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| Leg Exercises |
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| By ThomasBerten |
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A well defined and developed body is important for the overall health
and look of a body. How many times have you seen a guy with a big upper
body and tooth pick legs. This not only looks bad, it can lead to
injuries and cause stress on the knees and hamstring injuries. Leg
exercise helps with the overall development of your body. You should
devote an equal amount of time performing leg exercises as you do your
upper body. To achieve a well defined, strong, and balanced legs you
must incorporate several leg exercises. Your leg exercise workout must
have different exercises from different angles to develop all the parts
for your Legs. Developing strong legs is crucial to preventing injuries
to other muscles during exercises.
To
get the best results you need to do 6-10 reps of each leg exercise.
Choose a weight that you can do up to 10 for three sets. Once you can
do 10 then move to a higher weight for maximal results. You can build
up your Leg muscles and strong legs by doing a variety of leg exercises
with and without weight. Choose at least 2 exercises from The Entire
Thighs and Quadriceps group. Always do leg curls for hamstrings. Every
week or so change exercises within each group.
Here are a group of the best leg exercises:
Entire Thighs
Leg press
Sitting
on a leg press machine, position your feet together against the
crosspiece about should-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.
Grasp the handle grips or sides of the seat. Bend your knees and lower
the weight as far as possible without changing the position of your
hips. Do not lower the weight so far that your hips start to curl up
off the seat! Then slowly push the weight back up using your heels, not
your toes. Do not lock your knees at the top, but rather take the
weight to just before lock. Then being to lower the weight again
SLOWLY. You can change your foot positions to vary the angle on the
muscle.
Squat
This is the best leg exercise for size,
power, and overall development of your leg, it can also be the most
dangerous. Make sure you have proper for when performing this exercise.
Hack squat
Step up with dumbbells
Place
a barbell on your shoulders like you would if you were doing Barbell
Squats. Step up onto a flat bench with your left leg. Then step up with
your right leg so you are now standing on the bench. Step down with
your left leg, then your right leg. Repeat, starting with your right
leg this time. Be careful not to fall! Use lighter weights. Can also be
done with two dumbbells in your hands instead of a barbell.
Quadriceps
Dumbbell lunges
Place
a barbell on your shoulders like you would if you were doing Barbell
Squats. Step up onto a flat bench with your left leg. Then step up with
your right leg so you are now standing on the bench. Step down with
your left leg, then your right leg. Repeat, starting with your right
leg this time. Be careful not to fall! Use lighter weights. Can also be
done with two dumbbells in your hands instead of a barbell.
Leg extension
Using
a leg extension machine, sit in the seat and hook your feet under the
padded bar. Adjust the pad and/or the seat so that your knees hang off
the end of the seat and the footpad rest on the lowest part of the
shins. Grasp the handles on the machine or the edges of the seat to
keep your hips from lifting up as you perform the exercise. Extend your
legs until knees are straight, making sure you remain seated flat on
the machine. Raise the weight all the way, lock and hold briefly, then
slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Get the full
range of motion and feel the muscle being worked during the entire
movement. Do not SWING the weight up!
This is the best leg exercise for toning the quads an adding strength around the knees.
Lateral Squat
Double leg power jump
Cross
your arms over your chest. With your head up and your back straight,
position your feet at shoulder width. Squat down until your upper
thighs are parallel, or lower, to the floor. Jump straight up in the
air as high as possible, using thighs like springs. Immediately squat
down and jump again. Can also be done with a barbell on your upper back
or with dumbbells hanging at your sides.
Hamstrings
Leg Curl
Lie
face down on a leg-curl machine and hook your heels under the roller
pad. Your legs should be stretched out straight so that the pads rest
on the back of your ankles. Grasp the handles under the bench for
support. Remaining flat on the bench, curl your legs up until your
hamstrings are fully contracted. Release and lower the weight slowly
back to the starting position. Concentrate on using a full range of
motion and do not SWING the weight up. You can point your toes to
intensify the burn in your hamstrings.
This is probably the best leg exercise for your hamstring area. |
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About the Author: I am a 32 year-old personal trainer
from Birmingham, AL. My experience includes over six years of Personal
Training. I have studied diet techniques, weightlifting, and nutrition
for over 10 years.
http://leg-exercises-1.blogspot.com/
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