Legs Workout Anyone ?

Nothing Makes Or Breaks A Physique More Than Leg Development, And In This Article, You’ll Learn The Ultimate Leg Workout For Building An Impressive Legs.

Today you are going to start down a new road, a journey which few make and even fewer survive. The path will be clearly set out before you by the words in this article. The journey will be hard, harder than anything you have ever done before, but once you see the results you will continue this journey of leg training for life. Keep reading …

I will discuss the anatomy of the legs, their function, location in the body, and some exercises for each area of the legs. Finally (and what you have been waiting for), I will include 8 of my favorite workout programs to help turn your toothpick legs into massive tree trunks 😉

The Major Leg Muscles in Detail

Before we get to the training, I’d like to quickly review the major muscles of the leg so we know what we’re looking to develop.

The quadriceps is a group of four muscles that comprise the bulk of the muscle on the front of the thigh. The four “heads” of the quadriceps are:

• The rectus femoris
• The vastus lateralis
• The vastus medialis
• The vastus intermedius

Here’s how they look:

The back of the leg is dominated by three muscles that contract the hamstring tendon:

•  The semitendinosus
• The semimembranosus
• The biceps femoris

Here’s how they look:

And last but not least is the calf muscle, which is comprised of two muscles:

• The gastrocnemius
• The soleus

And here’s how they look:

(As you can see, the bulk of the calf is the gastrocnemius muscle, and the soleus lies under it.

So, those are the major muscle groups that we’re concerned with in terms of visual development. There are quite a few smaller muscles that will greatly affect our ability to properly train the larger muscles, but we don’t need to review each of them. By following the advice in this article, they will develop along with the larger groups.

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#1 SQUATS 

1. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To begin, first set the bar on a rack to just below shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
2. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
3. Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position. (Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances discussed in the foot stances section)

4.  Begin to slowly lower the bar by bending the knees and hips as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and the exercise has been performed incorrectly.

5.  Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel of your foot as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.

6.  Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: This is not an exercise to be taken lightly. If you have back issues, substitute it with the dumbbell squat variation or a leg press instead. If you have a healthy back, ensure perfect form and never slouch the back forward as this can cause back injury. Be cautious as well with the weight used; in case of doubt, use less weight rather than more. The squat is a very safe exercise but only if performed properly.

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#2 LEG PRESS 

 

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. (Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances described in the foot positioning section).
2. Lower the 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. Tip: Make sure that you do not lock your knees. Your torso and the legs should make a perfect 90-degree angle. This will be your starting position.
3. As you inhale, slowly lower the 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. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and ensure to lock the safety pins properly once you are done. You do not want that platform falling on you fully loaded.

Caution: Always check to make sure that when you re-rack the weight the platform is securely locked.

Variations: All foot stance variations described in the foot stance section.

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#3 HACK SQUAT

 

1. Place the back of your torso against the back pad of the machine and hook your shoulders under the shoulder pads provided.
2. Position your legs in the platform using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Tip: Keep your head up at all times and also maintain the back on the pad at all times.
3. Place your arms on the side handles of the machine and disengage the safety bars (which on most designs is done by moving the side handles from a facing front position to a diagonal position).
4. Now straighten your legs without locking the knees. This will be your starting position. (Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances described in the foot positioning section).
5. Begin to slowly lower the unit by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up (back on the pad at all times). Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees (which is the point in which the upper legs are below parallel to the floor). Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and the exercise has been performed incorrectly.
6. Begin to raise the unit as you exhale by pushing the floor with mainly with the heel of your foot as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.
7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: All foot variations discussed in the foot positioning section apply.

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