Leg workouts are not only essential for a toned pair of legs. Strong legs are necessary for your simplest of activities like walking. Incorporating a leg day into your workout routine is an integral practice.
So whether you are sweating it out in the gym or working out at home, the leg workout need not be complicated. Some research shows that consistently training your legs once a week will also fetch good results over some time.
In the information provided below, we will discuss the four different leg exercises that are easy to perform and quite effective in building strength.
Basic Movements and Major Muscles for a Leg Workout
The basic range of motion involved in an effective leg workout is-
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Lunges
The four major muscles that we target in any leg workout routine are-
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Gluteus maximus
Without further adieu let us dive straight into the exercises part.
1. Back Squats
- Hold a barbell on your shoulders and stand straight (You can also replace it with dumbbells)
- Look in front with your chest out and back straight
- Sit back by bending your knees and dropping down into the floor
- Make sure your hips are parallel to the ground when you attain the proper position
2. Romanian Deadlift
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand or a barbell and keep your back straight
- Start hinging forward at your hips and slightly bend your knees while lowering the weight
- The weights should follow the line of the legs
- This exercise will help you stretch the hamstrings
- Use your glutes muscles to attain back the starting position
3. Glute Bridges
- Lie down comfortably on a yoga mat with your back on the ground
- Bend your knees and keep the feet flat on the floor
- Lift your hips off the floor, and try to focus more on the glutes, insteead of the quads and back
- This exercise engages your glutes, hamstrings, and glutes muscles
- Try pausing at the top position for some time before returning to the ground
4. Walking Lunges
- Stand straight with your feet together
- With your back straight and looking forward, put your right foot forward
- While stepping forward, lunge with your right leg until your thighs become parallel to the floor
- Remember to keep your upper-body straight and keep the shin of the lead leg vertical when doing lunges
- Use your heels to push back into starting position
- This exercise target your quads, hamstrings, and glutes muscles on both legs
- Now repeat this exercise with your left leg
Word of Caution
- Do not forget to do a proper warm-up and cool down with every session. Warm-up with foam rolling and light cardio. Nice stretching is an effective way to cool down
- Start with 8 to 12 reps and 3 to 5 sets of each exercise
- Focus on the correct form and build more strength
- Begin with basic exercises and slowly advance to more challenging ones
- In case of any pain or discomfort, seek medical help
These were 4 of our favorite leg exercises. To buy any fitness or gym equipment, you can check at Ativafit for more products.
Related: 2 Exercises To Strengthen Your Legs