Leg Workout Routines to Build Muscle
Let's get one thing straight first - your goal is to build a well-rounded, proportionate body, right? Right. Having a big squat will translate in to having bigger lifts all around. Because the leg muscles are the biggest muscle groups of your body, and require the most effort, I typically start off my training week with them. Most people like to start off their week with their chest workout, and that's fine, but I like to start off with leg day instead. There are several benefits to this:
- You don't have to wait for benches in the gym when everybody else seems to be working on their chest muscles
- Leg workouts are usually the most demanding, so start them fresh at the start of a training week
My leg workout routine looks something like this:
Squats - 3 x 6 reps
Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
Stiff leg deadlifts - 3 x 6 reps
Leg curls - 3 x 6 reps
Standing calf raises 3 x 12
Seated calf raises 3 x 12
Some substitute exercises you can alternate with the above listed exercises include:
- front squats
- hack squats
- lunges
- donkey calf raises
- leg extension
For your exercises, make sure to use a weight heavy enough that allows you to perform no more than 6 reps, with the exception of calf exercises, which sometimes I continue until failure.
Start off with a good warmup with some stretches and light weight lifting. Get a good warmup for your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves before your real workout. For example, if I was starting off with squats, before going heavy, I would make sure to get a good warmup. I'll do a quick set with just the bar and no weights for 10 or 12 reps; then add one plate (45lb) each side, and do another warmup set for another 10 or 12 reps.
Sometimes, I find that working my quads, hamstrings, and calves in one workout takes a little too long - around 45 to 50 minutes - I prefer workout sessions lasting 30 to 35 minutes to maintain a high level of intensity. I find that by the time I'm done with my quads and hamstring exercises, I'm pretty beat for my calves, and sometimes, don't give them the attention they need. So, I've been splitting up my leg days, and moving my calf workouts to random days of the week - usually with other short workouts such as back or shoulder days. I've found that this works quite well for me, allowing me to get a good training session for my calves and still keeping my workouts under 40 minutes.
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