FITAHOLIC

Complete Beginner Leg Workout

The muscles of the upper leg are the largest and most powerful muscles in your entire body. The major muscles that we are going to be working here are you quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves.

The question that I receive most for leg development is how can he/she define their legs without adding huge slabs of meat to their legs. This is most common with women, and the answer is pretty simple. Just keep your weight low and go for endurance rather than pushing yourself to handling an extreme amount of weight which adds mass.

Pic - Squats - The purpose of this exercise is to develop the quadriceps. With your feet hip width apart place your barbell on the back of your shoulders. Now lower your body with the weight in your heels and not your toes. Imagine as if you were trying to sit in a chair. Go all the way down as if you just wanted to touch your backside to the chair. Raise back up with the weight in your heels and repeat.

Pic - Half Squats - The purpose of this exercise is to develop the quadriceps. With your feet hip width apart place your barbell on the back of your shoulders. Now lower your body with the weight in your heels and not your toes. Imagine as if you were trying to sit in a chair. Do not go all the way down, you are only going half way here and as a result you can typically handle more weight. Raise back up with the weight in your heels and repeat.

Pic - Sissy Squats - The purpose of this exercise is to make you look like a sissy, no really this exercise is to isolate your lower quadriceps. Stand upright, with your feet narrower than your hip width, and bend your knees while raising up on your toes. Slowly lower yourself towards the floor while your head and shoulders are tilted backwards. Keep going until your glutes almost touch your heels.

Pic - Lunges - This exercise is mainly performed to develop the front of the thighs and glutes. Now hold a barbell across the back of your shoulders with your feet hip width apart. Now step out and lower your weight bringing your knee within inches of the ground. You should be at a 90 degree angle. Now with the weight in your front heel raise back up to starting position and alternate.

Pic - Standing Calf Raises - The major purpose of this exercise is to develop the overall mass of the calves. Grab some dumbells and step up on something with an edge, I like using a step. Now with your heels hanging off the step raise up on your toes keeping the dumbbells to your side. Then lower back down allowing your heels to go lower than normal position, this will work the full length of your calf muscle.

When you are ready for some advanced leg workouts go here.

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