Legs
Read these articles, to learn how to build and develop your legs.
The Legs
by Sean Quade
The legs are often neglected because everyone wants a huge upper body. Hell, even I have to confess to this one, I used to ignore my legs and now I am paying the price. The legs are the most powerful muscles on the human body, I think they deserve some attention. Not only that, but as you well know the legs are half of the entire body, and you would look like a complete moron with a nicely built upper body and scrawny legs. Many people find that their legs are very powerful and end up loving to train them. Don't neglect them, read this article and get on your way!
Anatomy of the Thighs:
The front portion of the legs consist of 4 powerful quadriceps muscles: the rectos femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and vastus laterals. The main function of the quadriceps muscles is to extend and straighten the legs. The back portion of the legs is known as the hamstrings, or leg biceps. The main function of the hamstrings is to curl the leg back.
Basic Exercises:
There are three basic types of thigh exercises:
Presses: In which the legs are
pushed and straightened in a straight line
Extensions: In which the legs are extended in an arc away
from the body
Curls: In which the legs are drawn in an arc towards the
back. Presses and extensions primarily stress the quadriceps and
curls stress the hamstrings.
Complete Thigh Development:
In order to achieve well-balanced thighs, you must perform all of the exercises explained above to make sure the legs are hit from all necessary angles. Here are some of the best mass building exercises for the thighs:
Squats
Leg presses
Leg extensions
Leg Curls
I recommend performing at the least 15 sets for the legs since they are the most powerful muscles on the body, and can certainly handle the stress because they are designed to support your body to walk all day. You will find that the legs have a better muscular endurance than your upper body muscle groups, this is why I find it necessary to stress complete development. My personal thigh routine looks like this:
Leg extensions - 4 x 6-12
Squats - 4 x 6-12
Leg presses - 4 x 6-12
Leg curls - 4 x 6-12
Anatomy of the Calves:
The 2 headed muscle of the lower leg is known as the calve. It consists of the soleus muscle and gastrocnemius muscle. The main function of the calve is to flex the foot.
Basic Exercises:
The basic exercises for the calves are known as:
Raises - In which the foot is flexed onto the tips of the toes.
Raises completely isolate the calves.
Complete Calf Development:
In order to completely develop the calves, you must perform 2 or more raise type exercises, I recommend standing and sitting raises. Some of the best mass builders for the calves are:
Seated calf raises
Standing calf raises with a hack squat machine
My personal calf routine looks like this:
Seated calf raises - 4 x 6-12
Standing calf raises - 4 x 6-12
Combine all of that with some intensity principles and you have yourself a killer leg workout.
Hamstring
Training - 101
by David Knowles
It has been my experience that hamstrings tend to be frequently overlooked in the eyes of many gym-goers and bodybuilders. To me, nothing looks worse onstage than when a guy or girl has great quads and shitty hamstrings. Full and developed hamstrings turn heads when it's time to turn around for the judges. At my contest, there were many competitors coming up to me and telling me that my hamstrings looked great and that they wanted to know the secret. After the contest, even the judges were commenting on my hamstrings, and under their breath telling me to put on some size! Well, the size will come, but knowing how to develop your hamstrings will take you to another level.
So, how do you go about doing this? First, let's make sure that you are actually doing enough for your hamstrings. You need to realize that your hamstrings need to be worked as much as any other body part. They have to receive the same amount of attention and intensity, or you will get nowhere. Some people choose to work hamstrings and quads together. I did this for most of my lifting career, and got good results out of it. As I started competing, I switched over to splitting up quads and hamstrings for different days. This way, I could push my hamstrings harder than if I had just gotten done working quads. Believe me, if you're working your quads like you should be, you should not be able to walk when you're done, much less go through a hamstring workout. The way my workout is set up, I take a day off between quads and hamstrings and do arms. If you are set on working both groups of muscles in the same day, you could even do a two-a-day where you work both groups at different parts of the day. To be honest, if I had the time, this is how I would do it.
Targeting Your Hamstrings
Now you're ready to start in on the actual workout. There are two basic ways to really target your hamstrings. First, you can do a movement that is isometric with respect to your hamstrings and dynamic to your back. Here, I'm referring to a straight leg dead lift. Next, you can do a dynamic movement in the form of a leg curl. These can be done standing, lying, and seated. I will go through all three forms so that you can know which form to do when you're in the gym.
All About Straight-Leg Deadlifts
The first movement, straight-leg deadlifts, can be done with either a pair of dumbbells or a barbell. Before you even start this exercise, make sure that you are thoroughly stretched and warmed up! Now, this movement may seem simple, bend over and touch your toes, but don't fall prey to this notion. First of all, you need to make sure that you have proper footing. I always like to keep my feet shoulder width apart. Next, never lock out your knees; always keep a slight bend in them. Like a dumbass, I've actually tried this exercise with my knees locked, and my knees were killing me the rest of the workout and during the set itself. Prior to bending over, make sure that your chest is out, your head is back and slightly looking upwards, and your back is slightly arched. When I say arch your back, I don't mean stick your ass way out. Bend at the hips, and begin descending downwards. As you are on your way down, keep the bar close to your legs and stick your butt out. If you stick your butt out, the bar will automatically remain close to your legs. If you keep your back arched and chest out throughout the entire repetition, the bar should not be able to go much further than midway up your shin. On the way up, keep your back arched and pull with your hamstrings. Make sure that you stand up straight before starting your next rep.
Things to avoid: never round out your back at the bottom of a rep. If you round out your back, you are using poor form, and possibly too much weight. Many people do this because they feel like they have to touch their toes, even if they can't, in order to get a full repetition. Basically, this will make you more tired than anything and improve your chances for injury. Never let your shoulders roll forward or look down at the floor. Both of these will increase the likelihood of you rounding your back. Don't descend too quickly, this could cause you to loose control of the weight and result in straining your back or tearing your hamstring.
All About Leg Curls
The other type of exercise for hamstrings is the leg curl. Like I mentioned before, you can do these sitting down, lying down, or standing straight up.
Lying leg curls
Personally, I always begin with lying leg curls. These are very good for warming up and beginning your workout because it is a simple movement designed to target the hamstrings, not a power movement like straight leg dead lifts. Before you start, you want to make sure that the leg pad is positioned right on your leg. The pad should be about half of an inch to an inch above your ankle. You want to avoid jerking the weight up without squeezing with the hamstrings. Curl your leg all the way until the pad hits you in the ass. Keep your foot flat, like your standing on the ground, don't point your toes. In your warm-up sets, try elevating your upper body by putting your elbows on the pad and holding yourself up. This will arch your back automatically and allow you squeeze your hamstrings that much more. In your work sets, you'll want to avoid this so that you can actually do the weight. Keep your pelvis on the bench; don't let your butt come up on the way up. When you're contracting, try to visualize your knees sliding down, this will help keep you on the bench better.
Seated leg curls
I don't do seated leg curls very much because I tend to slip forward and away from the seat. If a belt is connected to the seat, that would help. That is really the most important thing with this exercise, keeping your hips pressed against the seat. Make sure that you keep your hamstrings tight during the whole set, and don't point your toes.
Standing leg curls
Standing, one-legged leg curls (uni-leg curls) are my favorite exercise for hamstrings. With this exercise, you can isolate your hamstring and really squeeze a lot more. This exercise is much easier if you can bend over a little. If you can bend over more, you will get more of a full range of motion with heavier weight. The key is to keep the quadriceps and knee of your working leg against the pad. Also, keep your back arched and don't lean to one side of the other.
Remember, never overlook your hamstrings. Work them as hard as you work every other muscle group. The key is to feel the exercise and use the intended muscle. If you're not doing this, stop and go home because all you are doing is making yourself tired. I leave you with a great workout once you've accustomed your hamstrings to intense work:
Monster
Quads
by David Knowles
Having to actually think about a quad workout always sends chills up my spine. I guess this is why many people steer clear of this aspect of training and, instead, focus on bench press and biceps curls. I'll agree that a real quad workout is gruelling and torturous, but it is the most important workout. I say this because legs are the foundation of a person's body. You can't have a well built house without a sturdy foundation. Also, I really believe that if your legs are growing, so is everything else on your body. Since I've already discussed hamstrings, I'll concentrate on quads for now (if you are not serious about lifting, you might want to try another article because this will not be for you).
I agree that quads can be very stubborn, as far as growth goes. I have always had trouble making mine grow, and I never knew why. Others are genetically gifted, having naturally big quads (such as my workout partner), and can do a half-ass workout and still get more out of it than someone of opposite status (like myself). I have always incorporated squats into my training, and I have always felt like I had been run through the cleaners after a hard leg workout. However, no matter what, I could never get substantial growth in the leg department. My legs were always sore as hell after a workout, so what was the problem?
Train to Failure...What?!
Many people do sets of shoulders or chest until absolute failure every workout, but fail to lift with this intensity for legs. Why is that? I know why, because it hurts…really bad too. But you can't be a wimp. Forced reps are the key to making your legs grow. And yes, this applies to squats also.
You need to get your legs good and warmed up before you ever step under a bar to squat. I recommend starting on a treadmill or stationary bike for at least 5-8 minutes. Go at a medium pace, enough to barely work up a sweat. Immediately after this, go and stretch for about ten minutes. Remember, you need to stretch all of the muscles in your legs and lower back, not just your quads. To complete the warm-up stage, go over to the leg extension and do about two or three sets of 20 reps, 18 reps, and/or 15 reps. You shouldn't be struggling that bad, but by the end of you last warm-up set, you should have a good pump and a good sweat working. Make sure you concentrate on keeping your back against the seat, and your hips down during the sets. Above anything else, squeeze your quads as hard as you can. If you think you're doing too much, as far as warming up is concerned, don't worry, it's necessary. Now, you're ready to get down to business.
How to Squat...the Right Way!
Squats are a difficult movement for most people, especially beginners. It seems easy, bend your legs, crouch down, and then stand up. Well, unfortunately it's not that simple. Before you even begin piling on the weight, I recommend starting at a light weight, enough to get a little bit of resistance, but not so much that you are actually straining to squat. For me, as an example, that weight is 135 pounds. It's light weight, but I can manipulate my form throughout the set and get a feel for the effects. Some tips on form are to always keep your chest out; arch your back slightly to do this. I always squeeze my shoulder blades together, look up, stick my chest out, and arch my back. This ensures that the weight stays in a straight line throughout the set, and you will be able to utilize your quads more and your lower back less. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart, maybe a little wider depending on your height. Taller people should have a little wider stance. Your goal should not be to simply get the weight up. You need to really concentrate on pushing with your quads. This means keep your knees from coming in on the way up, keep the weight on your heels, and don't ever round out your back, which is usually from using too much weight. Once you get the form down, the weight will come. The form is what will make you grow.
Hack Squat
Another good exercise is hack squats. This is a very good exercise for hitting the front sweep of your quads and developing a tear drop. If you do it right, the upper part of your quads can get a good workout as well. I think that it is a good idea to constantly change your foot positioning every set so that you can hit all aspects of your quads. Make sure that you are always pushing with your heels, and not your toes. The key to this exercise is to make sure that the emphasis is on extending your legs, and that the force is a result of straightening your knees, not pushing from your hips. This will make all the difference in the world.
Remember to keep your back and hips pressed against the pad throughout the set. If you don't do this, you take a real risk of damaging your sciatic nerve, which will probably never completely heal, trust me. To hit the upper part of your quads, you have to really concentrate on what you're doing. As you reach the top of a repetition, try to push your heels outward from your body, like you're kicking. It doesn't take a whole lot of force to do this, so don't push so hard that your feet come out from under you because, well, you can imagine the consequences.
Leg Press
Leg press is a good exercise for building size. Once again, it's not about how many people you can get to stand on the leg press machine because the makers were obviously not thinking of your superhuman strength when designing this piece of equipment that only holds 50 plates on each side. It's all about how you do it. You want to bring the weight down to a point just before your hips begin to roll back and come off the pad. You don't want your hips to move so don't go past that point. When you push the weight up, once again, try to push your heels out, just like on hack squats. This will enable you to develop the upper part of your quads. It's true that once you begin to master the technique, you can load on large amounts of weight. However, always change your foot positioning, always push with your heels, and never put your arms across your chest in order to give yourself padding for your legs. If you can't handle the weight as is, don't do it.
Leg Extensions
Leg extensions are useful as both a warming-up movement, and as an exercise to do late in the workout. Since this is more of an exercise for development, you want to be extra cautious of your form. It seems like a simple movement, but trust me, I have seen many people trash this exercise. Basically, you want to make sure that the back of the seat is at the right setting. The pad for your legs should be right at your ankles when sitting still. During the set, your feet should be at right angles to your shins, and you should be flexing your entire leg, quads to calves. How you flex is also an issue. Definitely flex by squeezing your quads, but also flex by trying to conjure an inward force in which you try to pull your feet in towards your body on the way up. Make sure that your back is pressed against the pad, and that your hips remain stationary.
Lunges
Finally, lunges can never be deprived in designing a quad routine. You'd be surprised at all the people that rape this exercise and do it completely wrong. I can be put in this category, at times, as well because at the end of a quad workout, it's all I can do to walk correctly, much less lunge correctly. However, I'll have you know that a conscious effort is always made. If done correctly, the benefits of lunges is the development of a well-defined outer line between quadriceps and hamstrings, and firm glutes. First off, you want to start in an upright position, with chest out, and head up. When you lunge forward, you want to make sure that you stay tight, and lunge far enough so that you feel a stretch in your butt, but not so far that you're one step away from splitting your pants. Next, step forward with the lagging foot while extending your leading leg. I would avoid coming back to an upright position with feet together. Always make sure that you come all the way up, your weight is centered, and that your back is slightly arched with chest out. Don't drag your lagging foot; pick it up like an exaggerated step.
With these exercises, I am confident that you can hit all aspects of your quads. I can't stress enough the importance of form and intensity. Quads are by far the most mentally and physically punishing body part. However, how you handle that during the workout will determine whether you rise above the rest, or continue to mix in with the crowd. Here's an excellent workout that can work for anyone: