Leg training. Top leg exercises in the gym

Nothing transforms physique like well-developed legs. In this article, you will learn about the best exercises for leg muscles.

If you regularly go to the gym, but at the same time neglect the exercises of the nanogi, then your body will look like this …

I perfectly understand your unwillingness to train your legs.

I admit that I myself often skipped leg workouts, and because It looked like the guy in the photo.

But I realized my mistake and I’m not making it anymore. And although mine legs lack definition and volume (which is a matter of time), nevertheless, they are quite well developed …

I also learned to enjoy leg workouts.

• How to build legs
• Leg muscle anatomy
• The simple science of effective leg training
• The best exercises for leg muscles
  • Should I use Smith’s simulator?
  • Power frame is the best choice.
  • Shoulder Squats
  • Front squats with a barbell
  • Barbell Lunges
  • Romanian deadlift
  • Bulgarian split squat
  • Hack squats in the simulator
  • Leg press
  • Pelvic lift with emphasis on the bench
  • Standing on toes
  • Sitting on toes
  • Lifting on socks in the simulator for leg press
• Comprehensive leg workout

How to build legs

Be that as it may, the bottom line is that for the development of leg muscles it takes a lot of time and effort, and this is not enough to do just squats.

Of course, squats are an extremely important part. leg workouts, but if that’s the only thing you do, then you could have benefited much more from your stay in the hall.

In this article I want to share what I know about how pump big and strong legs, including …

• the most effective way to create a workout program legs;
• the best exercises and the technique of their implementation;
• my favorite training program that you can immediately start using.

Do not want to train in the gym, read how to pump your legs in home conditions.

Let’s start!

Leg muscle anatomy

Before we talk about training, I would like to briefly consider the main muscles of the legs so that you know what exactly we must develop.

Quadriceps (the quadriceps femoris) is the muscle that consists of 4 heads and makes up the main muscle mass front of the thigh. Four heads of Cradryceps are:

• rectus femoris muscle;
• lateral broad muscle of the thigh;
• medial broad muscle of the thigh;
• intermediate broad muscle of the thigh.

Muscles of the lower limb

The main part of the back of the thigh is:

• semitendinosus muscle;
• semi-membranous muscle;
• biceps femoris muscle.

Here’s what they look like:

And last but not least, what’s worth mentioning is the back part of the lower leg, which consists of two muscles:

• calf muscle;
• soleus muscle.

Here’s what they look like:

As you can see, the main part of the back side of the lower leg is gastrocnemius muscle, under which soleus muscle is located.

These are the main muscles of the legs, for the development of which we must direct your efforts.

There are also a large number of small muscles that significantly affect our ability to work on large muscles, but we don’t need to consider each of them in separately.

By following the tips outlined in this article, you will develop them together with large muscle groups.

The simple science of effective leg training

The three biggest mistakes that most people commit while training legs are:

1. Performing Inappropriate Exercises

Many people pay too much attention to exercise equipment and isolating exercises, while they should be considered only as an addition to the main exercises.

2. Improper execution technique squats

And I mean not only incomplete repetitions. There are many others typical errors such as rounding of the lower back, too narrow staging and incorrect knee position.

3. Doing too much repetitions

Such training inhibits the growth of all muscle groups in the body.

One of the main lessons that I learned is that when building muscle, the more basic exercises with the heavy weight you perform (80-85% of 1PM or more), the better your results.

And if you hear some fitness model claim that possesses huge muscles due to the large number of repetitions, then you know – without steroids it could not do here.

I know this sounds cynical, but it’s true.

If you take steroids, then achieving muscle growth is extremely easy: stay in the gym for several hours every day, do more reps in each exercise, and the muscles will become more and more.

While taking steroids, it is usually recommended to perform a large number of repetitions.

Steroids cause muscles to grow rapidly, but ligaments and tendons do not keep up with this growth, so the weight that may seem to you light, can be unbearable for connective tissue.

Therefore, joint injuries are common among those who use steroids.

In any case, do not despair – you can pump up excellent legs without “chemistry”.

For example, look at this bodybuilder who speaks on competition among natural athletes:

Although he may not really be a natural athlete (getting around the doping test in many federations is very easy), but I I think that it’s quite possible for anyone to pump such legs as his natural athlete.

To achieve this (or almost such) result, it is necessary possess certain knowledge, as well as hard work and patience. The strategy is pretty simple:

1. Focus on basic exercises with great weight

If you want big and strong legs, then do 4-6 or 5-7 repetitions

2. Perform exercises that allow you to safely apply the progressive overload method.

As a natural athlete, you must adopt the following position: if you do not become stronger, then you don’t become anymore.

Rule number 1 of natural muscle growth is progressive overload, which involves a constant increase in worker weight over time.

Some exercises are not suitable for working with heavy weights, so for progressive overload. For example, leg extension gives heavy load on the knees.

Another aspect of leg training is the total amount repetitions that you do in a week.

This becomes especially important when you do a lot of exercises. with heavy weight, because the main rule is:

The heavier the weight, the fewer repetitions per week you Must do.

Heavy weights require more time to recover. it means you cannot do a lot of work without risk of overtraining.

I tried many different training programs and determined option that works best.

If your training program involves emphasis on basic exercises with a lot of weight (80-85% + from 1PM), the optimal volume will be approximately 60-70 repetitions per every 5-7 days.

This statement applies not only to the muscles of the legs, but to all other major muscle groups.

Now let’s move from theory to practice and consider the best exercises aimed at increasing muscle mass and strength legs.

The best exercises for leg muscles

There are many exercises for the legs, but only a few really need to perform.

The list of the best exercises for leg muscles is quite short: several types of squats and lunges, as well as several exercises in simulators.

Before we look at them, let’s talk about the simulator. Smith.

Should I use Smith’s simulator?

If we talk about squats, then the main drawback of the simulator Smith is that it provides less muscle mass growth and strength compared to free weights.

One of the main reasons for this is that in such the bar simulator moves along an unchanged vertical path. WITH on the other hand, free weight exercise requires you balance the shell to prevent it from swinging and deviation from the correct path.

I used to do squats in Smith’s simulator and didn’t lift more 105 kg in multiple repetitions. When I first went to free weight, then barely mastered 85 kg.

That was a few years ago, and since then I have increased my working weight in normal squats up to 165 kg in 2-3 repetitions, and in front squats up to 125 kg in the same number of repetitions (the result is not outstanding, but worthy of respect).

Power frame is the best choice.

A conventional power frame is a good option if you train with insurance partner. But if it’s not there, you probably won’t be able to make maximum effort, for fear of not overpowering the weight in one of the repetitions.

Even if you are an experienced athlete and know your abilities well, with training before muscle failure, a situation may arise when you feel like you can do one more repetition, but tolerate a failure.

Use a power frame. Here is a beautiful frame from Rogue, which I highly recommend.

Boundary bars are what make the frame so indispensable. Set them to the desired height and you can safely remove the barbell from the shoulders when you can’t finish the repetition. That’s how it is looks like:

Let’s now move on to an overview of the exercises that I recommend.

1. Shoulder Squats

Squats with a barbell on your shoulders – undoubtedly the most effective exercise for building muscle and leg strength.

Many people think this exercise is only for the legs, but it’s not So. In fact, this complex exercise involves everything muscle groups of the body, except the chest.

However, it should be done correctly. Wrong technique execution not only makes the exercise less effective, but also increases the risk of injury.

The first thing you need to know about squats is the right depth. squat. You should lower your hips to at least parallel to the floor.

Here is what I mean:

Note that the pelvis is slightly below the knees, and the hips are just below the line parallel to the floor.

There are several reasons for this position, but one of the main lies in the fact that the smaller the depth of the squat, the less muscles work, and this leads to a decrease in their growth.

Also note that the head and spine are in neutral position, chest looking forward, shoulders laid back, and the knees protrude slightly behind the socks.

These are the key points that will ensure the right technique. doing squats. Here’s what it looks like in action:

Before we move on to the next exercise, let’s let’s talk about deep squat.

First, here’s what it looks like:

While deep squats have their advantages (they are more load the legs and especially the buttocks), they require greater mobility and flexibility – much more than most people do.

Therefore, I recommend deep squat only to experienced athletes, who know how to perform it correctly and have sufficient flexibility for this.

If you are not, then do the squat to parallel. Deep squats are not a prerequisite for building large and strong muscles of the back chain.

Before we move on, let’s talk a little bit about how flexibility and mobility of the lower body affects ability correctly and safely perform squats.

The lack of flexibility in the hips is perhaps the most a common problem that interferes with people correctly perform squats. But also low mobility at the back of the hips, in calves and ankles can also cause difficulties.

Fortunately, you can quite easily resolve or prevent such a problem, training on this program.

2. Front squats with a barbell

Front barbell squats are definitely my second favorite exercise for the legs.

Research shows that frontal squats are larger load quadriceps compared to regular squats (which puts more pressure on the biceps of the thigh) and also reduces the load on your knees and lower back, which makes them an ideal exercise for those who have problems in these areas.

Here’s how to complete this exercise:

Yes, you may experience difficulty or inconvenience at first, but the more often you do the exercise, the better it will be with you get out.

When I started doing frontal squats, weight 60 kg great pressure on my shoulders. Now I work with a weight of 125 kg and not I feel no discomfort.

3. Barbell Lunges

Although lunges are considered an exercise for quadriceps, research show that they focus more on hip biceps and buttock muscles.

Be that as it may, this exercise should be included in your leg training program.

Here’s how they are executed:

4. Romanian deadlift

Romanian deadlift is one of my favorite exercises on muscles of the back of the thigh.

Here’s how it works:

5. Bulgarian split squat

Although you can observe that only a few people in the hall perform this exercise, I consider it worthy of attention.

In fact, the split squat is getting more and more A popular exercise among trainers. And not in vain.

Studies show that split squats can be as effective at raising 1PM in squats as you are Squats, while they give less load on the lower back.

In addition, they differ from frontal squats in that actively engage the biceps of the thigh.

6. Hack squats in the simulator

Although I’m not a fan of exercise equipment, I like this exercise, because it focuses on quadriceps.

Along with frontal and split squats, it is effective way to train your legs and hips, with minimal strain on lower back.

7. Leg press

Leg press is another exercise performed in the simulator, which is specifically aimed at developing the power of quadriceps.

In most halls there are 2 types of exercise machines for a press legs.

In one, you are sitting in a more or less upright position, squeezing the weight forward and pulling back:

In the other, you sit and press the weight at an angle of 45 °:

I prefer the last option, as it allows you to do exercise with full range of motion. Here’s how exercise:

8. Pelvic lift with emphasis on the bench

Although this exercise looks simple, it works great. to work on the buttocks.

It can be performed without weights or with light weight:

Or with weights:

9. Standing on toes

This simple exercise is a proven and reliable way. work on eggs.

10. Sitting on toes

This exercise is also a worthy development option. calf muscles.

I like the fact that this exercise does not provide additional load on the lower back.

11. Lifting on socks in the simulator for leg press

This is another calf exercise I like. to perform.

Remember that progress is the key to muscle growth.

These are the best exercises for leg muscles.

However, the key to success is not simple implementation. these exercises, and in continuous progress in them. I.e, You must increase your working weight over time.

If you do not become stronger, you will not become anymore.

If you work on building strength by doing these exercise, and also consume enough food, then your legs will certainly respond to these actions.

Comprehensive leg workout

Good leg workout includes developmental exercises quadriceps and biceps femur, and also focuses on basic exercises with a lot of weight. It may also include exercises on the buttocks and calves, if necessary.

As with other muscle groups, a high range reps can benefit leg muscles, but you should do emphasis on heavy weights if you want muscle growth not to ceased over time.

You can learn more about training programs from of my books Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, but I want to give you a simple example of a leg training program, which you can follow for the next 8 weeks to see how my tips work.

Train for the next program once over 8 weeks in 5-7 days.

Squats with a barbell -Warm-up and 3 sets of 4-6 reps (men) or 8-10 reps (women) Frontal squats with a barbell -3 sets of 4-6 or 8-10 reps Bulgarian split squat -3 sets of 4-6 or 8-10 repetitions Additional exercises Raising the pelvis with focus on the bench -3 sets of 8-10 repetitions Standing socks -3 sets of 8-10 repetitions

As you can see, the program includes 9 hard approaches to biceps of the thigh and quadriceps, and exercises on the muscles of the buttocks and calf muscles remain at your discretion.

• Rest for 3 minutes between approaches.

This will allow the muscles to recover so you can apply maximum effort in the approaches.

• Once you can do 6 reps in your approaches, you must increase your working weight.

For example, if you are able to do 6 reps in squats, you must add 5 kg per bar and start working with with this weight until you can perform 6 sets again and etc.

I guarantee that if you do this work and at If you eat properly for the next 8 weeks, you will remain happy with how your legs react to it.