Build Monster Legs With These Exercises
A pair of shredded legs is what separates the men from the boys. Most people stick to the same exercises while training their legs and leave gains on the table. All leg exercises aren’t created equal. Some exercises target your wheels better than the others. And for most of us, leg day can be a tough day to gear up for. We want to work those vanity muscles and give ourselves the best chance at looking shredded with a shirt off. But we’ve all seen those guys in the gym with their chicken legs. Small quads, even smaller calves. Not a good look.
A normal leg training session consists of squats, leg presses, extensions, and curls. While there is nothing wrong with these exercises, there are some exercises which can help you in changing your routine and build size and definition in your legs. Sticking to the same old exercises might make your workout go by quicker, for you know what to do, but you are giving up serious gains by not expanding your leg day portfolio. Looking to change up your exercises can cause muscle confusion which inevitably leads to more growth. And that is what we all want.
Performing the same exercises over and over again can make you hit a plateau. Adding new exercises to your workouts will shock your muscles and will help you in breaking the plateau. Every exercise targets your muscles in a different way which is great for ensuring an overall muscle development. Those dreaded plateaus are something we just don’t need. It can hurt our gains and stunt our overall growth. While there are ways to break the plateau, why even put yourself in that position in the first place. Work to alleviate the stress of going out of your way and focus on what matters; serious leg gains from the start.
Benefit Of Strong Legs
The benefit to strong legs is something to not be overstated for this can lead to effective growth in training, performance, and competition results. For those sport specific and functional movements, really work to give yourself the advantage for speed, power, and explosivity. Being explosive and ready to tackle any workout can lead to better results with whatever your sport may be.
Stronger legs also work to support your hips and can carry you through any training session and daily activity. On top of all of this, you will have a much bigger physique that others will envy and will keep you from looking like those dweebs in the gym with zero legs.
4 Effective Leg Building Exercises
As said above, there are those leg building exercises that can trump all else. Placing these into your routine can be a game changer and can lead you down a path of only the best for strength, power, and toning goals. If these aren’t in your routine just yet, definitely take a look and work to place in where they should go.
1. Platz Hack Squats
The legendary Tom Platz had one of the nastiest legs in the bodybuilding history. He came up with this variation of the hack squats. The Platz hack squats target your outer quad sweep and the teardrop in your quads. This exercise is great for those looking for quad development and for those who don’t have access to a squat rack or smith machine. The nice part about this exercise is that it provides a challenge while still being manageable. If form is tricky, drop weight and work with just a bar to nail down form and to build mind-muscle connection.
How To Perform Platz Hack Squats
- Stand with your heels joined together and your toes pointing outwards.
- Perform a squat while pushing your knees down and forward. Your heels will come off the base as you squat.
- As you start pressing up, push onto the outer part of your feet. Doing this will transfer the tension onto the outer quad sweep.
- Reset and repeat for your desired number of reps.
2. Sissy Squats
Sissy squats have been around since the 1960s, but chances are you’re hearing about them for the first time. Don’t let the name of the exercise fool you. The sissy squats are a great finisher and will fill your quads with lactic acid. They are also a great leg builder and can increase mobility since it is such an advanced movement. By strengthening your hips as well, you work to increase posture through strength, only reinforcing even better posture and more confidence.
If you’re performing this exercise for the first time, hold onto a squat rack around the hip level or slightly higher. Take a shoulder-width stance and slowly start to lower yourself by bending your knees and pushing them down and forward.
How To Perform Sissy Squats
- Stand with your feet at around shoulder width apart and keep your core engaged.
- Bend at your knees and continue to lower your body until your torso starts to bend backwards.
- As you reach your limit, work to push yourself back to the starting position, using your core and leg muscles to get you there effectively.
- Reset and repeat for your desired number of sets and reps.
3. Good Mornings
Good mornings are a compound (multi-joint) exercise which works your hamstrings. Most people make the mistake of going too heavy on this exercise. Good mornings are an exercise which requires a mind-muscle connection.
The benefits of performing this exercise are hard to ignore. What you get is a great exercise to work your posterior chain while also improving functional strength. Building more muscle without adding risk to your hamstrings is also a big benefit for it will keep you in the gym and away from unwanted injury.
How To Perform Good Mornings
- Set a barbell on a rack, just beneath shoulder height. Place the bar on the upper back and grip the bar with both hands, keeping them close to the shoulders.
- Assume a hip-width stance, stand tall and keep soft at the knees. Before hinging the hips, once again ensure that the chest is lifted and the core is braced.
- When ready, push your hips back so your trunk is forward. Make sure to keep your back flat, core tight, and chest about parallel to the floor.
- Reverse the movement by driving through your hips until you are back at the starting position.
- Repeat for your desired number of sets and reps.
4. Step-Ups
Step-ups are a unilateral functional exercise which helps you in training one leg at a time. If you have a weaker leg, unilateral exercises can help you fix this problem as the stronger leg can’t compensate for the weaker one. A muscle imbalance can just be a killer and will hurt your bodybuilding goals so having an exercise to tackle this can be awesome. It will also work for better power and explosivity as a result of the movement, so for those who require sheer power for their respective sport, this is a great exercise to try.
Step-ups have many variations and can be adjusted according to your fitness level.
How To Perform Step-Ups
- Set a bench, chair, or other stationary object in front of you. You can hold a pair of dumbbells by your side for added weight.
- Step one foot onto the bench so your hip, knee, and ankle are at 90-degrees.
- With a tight core and your chest and back pushed back, drive through the foot on the bench until that leg is straight and you are standing one foot on the bench.
- Pause at the top and gently lower back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for your desired number of sets and reps.
Best Supplements For Additional Growth
Working with the right supplements can make or break your gains. A well-thought out supplement shelf can give you everything you want when it comes to seeing those gains take off. Before your workout, consider a pre-workout for this will offer energy and increase blood flow for the best pumps. Post-workout supplementation should definitely include a protein powder as well, for not only will this enhance muscle growth by pumping you with protein, but it will also enhance recovery for quicker and more efficient gains. For a real boost to strength and size, taking creatine can increase strength and size so you only get the best results.
Wrap Up
Your leg day doesn’t have to be something you dread. Having the right exercises can make your workout go by quicker and more efficiently so you only see the growth you want most. These 4 exercises are perfect for giving you that boost to leg growth and development you need most. Don’t be that guy in the gym with no legs. Put these into your leg day routine so you see the best gains unfold and only add to your massive physique.
Which day of the week do you train your legs? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Images courtesy of Envato
