Ahh, legs. They keep us upright and mobile, and—let’s face it—we all love to show them off, summertime or otherwise. Whether you’re a runner, a weightlifter, a yogi, or just a fan of looking good, your leg muscles matter.
This week, we’ve got a list of amazing leg exercises that’ll help build strength and muscle. Oh, and they’ll make you look good, too!
Understanding Your Leg Muscles
There’s always a temptation to skip leg day at the gym, and as strong as that temptation may be some days, it’s important to stick with it. Why? Because your legs are important. They’re not just there to look good. Your legs keep you upright and allow you to move, and, well, that’s a pretty big deal.
You probably don’t think about it too often, but do you know how many muscles make up your legs? It’s pretty amazing, actually. Â When you think of your thigh, how many muscles do you think? There are four. The lower part of your leg has three more. Even the back of your leg has three muscles. Your calf? That has two separate muscles.
Wow, right? The thing is, those are just the major muscles in your legs. There are a number of other smaller ones that play important roles in training and muscle development.
Common Training Mistakes & How to Fix Them
So, you know you want to build bigger legs, but do you know how? According to Muscle for Life, there are three main mistakes that many people make during leg workouts:
- Doing the wrong exercises right from the start.
- Squatting with incorrect form.
- Taking high-rep training too far.
All of these mistakes may lead to injuries that can set you back even further in reaching your fitness goals. It can be fairly simple to avoid making the mistakes mentioned above.
Muscles take some time to develop. One of the biggest things you can do for yourself is be patient. When you’re doing a leg workout, try to focus on lifting heavy weights, but know your limits. Don’t risk injury by lifting more than you’re capable of right off the bat.
It is important to note that you should be adding small amounts of weight over time. This is known as “progressive overload,” and is key to building muscle and strength.
Now that you know how to approach your workouts, let’s take a look at the one for this week!
This Week’s Workout
This pretty simple leg workout has only five exercises and can be done once every week or so. If you’re one who prefers to develop your own workout routine that is more tailored to your goals, check out the graphic below for more leg exercises to choose from.
Giving yourself a knowledge boost when it comes to workouts is never a bad idea. Take a look at some of our other posts below:
- Is Your Workout Hurting You?
- 5 Ways to Stay Motivated
- Why the Right Stretches Are Important
- 5 Tips for Avoiding Fitness Injuries
- Building Healthy Muscle Mass
How do you attack leg day? If you have any leg workout secrets, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below!