Leg Workout Guide
Before you do your leg workouts you must warm up your legs. I find that any cardio exercise for 5 to 10 minutes gets the blood pumping and loosens up your joints. Stretch your legs a little, especially your quadriceps and you should be ready to go. First, we will describe three different types of the squat exercise. This is one of the most popular leg workouts for both men and women.
The Squat (1):
- Stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart, feet pointing out slightly.
- Place your hands on your shoulders. Depending on your strength you can include weights. See below.
- Lower your body slowly while leaning your buttocks behind you as though you were about to sit. Bend your knees and move down until your hips are just below knee height.
- Move back up slowly.
- Keep your back arched up and your head up looking straight ahead.
The Squat (2):
- As above but with weights; use dumbbells or a barbell if you have a helper or spotter with you. The leg workouts with weights should always been done safely.
The Squat (3)
- Stand with your back leaning against a flat wall and move down slowly.
- Do not go down more than 90 degrees.
- Keep your lower back pressed against the wall.
- Hold for about 10 seconds and carefully slide back up.
Lunges with/without dumbbells are excellent leg workouts because you do not need a spotter. You can really concentrate on each leg as you do them separately.
- Stand with your feet together and I usually have a light dumbell in each hand.
- Lunge forward with your left leg until your left leg is 90 degrees and back knee almost touches the ground.
- Keep your upper body straight without leaning forward
- Keep your left knee over your left ankle and your weight firmly on the heel of your foot
- Return to your starting position and repeat switching sides
If you have access to a gym I recommend the following leg workouts using weight machines. These leg workouts use weights depending on your strength and are available in all gyms.
Sit Down Leg Presses:
- Load up the weight, you should be able to start with at least your body weight on this leg workout.
- Sit down and place your feet on the pad.
- Push slowly and control the weight on the way back down.
- Repeat as you can but make sure you don’t get trapped with the platform on you.
Calf Raises:
- Here you use your shoulders to hold the weight part of the machine and press up with your heals hanging of the machine.
- Hold the weight with the upper part of your feet.
- Flex your feet back as though you were stretching your calves.
- Stretch your feet as though you were pointing your toes.
- Repeat as you can, not much risk of injury here.
Leg Curls:
- Load up and sit on the bench wedging your ankles under the pads.
- Slowly bring your legs up straight in front of you and hold.
- Control the weight on the way back down.
- Repeat as you can, not much risk of injury here.
Reverse leg curls:
- Load up (aim for less than on the Leg Curl).
- Lie down on your front wedging your ankles under the pads.
- Slowly bend you legs bringing your feet towards your buttocks and hold.
- Control the weight on the way back down.
- Repeat as you can, not much risk of injury here.
Leg Workouts Conclusion:
- Perform leg workouts slowly and in a controlled way.
- Leg exercises can be done without weights. Form is more important and explosion on each set is more important.
- Your legs, thighs and calves can take a lot of work. Do not be afraid of being sore after your leg workouts.