Do you want to know the best exercises for a leg workout at the gym? The ones we present below can give you a hand when designing your training plan.
Implementing an exercise routine for legs in the gym depends on each person and their abilities. Each one decides which movements are better or less favourable for their development and needs.
Beyond this, how do you determine which exercises work for a leg routine? At this point, you must pay attention and be very careful. You may consider it a better exercise because you execute it with ease. However, if you are a beginner, there will be a few exercises that you can do.
The best exercises for building a leg workout at the gym aren’t the ones you can do with ease, but those with a range of motion and properly stimulate your muscles. In that order of ideas, below we will show you some examples.
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The Best Leg Workout at The GYM
Exercises for a leg routine
When exercising in the gym, it is common to make the mistake of only working with machines. It is not wrong to use them, but they work to stimulate the muscles must be varied.
In this way, you will be able to develop strength capacity and endurance on time. Therefore, if you want to work on a leg routine, try to use everything you have on hand.
Squats
The recommendations start with the “king” exercise for working the legs: the squat. This movement has variants that allow you to stimulate different muscle groups. However, we will talk about conventional squats with and without weight in this case.
We recommend running a couple of sets of squats without weight. First of all, you must stand up, with both legs shoulder-width apart, and from there, bend your legs and hips while bringing your buttocks back and down.
Return to the starting position with a harmonious movement and execute the number of repetitions previously programmed. At the end of the two series, we advise you to add 2 to 4 more series, in this case, with weight.
The ideal is to increase the weight gradually until you reach the sub maximum or a tolerable but demanding weight, always with care. Use a bar with no plates for subsequent sets, adding a few dishes to the bar as you go. Remember that the bar is positioned behind the neck, on the trapezius.
Leg Press
Another exercise to add to your leg routine at the gym is the leg press. In this case, you have to carry out a movement performed on a machine that is very useful to stimulate the muscle groups of the legs. However, you must be very careful with its execution.
To perform the leg press, you must sit on the machine. Make sure your back and buttocks are in constant contact with the saddle. From there, semi-flex both legs so that the knees are shoulder-width apart.
Start performing the exercise with harmonious and controlled movements. It is sensible to start with low weights, but that works to stimulate the muscles. Do at least four sets of 12-15 reps each.
Dead Weight
Although the deadlift is an exercise used to work the legs, it is perhaps one of the most complete. This contributes to the stimulation and strengthening of all major muscle groups.
It is advisable to use a light or tolerable weight bar. The grip must be made with the hands facing downwards.
Begin with your legs and hips semi-flexed as you pull your buttocks back. Keep your back straight and your eyes straight ahead, and keep the bar as close to your legs as possible.
Hip Thrust
According to a recent study available in the Periodical of Strength and Conditioning Research, the hip thrust is part of the good exercises to create a leg routine.
Despite not having an extensive joint range, his effort is focused on developing the glutes and hamstrings, two muscle groups of great importance for the movement of the legs in general. For that reason, it is sensible to leg workout gym comprise this exercise in the routine. To do it, you must find a surface where you can support the scapulae area. Lie on your back with your legs bent and keep a weighted bar in the hip area.
Remember to take a good grip on the bar to prevent it from moving. Once in that position, flex your hips and push them up again and again. The support of the feet must remain immobile on the floor and with the help of the back.
Femoral Curl or Hamstring Machine
The femoral curl machine or hamstring machine is designed to work the significant forgotten part of our lower body: the femoral. People, especially guys, tend to train leg workout gym what they see the most, so we focus on the quads, squats, and quad extensions. And yet we forget the femoral or hamstring muscles.
We can Find Two Types of Hamstring Machines: Sitting or Lying Down.
In the seated hamstring machine: The mechanism is the same as the quadriceps extension machine, but instead of starting in a bent-knee position on the cushions, we’ll create with our legs straight and perform a knee bend first, generating full force with our hamstrings.
The other option is the lying hamstring machine: In which the starting position will be completely lying down with the legs straight and the feet placed on the cushions of the device to perform the knee flexion. In my opinion, and after trying both types of machines, I have noticed leg workout gym more load on the lower back in the hamstring machine lying down than sitting down, but it is my particular case. You can try the one you want since both perform the same exercise.
Abductor Machine
The primary muscle we will work with if we use the abductor machine is the gluteus maximus. However, as our colleague, Gabriela says in her article, ” if the backrest is sufficiently inclined, the effort will focus more on the gluteus medius “.
We must be careful and pay attention to the correct technique in this exercise since it is effortless to make mistakes and, with it, injure ourselves:
Back position: we insist again on adopting a correct posture mainly for the safety of our back and, of course, to perform the exercise correctly. In this exercise, leg workout gym since we have a backrest, the back must be supported at all times since the moment we lean forward, we will be generating unnecessary tension between our vertebrae and in all the muscles of the back.
We must control the rate of movement at all times: We should not make a sudden abduction movement or let the weight close our legs suddenly because it could cause an injury. Not by putting more weight, we are going to achieve better results, and at this point, it should be noted that one of the primary victims, if we incur sudden movements, could be the fascia lata.
And of course, we must learn to stretch these muscles correctly as work after the one done in our routine.
What Leg Exercises can I do at Home?
Getting toned and beautiful legs can be possible if you make a training routine and complement it with a proper diet.
If you are not ready to do this leg routine for the gym, but you want to start training your legs at home, here are some exercises to strengthen your legs:
Squats
It is one of the best exercises to strengthen the legs at home. You can place your arms outstretched or just behind your ears, whichever is more comfortable for you. Then, extend your hips and knees back to the starting place.
Stride
Try to hold this position for two to three seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat the same process moving one foot forward each time alternately. It is one more very effective exercise to strengthen the legs.
Steps
They are ideal for strengthening and toning the legs. If you don’t have one at home, you can use a step. Stand up straight, head and back straight, and place one foot on the stage. Then, raise your entire body until the leg on the step is entirely straightforward and the leg that was on the ground is now in the air. Return to the preliminary position and do the same with the other leg.
the Bridge
It is a perfect exercise to strengthen the legs and buttocks at home. Lie faceup on the floor, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Then slowly raise your pelvis until you achieve a straight bridge.
Remember that perseverance is essential to have solid and beautiful legs.
Follow this leg exercise routine for the gym and follow a personalized healthy diet.
Remember that technique is essential, so we advise you to start training with a personal trainer at least until you learn to perform the exercises correctly.
Also Read: Female Fitness: Exercises, Recipes and Tips to get a Spectacular Body