Just a few years ago, I absolutely dreaded training my legs.
Unless you are living in a hot country not many people are going to see how really skinny your legs are.
In Ireland, the whether is mostly cold some it’s not common to see anyone wearing shorts all year round. So skipping leg day is not a big deal 🙂
But for me personally, there is nothing worse that having a big upper body and tiny chicken legs.
It only makes sense to keep your whole body in proportion, wouldn’t you agree?
But I’ll be honest, leg day is probably my least favorite day of the week.
The thought of going to the gym to do squats and leg presses made me want to skip them entirely or do basic leg curls and leg extensions instead.
Anything to avoid, my legs feeling like jelly after doing 4-5 sets of 10 reps at a heavy weight.
I first started training legs, I remember thinking to myself, “Why go through that pain and hassle to train legs, when they will probably take forever to grow, and who the heck is going to see them anyway”?
Well, I realized there are far more benefits to training your legs just so they can stand out from the crowd!
After all, If I wanted to compete one day, I had to train legs.
Fast forward a few years later and I’m repping out 170 kg squats and doing a 250 kg leg press like there’s no tomorrow.
It’s like with any exercise you do over a long period of time, the more consistent you are the greater your progress.
See here’s the thing. You might not like training your legs, but when you do, you will definitely reap the benefits.
I know my legs aren’t as big as the huge bodybuilding types, but at least they can’t call me chicken legs anymore. 🙂
For me, squats are the best leg exercise that has major mass building effects when done properly.
Also, having a strong core makes a huge difference because it also targets your abs and obliques.
There are so many benefits of squats and I have already written a few articles on this topic. If you haven’t read them yet, here they are:
20 reasons why you should squat and how to do them correctly
10 Benefits of squats for women
Nowadays squats are a hugely popular exercise among men and women because it is the single most effective exercise that engages your glutes, quads, hamstrings and other muscles you probably never knew.
Leg Workout Routine
Exercise 1: Squats
Squats: complete 4 sets x 8-10 reps: Go to a squat rack and position the bar on the back of your shoulders. Hold the bar firmly on both sides and make sure your feet are shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight and chin up.
Slowly squat down by lowering your hips and allowing your knees to bend slightly forward. Keep your feet firmly on the floor, then raise up and repeat for 8-10 reps.
Note: Most of us know that squats are the king of all muscle building exercises, but there are other important exercises that you should also include in your leg workout routine.
Other Highly Effective Leg Exercises
Exercise 2: Leg Press
Leg Press– complete 4 sets x 8-10 reps: Sit into a leg press machine with your back flat against the pad. Place your feet on the platform above, shoulder width apart with your toes slightly pointing outward. Release the dock lever if there is one. Slowly control the weight as you lower it all the way down towards your chest. Then, push the weight back upward, but keep a slight bend in your knees as you reach the top to keep tension on the muscle.
Exercise 3: Dumbbell Step-up
Dumbbell Step-up – complete 4 sets x 8-10 reps: Stand with 2 dumbbells down by your sides and step up onto the bench with either your right or left leg, then step down and step up with your other leg. Repeat the first step with your opposite leg with each repetition.
Exercise 5: Calf Raises
Smith Machine Calf Raises – complete 3 sets x 8-10 reps: To make this exercise slightly more manageable, position a calf block under the bar. Then position back of shoulders under the bar, gripping it on both sides. Position bar on upper chest height and place calf block under the bar. Place both feet on the calf block with your heels extending off. Unhook the bar and raise your heels by raising your angles up as high as you possibly until you feel a good stretch in your calves. Repeat this movement for 8-10 reps in total.
I Hope you enjoy doing this workout and make sure to give your legs a good stretch afterwards. Just so you know, you won’t have a difficult time getting out of bed the next morning.
Once you have completed this workout, take a well deserved day off, because you’re going to need to recover when you train shoulders and arms.
Day 2: Click here Shoulder and Arm Workout
If you want a full body workout program for building muscle, and burning fat, then I highly suggest you check out my latest workout program “Drug Free Muscle Mass Program“. This is a complete 12 week Drug-Free Muscle Mass program that is designed to build lean muscle, burn unwanted body fat, get six pack abs, look good and stay lean all year round.
Click below, for more information….
