Legs: Work Them Hard, Watch Them Grow

With all of the possible exercises and exercise combinations—squats, lunges, calf raises, leg presses, step-ups—leg workout days can be killer. Because the legs are made up of such large muscles, and because so many lower body exercises are compound exercises, it is not difficult to work the legs hard. The best leg workouts I’ve had have consistently been those where I used a variety of exercise movements and equipment to work to fatigue from every angle. The have also been some of the hardest workouts I have ever made it through.  If you’re interested in real weight lifting, then this article is for you. This is in my opinion one of the optimal leg workouts you could do.

Warm up with some light cardio for a few minutes. Push it a bit at the end to really get your muscles warm and push your heart rate up.

Cable Squats

If you’re new to the cable/ weight stack apparatus, take a minute to find the right amount of counterbalance weight. If the machine is adjustable, move the pulleys and handle almost to the floor. During the squat, grip the handle or bar close to your chest, and allow the weight stack to counter balance as you flex your knees and push your hips back and down. Try to keep your weight evenly distributed between and over your feet as you squat down and back up.

The wider your stance, the more you hit your hamstrings and glutes. Stand with legs shoulder width apart. To really target your vastus medialis (inner quads muscle), do a set or two while squeezing a small, inflatable ball between your knees.

Try a one-legged squat by lowering your upper body with both legs, then transferring most or all of your body weight to one leg as you push back to your starting position.

Between barbell squats, calf raises, and plyometric lunges, and work with resistance bands, my legs felt like jelly as I left the gym.

Sidesteps with Resistance Band

If you do this one right, it should make your gluts and outer thighs burn. What makes this exercise effective is the emphasis on quadricep involvement. Grip the handles of a resistance band and step on the center. Start with your feet about hip width apart. Drop the hip downwards steadily as you keep the band tightly pulled. Pick up your right foot (the band should come with it) and take as large a step as possible to the side. Follow with your left foot. For one set, take 10-15 steps to the right; then retrace your steps moving to the left. Try to keep your knees bent and move at a pace where you constantly feel resistance.

Plyometric Lunges

Any type of lunge is a great leg workout, as long as you focus on keeping your knee behind your foot and not letting your legs “wobble” back and forth. Plyos are a part of my best leg workout because of the extra workout required to propel your body off of the ground and land with control.  Granted, they aren’t up there with barbell back squats but they certainlly pack a punch. Begin in a standard lunge position. Jump up from the bottom and interchange your legs dynamically. Land in the opposite position to the one you started in, and lower yourself again into a squat. Concentrate on good form and upper body posture throughout the movement.

The best leg workout you’ve ever had should start off with a few sets of each of these exercises, for versatile, compound lower body movements. If you find yourself wanting more, try upping your squat weight, or using a band with more resistance for your side steps. Even if you won’t call it the best leg workout of your life, I’m betting that your legs will concede it’s a good one.