5 Leg Workouts That Will Add Serious Mass to Your Lower Body
It is hard to single out a person who did not feel worn out and exhausted after a lengthy leg day at the gym. Undoubtedly the toughest day of anyone’s workout regime, and this includes a rigorous back day workout as well. It is hard to explain such energy drainage, but the workouts that are included in a full-fledged leg day are very likely bound to make you withdraw your quest for thick quads and chiseled lower body. It is imperative to schedule a single day if not two only for leg workouts and nothing else. Pairing leg workouts with anything else will yield negligible results. The occasional triceps and biceps exercises can be added onto, but it is better to focus on your lower body to avoid those chicken legs.
Stretching is compulsory, and a three-minute treadmill run or a 2 minutes HIIT that hits your quads can be helpful. Legs can withstand immense pressure, but you need to find your optimal body threshold, and then pile on weights accordingly. Ligament injuries are frequent these days due to unbounded and unnecessary weights being added without guidance. Below are the best 5 workouts that will power up your legs and under the right guidance keep you up and running all day long.
Barbell Squat
The old-fashioned Barbell Squat does require extreme quad strength, and relies on your back muscles as well with your shoulders providing the base. Barbell Squat posture should be checked thoroughly before hitting them as many tend to tilt on one side or experience immense pain on their shoulders. The benefit of the barbell squat is that it works up the entire body, and bolsters your thigh muscles. Ankle agility can be gained through barbell squats, and it boosts up your overall body power and mobility. The technique is similar to the typical squats, the only difference being the barbell resting on your shoulders with weights attached to it. A set of 5 with 10 repetitions will suffice.
Leg Press
Barbell squats can be categorized as a full body workout with special focus on the lower body, the leg press focuses only on the lower body, and can be deemed as a revolution in Indian gyms these days. With a simple working formula of resisting the weights and pushing it full tilt and again repeating the drill ensures tremendous pressure on your quads and hamstrings. Leg press is a simple and effective workout as you need to adjust the weights and the position of your feet accordingly. There is no strain on your shoulders and is a must have in every beginner’s workout list. However, weightless squats or barbell squats preceding the leg press is more effective, and minimizes any kind of injury risk.
Barbell Deadlift
Like the Romanian deadlift, the barbell deadlift has one major technical change. Instead of breaking your knees, you need to keep your legs straight and stiff, and bend down using the power of your hips. This is a strenuous procedure but an effective one for tightening your calves and hamstrings. Keep in mind that you need to bend using your hips, so do not force your hands lower than your hips can withstand. This is an effective drill, and experienced ones can perform it in a superset, pairing up with the lunges.
Lunges or Walking Lunges
Lunges are one of the most popular leg exercises, and is an essential part of the Yoga. Lunges are space-efficient exercises that can be performed with two kettlebells or even round weights would suffice. You need to stretch one of your legs forward and bend both your knees in such a way that the stretched knee faces in front and the supporting knee facing downward. This is to be repeated for both legs in a set of 5 with 15 repetitions. With more weights you can reduce the repetitions.
Walking lunges are a more modified form of typical lunges, and is a space consuming drill. You need to walk while lunging from one point to another in a straight line. An optimum distance of 30-feet would be enough such that you can increase the difficulty levels by expanding the area or piling on weights.
Front Barbell Squat
This is an extremely complex exercise and should be performed under your trainer’s discretion. With the barbell in front of you and your hands forming an X, the barbell would rest on your shoulders, and your posture should remain relaxed and straight. After adjusting your posture perform it as a typical squat and repeat it for another 14 times and multiply it with 4 sets.
Smith machine front barbell squat can be an easier option, but a machine free exercise would work wonders for you. Go light on the weights and avoid vigorous movements during the exercise.
Legs Day are stereotyped in such a way that any beginner or regular gym goer tries to avoid it without delving deep into it. Athletes can benefit from legs day workout as well. However, hitting the machines is not mandatory, you can start off with lunges and squats, but try to replicate it for at least 100 times and gradually pump up your lower body.