Leg exercises exist in industrial quantities. But which ones really work? Which ones really produce results? And how many times do you have to train them? In this article, we want to deal with the » exercises to enlarge the legs » more deeply than we have done so far in the 2 specific articles dedicated to the squat, the most complete and fundamental movement, and to the buttocks, which are the part that afflicts mostly the consciences of women who work out in the gym. For the female audience who will read the article .. they are the same exercises to slim your legs … but don’t tell the boys!

Leg exercises: how to start training

First, when you are about to train your legs, do a good warm-up. Let’s say that at least 15 minutes to get blood to the legs and to put them in a position to face heavyweights must be done. The best exercises to warm the legs, in my opinion, are moderate running and the stepper (or Stairmaster in English). After 15 minutes of warm-up do not neglect the leg stretching exercises.

If the main goal of the exercise with weights is the contraction and relaxation of the muscle to encourage the flow of blood to promote muscle growth, without preparing the muscles for this type of stress. Today we will focus on exercises to strengthen the legs with free weights (dumbbells and barbell).

Leg strengthening exercises with free weights

Here are the best exercises to strengthen the legs В done with free weights:

Squats: we have already talked about it abundantly, so we are not here to dwell on it. When you do a leg training session, whether you are gaining mass, whether you are making definition, whether you are men or women, do the squat! In this way, your legs will have already been stressed properly and the exercises that will follow will be dedicated to details, to improve your shape, but the «core business» of your legs has already been taken care of!

Front squat: В this version of the squat requires that the barbell rests on your shoulders, your arms will be crossed and held high in front of you. This type of exercise allows you to lift less loads, but the squatting is generally greater and therefore allows you to attack the muscle fibers of the legs more deeply. There is, for those who want to approach the exercise with light loads, the version with kettlebell; in the video below we show you a tutorial to perform this exercise. I would say that it does not replace the squat, but is accompanied by this for a full leg session;

Deadlift legs stretched: В this exercise is mainly for the back of the legs. In particular, you will fatigue both the buttocks and, above all, the hamstrings. As in the version with bent legs, the lower back is stressed, but in this case, it is an auxiliary muscle and not the focus of our training. My favorite version involves the use of a stepper to make the extension of the movement longer than about 10 centimeters. You will have to make the bar during the descent touch the top of your feet. Attention to the downward phase of the movement, you often tend to lose your balance if you don’t look forward. This in my opinion among the exercises for firming legs and buttocks В is certainly among the best;

Sumo-style deadlifts: В legs as wide as the shoulders and duck stance, that is duck feet (45-degree tip which is the position of maximum strength); shoulders, back and abs contracted and pull up on the barbell in front of you. The barbell must follow a trajectory very close to the body.

Front lunges: В we have seen this exercise thoroughly in the article dedicated to training for the buttocks and therefore we refer you to the one for further details;

Lateral lunges: В this exercise focuses on the muscles of the outside of the leg, including the buttock. With your legs about 10 centimeters wider than your shoulders, do a sideways squat until your head is in line above one of your feet. Once to the right, once to the left. To increase the difficulty.

Leg muscle exercises: training card

We now offer a training card for the legs. This card is designed to train your legs on your own. The legs, in addition to being the largest muscle group in the body, are also made up of many muscles. So this card includes both quadriceps and hamstrings and calves qui.

 

EXERCISE	SCHEME
Squat	4 x 8 — 10
Dead legs straight from the ground	4 x 8 — 10
Leg Press	3 x 8
Leg Extension	3 x 8
Leg Curl	3 x 8
Calf raise (alternate sessions with Sitting calf)	4 x 8

Leg and buttock exercises: conclusions

We have seen the exercises to tone the legs to be performed with free weights, with a barbell or with dumbbells. In one of the next articles, we will deal with leg training machines which are of fundamental importance, because they allow us to extend and train angles that otherwise we will never be able to have.

So, although I often prefer to train with free weights, because it allows the body to follow its personal trajectories, which are different from person to person, for the legs I use for all the workouts of the machines.

So, renewing the invitation to discuss with us for all the articles that appear on SuperPalestra, we are waiting for you at the next article dedicated to training for the legs with machines! See you soon for a new SuperPalestra article!