Training legs is the most difficult part but also the most important workout. Most of the people skip leg day because of the pain. But we also have to remember that “no pain go gain”.

You all would have noticed people in the gym with the great upper body, but with chicken legs. It looks worst when your body is not symmetrical. That’s the reason we should never skip leg day workout.

So, here’s the best leg workouts plan which will turn your chicken legs into the beast. Training legs not only improve the lower body, but they also make the whole body symmetrical. To shape your legs perfectly, you need to train every muscle of the legs.

Also, the biggest plus point of leg workouts is that it carries many compound exercises, which work more than 1 muscle at a time. Let’s know the anatomy of the legs.

Leg Workouts | Understand the Anatomy

Legs Anatomy

Leg has in total four muscles as follows.

1) Quadriceps

Quadriceps has four sub muscles
a) Rectus Femoris
b) Vastus Lateralis
c) Vastus Medialis
d) Vastus Intermedius

2) Calves

Calves has two sub muscles
1) Gastronemmius
a) Lateral Gastronemmius
b) Medial Gastronemmius
2) Soleius Muscle

3) Glutes

4) Hamstring

Perfect Leg Workouts While Bulking

Following is the best leg workouts you can follow to make your legs stronger. Before doing any workout listed down, please consult with your doctor. For better results you should go for the workouts with machinces so the reccomnedation would be to do leg workout at the gym. The intensity of the wourkout depends on the type of results like if you are bulking or cutting. Here is the complete guide on leg workouts for mass/bulking. You can also check The ultimate Gym Workout Plan for Beginners

Barbell Squats

4 Sets, 6-8 Reps

Barbell Squats

Keep the weight of the barbell high, as you are bulking and want to add size. But don’t do overweight, set the weight according to your capacity.

TARGET AREA: Squat is a compound exercise, which includes your whole quads, hamstring, glutes, lower back, and even your core. But the tension is created more on RECTUS FEMORIS. So your mind should be connected with the rectus femoris muscle (front squad). When you bend your knees up to 90 degrees, tension is more on RECTUS FEMORIS. But if you bend more down, you involve glutes also. So it depends on you on which muscle you have to put more pressure.

How to do Barbell Squat:

1. Start standing up straight.
2. Keep barbell behind your neck.
3. Your toes should be pointed slightly outwards.
5. Bend your knees and drop your hips until your knees reach a 90-degree angle while holding your back straight.
6. Push back up to the standing position.
7. Repeat it 6-8 times. 

PRECAUTION:

1) If you are having any lower back injury or slip disc, kindly avoid the barbell squat. First, consult your doctor or personal trainer before performing it.
2) The barbell squat is a risky exercise, if not performed with the correct form. It’s better that you have a partner or a personal trainer, while you are performing this exercise. To avoid injuries you can use the Smith Machine.

2. Leg Extension

3 Sets, 8-10 Reps

Leg Extension

TARGET AREA: Leg extension target your Quadriceps muscle. But if you want to train your vastus lateralis (lateral squad), put your toes slightly inwards. So that it will put more tension on vastus lateralis. You can also keep your toes slightly outwards to train your vastus medialis (inner quads). It depends on you. But the main motto is to train every muscle of legs. So make a plan according to it and try to hit different parts in every other exercise. 

How to do Leg Extension:

1. The leg extension is performed on the machine itself.
2. Sit on the machine with the correct posture.
3. Set the weight according to your capacity and then extend your leg.
4. Repeat it 8 – 10 times.

3. Dumbbell Lunges

3 Sets, 6-8 Reps (Each Leg)

Dumbbell Lunges

TARGET AREA: The lunge is also a compound exercise. So it includes various muscle groups at the same time. But majority tension is on Quadriceps. You can put your toes slightly inwards so that the tension will be created more on vastus lateralis.

How to do Dumbbell Lunges:

1. Take dumbbells according to your capacity.
2. Lower body until thigh is parallel to the floor.
3. Your knees should not surpass your toes. That will be the wrong form of fo exercise.
4. Press into the heel to drive back up.
5. Repeat on the other side. 

4. Hamstring Curls

4 Sets, 6-8 Reps

Hamstring Curls

TARGET AREA: Hamstrings
Image result for HAMSTRINGS

How to do Hamstring Curls:

1. Hamstring curls are done on the machine itself.
2. Set the weight according to your capacity.
3. Do the repetitions slowly and pause for 2 seconds when you curl and
4. Come back slowly to the starting position.

Before going to the next workout, it's important to know that...

The soleus muscle is under the gastrocnemius. Many people while performing calf raises don’t know whether they are training soleus muscle or gastrocnemius muscle. If training gastrocnemius, they don’t know whether they are training lateral or medial. That is the reason we should have a muscle mind connection. While performing any exercise you should have muscle mind connection. That means your mind should be connected with that muscle. When you train your soleus muscle you have to hit rep ranges from 15- 20, then only soleus muscle gets activated. Because soleus muscle is 80 % slow-twitch muscle fiber and 20% fast-twitch muscle fiber. That means it takes time to get activated. Doesn’t matter whether you are bulking or cutting, if you want to train your soleus muscle rep range should always between 15-20.

5. Superset Of Standing Calf Raises And Seated Calf Raises

Standing calf raises
Seated calf raises

1. Standing calf raises

3 Sets, 8-10 Reps

Standing calf raises

TARGET AREA: When your toes will be pointed slightly inwards you will train your lateral gastrocnemius and so you will train medial gastrocnemius when your toes will be pointed slightly outwards.

How to do Standing Calf Raises:

1. Standing calf raises can be done on the machine as well as with dumbbells.
2. Stand straight and hold dumbbells in your hand.
3. Raise your heels until you are standing on your toes, squeeze it and get back to starting position.
4. Do a superset of standing calf raise. First, do with toes pointing outwards and then do it with toes pointing inwards.
5. Do this 3 times. 

2. Seated calf raises

3 Sets, 15-20 Reps

Seated calf raises

TARGET AREA: When you hit seated calf raises, your tension is more on soleus muscle. This workout plan trains every muscle of your leg. Which gives you the maximum result. 

How to do Seated Calf Raises:

  1. Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in you hand and resting on your thighs.
  2. Now repeat the process of standing calf raises.

You can also follow this workout while cutting. Only the thing you have to do is increase your rep range and decrease the barbell and dumbbell weights. Make sure you are taking a clean diet here (calorie deficit).

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