
25 April 2019


A short list of effective exercises for leg strength training

You want a balanced physique with harmonious musculature from top to bottom, take care of your leg workouts! Here are the main exercises that will allow you to develop your lower body muscles

SQUAT AND VARIANTS

In the article the squat exercise king I already told you all the good that I thought of the squat. Unsurprisingly, I put the squat at the top of the list for bodybuilding of the lower body. It is a very complete exercise that targets almost all lower body muscles with a focus on the quadriceps and glutes.

There are several squat variants that each bring something. For basic movement, you have a first choice to make the bar placement between Front Squat, High Bar Squat and Low Bar Squat. The squat front is the movement where the bar is placed in front of the shoulders. For the high bar squat, the bar is at the top of the back and rests on the upper trapezes. On the low bar, the bar is placed a little lower, usually at the level of the posterior deltoids. It is interesting to find the area in which you are most comfortable. In case you are good on both you can alternate the positions.

The squat has the ability to allow you to progress both in muscle mass and strength according to your training mode. I recommend for example to follow a format of 5 × 5 on this exercise which is a good compromise between strength and hypertrophy.





PRESS WITH THIGH AND HACK SQUAT I place these two exercises at the same level because they are both useful for making you take thighs. 2 very good exercises for a quick thick shot if this is your goal. On these two exercises it is more common to use higher ranges for repetitions. In general I recommend a range as wide as 8 to 20 reps on these exercises. Down below and working with heavy loads is not necessarily in your interest and it is better to leave this work to exercises such as squat and deadlift. However, in terms of muscle development the press and squat hack are largely up to the task and are therefore very good exercises for a goal of gaining muscle. RAISED FROM EARTH AND VARIATION The deadlift is an exercise that requires a lot of muscles and not just the legs. It is the whole posterior chain which is solicited to release a maximum of power. Conventional deadlift is often incorporated into routines for the back, because the back muscles intervene fully for the accomplishment of the movement. But the legs also have an important role especially on the first part of the movement. So this exercise can be integrated according to your preference at one session or the other. In any case your legs will benefit from this exercise. You have the choice for the raise between conventional movement and sumo. In the same way find the movement on which you are comfortable and take the time to progress. THE EXERCISES OF ISOLATION FOR THE LEGS They are not necessarily mandatory, especially if you have already done well on previous years but they can contribute to the addition of volume. Especially in case you have a muscle group that you want to develop in priority. If you train in full body 2 to 3 times a week and do only one exercise for the legs, I recommend you to focus on the big movements mentioned above. These are the ones that allow the most complete work. On the other hand if you devote many exercises to your legs during a session, as part of a split in 5 days for example, then you have the opportunity to introduce them into your training. These may have a beneficial effect by adding additional muscle fatigue and a larger overall training volume. Among the classic isolation exercises, leg extension (for the quadriceps) and leg curl (for the ischios) are among the most used. They provide an effective training supplement with good congestion.



INSULATION EXERCISES FOR GLUTEUS For women who read this article, I recommend including in your program some insulation exercises for the glutes. You can do them in gym if you have adapted machines or at home without equipment. The experience of the women we coach shows that the basic exercises are effective for general development but that the addition of insulating exercises for glutes can make the difference and add a zest of volume in this zoned.


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