend 2-3 sets of this exercise.
5. If your gym has a different machine where you got to lie down then follow the following steps –
- Lie flat on your stomach on the bench & lock your legs behind the roll/cushion like explained above.
- Now set the weight as per your convenience and pull the weights up by applying pressure on the cushion. Make sure you mentaly focus on your hamstrings such that the mind muscle connection helps you give that extra bit of push.
Good Morning
This is a compound exercise that would not only develop your hamstrings but also strengthen your core.
Direction: 1. Follow the 1st step as in for squats.
2. Now, with the barbell on your traps, bend forward by pushing your hip behind to the extent that your upper body is parallel to the ground. Here you can keep your knees soft and also bend it slightly such that you feel the contraction in your hamstrings.
3. From here push back to the original upright position.
4. Perform this for 10-15 times to work your hamstrings. Recommend 2-3 sets of this exercise and with every set increase the weights to keep growing.
Stiff Legs/Romanian Deadlift
This focuses exclusively on your hamstrings & glutes. Go get those strong hams & glutes.
Direction:
1. Load your barbells with a convenient weight or bring in those heavy dumbbells as per your convenience.
2. Now, stand upright with the weights in your hands. Now, slowly and steadily bend forward by pushing your glutes behind like you did for Good morning. You can fold your knees while performing the exercise but only slightly.
3. Bend forward only until you feel the contraction in your hamstrings and hold this position for 2-3 seconds. Then pull back to the original position.
4. Repeat this for at least 10-15 times & perform 2-3 sets of it.
Step-Ups
A rather simple legs workout that works your hamstrings and at the same time activates your glutes & quads.
Direction:
1. Arrange for a bench or some other elevated surface around one foot in height. Hold a dumbbell (heaviness as per your convenience) in both hands to increase the difficulty a little bit.
2. Step onto the bench with your right foot and push yourself up such that your left foot hanging outside the bench is brought to the level of the right foot.
3. With your left foot still hanging, go back to the original position.
4. Perform the same with your left leg now. Perform 2-3 sets each with 10 – 15 reps & increasing the dumbbell weights in each set.
Hip Thrusts
Want to do some pro level exercises for hamstrings then you are reading the right bit.
Direction:
1. Sit on a bench-like elevated surface and place a barbell on your hips. Make sure that you keep a rubber pad or a towel beneath the barbell such that it does not injure you because of friction. Support the weight with your hands before getting into the exercise.
2. To start with the exercise, push your back down the bench while keeping your knees bent such that your legs make a 90° angle and your feet flat on the ground shoulder-width apart.
3. Keep your shoulder blades on the bench and slightly push your upper body down forming a 45° angle with the ground.
4. Now, push up your hip through your heels bringing your thighs parallel to the floor back again. In this position squeeze your glutes.
Calfs
Calf Raises
Now since you have worked on your quads & hamstrings it is time to develop the calves that have been activated all throughout the exercise.
Based on your gym, you might have a standing or a seated calf raise machine, whichever you have at your gym, you need not worry because both work the same. It’s just that your position changes.
Direction:
1. Load the weights to the machine based on your convenience.
2. Now, place your shoulders under the shoulder pads if it is a standing calf raise machine or place your knees underneath the knee pad if you have a seated calf raise machine. Make sure your feet are flat in this position.
3. Unlock the load and push yourself/weights up through your toes by lifting your heels.
4. Perform 10-15 reps per set with 2-3 sets in total. Make sure you increase weights in each set.
Leg Press Calf Extensions
This is an alternative to the calf raises so you need to perform both of them.
Direction:
1. Load the weights to the leg press machine based on your convenience. Make sure that you don’t load up like you did for training your quads, such heavy weight might cause an injury to your calves.
2. Now, get into the position same as you did for leg press. But, here keep your legs closer and your feet straight. Make sure only the top 50% of your feet is on the platform keeping your heel outside the platform
3. Without unlocking the platform push it straight up such that your legs are as straight as a line. You can keep your knees locked in this position. Now, push the platform further up with your toes working out your calves like in calf raises.
4. Perform 10-15 reps per set with 2-3 sets in total. Make sure you increase weights in each set.
A quick tip on the side – Do not perform all the leg exercises on the same day. Have a combination of not more than 5-6 exercises from the above list.
Take 20-30 seconds rest between sets and hydrate yourself well during your rest.
So, now get going & build those strong legs!
Happy Training!