Leg Workout

[sotcsam]

Hey everyone, i never train my legs and I'm going to start, and I was just wondering if anyone knew a good leg routine that I could use? Please get back to me with suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Sfinatic15]

Originally Posted by sotcsam

Hey everyone, i never train my legs and I'm going to start, and I was just wondering if anyone knew a good leg routine that I could use? Please get back to me with suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.

since you haven't done anything like this i suggest you look up the correct form of each lift before doing it.

for legs you need to target quads, hams, and calves each day. i like to do 2 exercises for quads and hams and 1 for calves. here is an example.

squats-mainly quads a little hams
lunges-mainly hams a little quads
leg extensions-quads
leg curls-hams
seated or standing calves.

for the first 4 do 3-4 sets and for calves do 6-10 sets. remember, when you work hams you work glutes to so dont try to do ham and glute workouts. this example should cover your legs but dont keep it th same forever. switch it up every month or so.

[clswon]

warm up- Leg extension 3 light sets for 20 reps or so, this will warm up your knees.

work sets
Squats or leg press for 3 sets of at least 10-12 reps
Walking dumbell lunges for 3 sets, strive for at least 8 steps per leg

warm up- Seated leg curls 2 light sets for 15-20 reps, feel the muscle squeeze and get some blood in there

work sets
Seated leg curls 3 sets for 10 reps
lying leg curls 3 sets for 8-10 reps

warm up- Standing calf raise or sled calf press for 2 sets till they burn (be careful here, if you never do calves, you could end up with one hell of a cramp!)

work sets
Standing calf raise or sled calf press for 3 sets till they burn
Seated calf raise for 3 sets till they burn

This is a decent beginners workout for legs if you never work them. As weeks and months go by, you may add some more sets, based on your own recovery level. Remember, always warm up your knees!!

[adrenaline25]

Originally Posted by Sfinatic15

squats-mainly quads a little hams
lunges-mainly hams a little quads
leg extensions-quads
leg curls-hams
seated or standing calves.

these are all good, i would also toss in leg press. I actually do all these exercises minus the lunges on my leg day. By the end of the session my legs are blasted, but i have been making good gains. just remember to do the squats and leg presses first as they are the heavier weighted ones, but do give yourself a little time between them, and with the calves i would suggest doing the seated toe press before the standing toe press as that is the bigger muscle.

[sotcsam]

Ive done all of these exercises before except squats but I have looked up the form for that and I know how to do it but thank you very much for your input. I will start off with this routine cause it seems like a good one to begin with. But yes I will be sure to switch it up every couple months.

for legs you need to target quads, hams, and calves each day. i like to do 2 exercises for quads and hams and 1 for calves. here is an example.

squats-mainly quads a little hams
lunges-mainly hams a little quads
leg extensions-quads
leg curls-hams
seated or standing calves.

for the first 4 do 3-4 sets and for calves do 6-10 sets. remember, when you work hams you work glutes to so dont try to do ham and glute workouts. this example should cover your legs but dont keep it th same forever. switch it up every month or so.[/QUOTE]

[sotcsam]

This also looks very good to me ha. I'll also try this out and see how I like it. Thank you very much for your help. Do you suggest training legs more than once a week?

Originally Posted by clswon

warm up- Leg extension 3 light sets for 20 reps or so, this will warm up your knees.

work sets
Squats or leg press for 3 sets of at least 10-12 reps
Walking dumbell lunges for 3 sets, strive for at least 8 steps per leg

warm up- Seated leg curls 2 light sets for 15-20 reps, feel the muscle squeeze and get some blood in there

work sets
Seated leg curls 3 sets for 10 reps
lying leg curls 3 sets for 8-10 reps

warm up- Standing calf raise or sled calf press for 2 sets till they burn (be careful here, if you never do calves, you could end up with one hell of a cramp!)

work sets
Standing calf raise or sled calf press for 3 sets till they burn
Seated calf raise for 3 sets till they burn

This is a decent beginners workout for legs if you never work them. As weeks and months go by, you may add some more sets, based on your own recovery level. Remember, always warm up your knees!!

[sotcsam]

Ok cool that makes sense, I will let everyone know how the leg workout is going for me and if I'm noticing any good gains. I expect to increase the weight quickly in the beginning because I have never consistently trained legs.

Originally Posted by adrenaline25

these are all good, i would also toss in leg press. I actually do all these exercises minus the lunges on my leg day. By the end of the session my legs are blasted, but i have been making good gains. just remember to do the squats and leg presses first as they are the heavier weighted ones, but do give yourself a little time between them, and with the calves i would suggest doing the seated toe press before the standing toe press as that is the bigger muscle.

[clswon]

If you're looking to add muscle, I would highly suggest NOT doing legs everyday. Do them once a week or every five days or so. Keep in mind, you walk everyday. It will take a moderate amount of work with challenging weight that you can handle for 10-12 reps to illicit growth.

[Sfinatic15]

good luck bro. you're gonna need to tell us how these work for you.

[ironwill2008]

Here's a pretty standard leg routine to consider:



Barbell Squat 4 sets of 6-8 reps

Leg Press 3x10-12

Lunge 3x8-10

Stiff-Leg Deadlift 3x6-8

Leg curl 3x10-12


Calves can be done on a separate day

Leg Press Calf Raise 3x10-12

Seated Calf Raise 3x12

[sotcsam]

Yeah i was not planning on doing them once a day, once a week was what i was planning on doing. Well I have no problem working hard in the weight room, I enjoy it. THank you very much for all you help.

QUOTE=clswon;342562861]If you're looking to add muscle, I would highly suggest NOT doing legs everyday. Do them once a week or every five days or so. Keep in mind, you walk everyday. It will take a moderate amount of work with challenging weight that you can handle for 10-12 reps to illicit growth.[/QUOTE]

[sotcsam]

I'm getting so many routines to try. I'll have to try this one after a month or so of trying out the other one I plan on beginning with. Thank you for your input though, I will be sure to inform everyone of my progress.

Originally Posted by ironwill2008

Here's a pretty standard leg routine to consider:



Barbell Squat 4 sets of 6-8 reps

Leg Press 3x10-12

Lunge 3x8-10

Stiff-Leg Deadlift 3x6-8

Leg curl 3x10-12


Calves can be done on a separate day

Leg Press Calf Raise 3x10-12

Seated Calf Raise 3x12

[sotcsam]

Thanks man, yeah i plan on letting everyone know how things are going.

Originally Posted by Sfinatic15

good luck bro. you're gonna need to tell us how these work for you.

[clswon]

Good luck and do keep us updated!

[sotcsam]

Thanks man, i will for sure.


QUOTE=clswon;342568551]Good luck and do keep us updated![/QUOTE]

[sotcsam]

I will be doing my first actual leg workout today so I will be letting you all know how it went. That won't be for another few hours though because I have to go to an interview first.

[ironwill2008]

Originally Posted by sotcsam

I will be doing my first actual leg workout today so I will be letting you all know how it went. That won't be for another few hours though because I have to go to an interview first.

Be a little bit conservative, to start. Don't go all-out today, just work on using good form, and then train a bit heavier each week.

[sotcsam]

Yeah i took it pretty easy, I didn't try real heavy weight in anything. But it went well, I got a good burn and plan on taking up the weight a little in everything next week.

Originally Posted by ironwill2008

Be a little bit conservative, to start. Don't go all-out today, just work on using good form, and then train a bit heavier each week.

[Randleplex]

you gotta do a lot of squats for quads. Don't waste your energy on leg extensions, squats are what really hit those muscle fibers. Do around 8 sets of squats. I'd say do 3-4 sets of regular squats going just below parallel, and do 3-4 sets of hackney squats or leg press. Then make your quads bleed with some leg press

[rdferguson]

Originally Posted by Sfinatic15

since you haven't done anything like this i suggest you look up the correct form of each lift before doing it.

for legs you need to target quads, hams, and calves each day. i like to do 2 exercises for quads and hams and 1 for calves. here is an example.

squats-mainly quads a little hams
lunges-mainly hams a little quads
leg extensions-quads
leg curls-hams
seated or standing calves.

for the first 4 do 3-4 sets and for calves do 6-10 sets. remember, when you work hams you work glutes to so dont try to do ham and glute workouts. this example should cover your legs but dont keep it th same forever. switch it up every month or so.

I don't want to diss your suggestions at all, because those are good exercises, but lunges are not hamstring-dominant. Usually, it is the back leg that takes most of the intensity during lunges, and the back leg's action during the lunge is knee extension with minimal hip movement. The action of hammies is knee flexion and hip extension. Quads do knee extension, so lunges are a quad-dominant exercise.

For hamstrings, the main exercises (without going too advanced) are leg press with a high foot position, deadlifts (bent-legged is better than straight-legged for most people, however straight-legged is more hamstring-oriented, mostly via reduction in gluteal activation), leg curls and bridges, which work the hammies isometrically.

[sotcsam]

Alright I'll have to do squats then, I planned on doing them today but I didn't have a belt so I didn't want to risk a lower back injury. But I should have a belt soon so I will be able to do squats. And what exactly are hackney squats? I don't know much about leg training.

Originally Posted by Randleplex

you gotta do a lot of squats for quads. Don't waste your energy on leg extensions, squats are what really hit those muscle fibers. Do around 8 sets of squats. I'd say do 3-4 sets of regular squats going just below parallel, and do 3-4 sets of hackney squats or leg press. Then make your quads bleed with some leg press

[sotcsam]

Alright I'll have to add those into my routine in order to get the proper hamstring workout, thank you for your suggestions.

Originally Posted by rdferguson

I don't want to diss your suggestions at all, because those are good exercises, but lunges are not hamstring-dominant. Usually, it is the back leg that takes most of the intensity during lunges, and the back leg's action during the lunge is knee extension with minimal hip movement. The action of hammies is knee flexion and hip extension. Quads do knee extension, so lunges are a quad-dominant exercise.

For hamstrings, the main exercises (without going too advanced) are leg press with a high foot position, deadlifts (bent-legged is better than straight-legged for most people, however straight-legged is more hamstring-oriented, mostly via reduction in gluteal activation), leg curls and bridges, which work the hammies isometrically.

[sotcsam]

Ha I'm really feeling my workout from yesterday, today. My legs are very sore, but thats a good sign, atleast I know the routine worked.

[glitchgirl006]

Hey guys, just seeing if anyone could give me some recommendations on how I should be going about to really tone up my legs and slim them down a bit. Should I be doing lots of reps with light weight, or 10-12 reps with those last 3 reps being really burning? Should I running? I've been working legs once a week but just not seeing any change. Any suggestions appreciated.

[FAO]

Originally Posted by sotcsam

Alright I'll have to do squats then, I planned on doing them today but I didn't have a belt so I didn't want to risk a lower back injury. But I should have a belt soon so I will be able to do squats. And what exactly are hackney squats? I don't know much about leg training.

Dont stress too much about the belt thing, they can help, but usually only when you start doing some killer weight, and even then, its up to the individual. I never use a belt, just dont like it. My lower back and abs have gotten very strong not depending on one. Dont let not having one stop you from lifting. The only thing that will start to hamper my workout is if my ipod dies and I am forced to listen to soft rock playing in the gym, lol. Search "Hack Squats" to get the correct form, they work your quads really well...

[sotcsam]

Yeahh I guess i probably dont need one for squats since I'll be doing pretty light weight but I like to use one for dead lifts cause I do decent weight for those. Ha yeah i dont listen to any music while I lift cause the wire always gets in my way. Alright I'll look up those hack squats. Thanks for all of your advice.

Originally Posted by FAO

Dont stress too much about the belt thing, they can help, but usually only when you start doing some killer weight, and even then, its up to the individual. I never use a belt, just dont like it. My lower back and abs have gotten very strong not depending on one. Dont let not having one stop you from lifting. The only thing that will start to hamper my workout is if my ipod dies and I am forced to listen to soft rock playing in the gym, lol. Search "Hack Squats" to get the correct form, they work your quads really well...