Leg Workouts to Build Muscle

Working your legs out is one of the best ways to lose fat. For that, knowing a repertoire of exercises goes a long way in helping you build leg muscles.

Many people don’t pay much attention to the lower body muscles as they do to their upper body. By doing so, you will miss out on several benefits of training your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calf muscles which include increasing lean muscle mass. In short, lower-body strength exercises only help you improve your calorie-burning abilities. The best way to train your legs is by doing a higher number of reps (up to 15), while for the rest of the body, you can do 6-8 reps.

Leg Exercises for Building Muscles 

Before we go to leg workouts, let us see a few leg and thigh exercises, which will help you in your endeavor.

Barbell Squats

Basic barbell squats is one of the best leg exercises. However, it is important to perform it properly to get the right results. When you do the exercise, your toes need to be duck-toeing out by about 20 degrees, and your knees should exactly be above your ankles.

Hack Squats

This exercise works the quadriceps. You do not have to do many number of sets, but the ones you do should be done in controlled repetitions. In case you suffer from knee problems, then you should not do this exercise. You can instead try machine squats. The position of your feet should be the same, as I have mentioned in the previous exercise.

Leg Press

This exercise aids the front region of the thighs. When you do this exercise and stretch your legs, you will not only feel a stretch in your thighs at the bottom, but you will also feel a stretch in your hamstrings. This exercise works well for all the muscles of the leg. However, like I have mentioned before, you will have to perform this exercise in slow controlled movements.

Stiff-legged Dead Lifts

This exercise is very taxing on your hamstring muscles; hence, you will have to make sure you do not use very heavy weights, as there are chances of injuring yourself. The distance between your feet should be shoulder-width distance. When you do the exercise, your back should be straight and you have to use the strength of your legs. Using the strength of your legs will protect your lower back. While doing the exercise, if you feel uncomfortable in your knees or your lower back, then you can bend your knees a little.

Calf Raises

If you want to build the most difficult muscles of the body, then you will have to make either sitting calf raises or standing calf raises a part of your leg workout. It will help add inches to your calves and tone them.

Lunges

This exercise is a must in any workout for weight loss or to build muscles. The front region of the thighs and the gluteal muscles are worked. While doing this exercise, you will have to ensure that the knee of the leg in front does not cross the ankle and is exactly above the ankle. Both your legs should be strong when you do this exercise.

Leg Workout Chart 

This is just an example of a workout. You will have to modify it as per your needs. At the same time, do not forget to warm up and stretch before the workout.

When you start working your legs, you will have to ensure you keep changing your workouts every 6 to 7 weeks, as the body gets used to it, and the desired results become a distant dream. Along with these exercises, you can also include some cardiovascular exercises, like running and jogging, step aerobic exercises, etc., in your workout. They will also help in strengthening your legs.