Never skip leg day!

What do legs do?

Why are strong legs mandatory?

Legs are the foundation for most of activities. Leg muscles help you move, carry your body and support you when you stand.
They work together when you walk, run, jump etc.
Strong healthy legs improve one’s performance, reduce injury risk and increase endurance.
There are also studies where it’s been shown that higher leg strength lowered the risk of disability and early death.
Furthermore, leg strength is one of the most reliable predictors of physical functionality later in life.
They are hard and uncomfortable to acquire, but if you learn to love the process, award is extraordinary!

Ok, let’s talk how!

To create respectable pair of legs, you need to get familiar with two types of movement:

• Squat
• Hip hinge

In a squat, the dominant movement of the hips is down, while in a hinge the dominant movement of the hips is back.
With squat movements, the biggest focus is on the quadriceps muscles. Hip hinges work our entire posterior chain muscles and it is the best way to work on our glutes, hamstrings and calves.
When training legs, it is of utmost importance to incorporate both types in your workout and for each movement try to do between 6 and 18 hard sets in a week in at least 2 sessions starting on lower end. When you arrive to the higher end, try to separate it into at least 3 sessions.

Swole Tips:

• Rise number of sets only when your recovery goes smooth and fast or if you are not tired at all after last set
• Keep compound movements in 5-15 repetition range
• Keep isolation movements in a range of 10-20 and even 20-30 (whatever fits you the best)

Let’s talk exercises!

Exercises

Finally, let’s talk exercises. Theoretically, almost every barbell movement can be performed dumbbells, but don’t.

Squats

For the second time, squats take number 1 spot in exercise selection (Check out our How to get gorilla glutes? article).
Squat is the best perfect mass builder for legs, especially for beginners.
Quads are primary muscle group targeted, but squats work very well on your glutes, abductors, hip flexors, calves and hamstrings.
When doing squats, keep in mind to engage glutes and quads at the same time.
Grind through tough times and watch your legs and mental toughness grow!

Romanian deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts are hip hinge movement which is perfect for hamstring mass, alongside with glutes and lower back.
Alongside those primary muscles, you get work on your grip, upper back and abductors.
It is very important to take into consideration wether those secondary muscles mess up your progress on primary muscles.
For example, if your grip fails before your hamstrings get enough stimulus, RDL becomes forearm and grip exercise, not hamstring exercise.
When performing RDLs, slowly pull your hips back with your knees band until you feel hamstring stretch and than reverse.
Be sure to engage your glutes!

Leg Press

Leg press is a supported compound movement as we get pelvic as well as posterior support while performing the exercise.
Primary target of leg press is a quadriceps muscle, but all leg muscles are being stimulated: hamstrings, glutes, calves, abductors.

The joint action involved in this movement is knee extension and hip extension. Knee extension is done by Quadriceps whereas hip extension is done by Gluteus Maximus assisted by Hamstrings.

With different stance on the pressing pad (wide or narrow stance, upper or lower part of the pad), we can manipulate which muscles get more or less stimulation.

Good mornings

Good mornings is a hip hinge movement where the barbell is placed on the back.
Start by pushing the hips back, as if your butt is being pulled, slowly. As you are pushing back you will feel stretch on glutes and hamstrings.
As we already stated, that is good! More time under stretch equals more growth stimulus.

Maintain neutral torso at all times, you will get better stretch and will also train the core and spinal erectors.
When you can not push back anymore, push your hips through until you arrive to starting position.
I feel like I said this before, but.. squeeze your glutes!
Start with small weight and gradually progress! Technique is extremely important with this exercise.

Good Mornings target the posterior chain or the muscles along the backside of the body. The primary muscles worked are hamstrings, spinal erectors, gluteus and core muscles 

Lounges

Lunges hit all major lower body muscles: quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes.
Since there is an involvement of balancing act core and back are also stimulated.

There are multiple ways to hold weight in this movement but we will cover two approaches: holding barbell on the back and holding two dumbbels.

One is not more correct than the other but keeping balance is easier with dumbbells so it is more beginner friendly. It is not a bad idea to milk dumbbell lunges as long as you get additional work on your grip strength and there is a heavy stretch on your entire back (mostly upper back and traps).

When dumbbells are too heavy or you are so strong that those dumbbells are drag, you can switch to barbell.

You should always keep your core tight, neutral spine and chest up. Step one leg forward so you make 90 degree angle with bent front leg.
It is ok to lean forward a little bit, but not more than that. If you lean forward too much your back are taking part of the load which we do not want.

Leg curls

Leg curls are excellent isolation exercise for hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) and calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus muscles).
No matter if you are doing lying of seated leg curls, the same principles apply.
Both concentric and eccentric part of the movement are important so do it a controlling manner.
It is important to program leg curls into your workout routine, because it works more on the lower part of the hamstrings, while RDLs, Good mornings and similar movements put more emphasis on upper part of hamstrings.

Leg extensions

Leg extensions focus the tension on just your quadriceps. This is the only leg exercise that targets your quadriceps without involving other muscles.
It replicates the primary function of the quads: knee extension. By targeting this action, you’re working your muscles naturally and effectively while engaging all quadriceps muscles.
Great exercise for entire spectrum of lifters, from beginner to advanced it is a must do in any program.
It can be used after compound movements if you are beginner, and to pre-exhaust quads if you are advanced lifter.

Conclusion

There are certainly great movements which did not make the list, but these exercises will certainly serve on a way of building great legs.
Strong legs make you so much stronger and better in all areas of your life. Whether it is sports or every day little tasks your legs are what makes you move!
Show them some love Johnny Bravo!
See you next time Swole Bro!