Published on 02/9/2009

Full Line of Exercise Descriptions For Leg Muscles

Don't Neglect The Largest Muscles In Your Body - Legs

LEGS

Dumbbell Squats

Wide Stance Dumbbell Squats

Barbell Squats

Wide Stance Barbell Squats (press with heel)

Bodyweight Squats

Leg Extensions

Lying Leg Curls

Standing Leg Curls

Barbell Lunges (Press with heels)

Dumbbell Lunges (Press with heel)

One-legged dumbbell calf raise

Two-legged dumbbell calf raise

Calf Press Machine?

Standing Calf Raises

Seated Calf Raise Machine

Wide Stance Leg Press (Press with heel)

Dumbbell Squats

Wide Stance Dumbbell Squats

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Quadriceps muscles

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Hamstrings, gluteal muscles, calves

NOTES: One of the best exercises you can do to build strong, ripped legs is the squat. Squats also provide beneficial results to the whole body because several body muscles synergistically join forces to execute the lift. It incorporates virtually all the body's major muscle groups in one way or another. Note that performing the exercise with dumbbells puts excessive stress on the lower back if you don’t contract your glutes and keep them under tight tension. The Wide-stance version emphasizes the inside of the thighs more than the outside muscles. When you work up to particularly heavy dumbbells, use wrist straps to help maintain your grip throughout the set.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended down and palms facing your body.

2. Align your body from the bottom up by first taking a shoulder-width stance with feet pointed forward. WIDE SQUATS: Stand with your feet about 1 ½ hip width apart and angle your toes out slightly.

3. Slightly bend your knees and avoid locking them during this exercise. Contract your abdominal muscles to help support and sustain your posture during the exercise. Stick your chest out and simultaneously bring your shoulder blades back, keeping them there throughout the movement.

4. Keep your head level at all times, making sure your head or your eyes do not drop down, or excessively wander upward. This is an easy way to lose your balance and fall. It is preferable to look slightly above level rather than below because looking below level can greatly affect your equilibrium and jeopardize your safety.

5. If you feel unstable, you may put small weight plates under each heel for stability.

6. Contract your glutes and flex your thighs to get the Zone-Tone, then descend by bending your knees. Remember to keep your back straight. Your shins should be in a vertical line throughout the move.

7. As you are squatting, it is very important that your knees never go forward beyond your toes. This puts way too much pressure on the knees and can seriously damage them. If you’re having trouble with that, mimic the motion and alignment of sitting in a chair. Make sure you keep your back as straight as possible. This motion will naturally help you keep proper form.

8. Don't let your thighs go below parallel as you could injure your lower back or push the knees past your toes, which could lead to injury.

9. As you reach parallel or just above it, exhale and press off your feet, distributing the weight through the heel while pressing upward. Concentrate on keeping and holding proper alignment throughout the movement. Feel your thigh and glute muscles contract through the ascent.

11. At the top, do not lock out your knees since it will put too much stress on the joint. If at any time during the movement you notice yourself getting sloppy or not retaining the proper alignment, stop immediately! Never jeopardize your safety with bad form.

12. When you've done your desired amount of reps, simply squat down once again and place the dumbbells on the floor or place them back on the dumbbell rack. Never bend over to either pick up or place the dumbbells down. Doing this can injure your lower back area.

Dumbbell Squats sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Before picking up the dumbbells at the start of a set, assume your working stance and tense up your entire body from head to toe. Doing so prepares your body for action and bearing the weight. Maintain the tension as you pick up the dumbbells and tense with them for a moment before beginning the set. Just before starting the first rep switch your attention and tensing to the quads or whatever muscle group is being worked.

Mindfulness

For an extra dose of energy during your workout or just before a difficult set, visualize a time when you were feeling energized—a time when nothing could stop you if you didn’t want to be stopped. It doesn’t have to be a workout session, it could be a party, a special date, or just a time when everything was going well. Visualize the event and remember how you felt. Doing so should stimulate your nervous system and heighten your energy level

Barbell Squats

Wide Stance Barbell Squats

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Quadriceps muscles

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Hamstrings, gluteal muscles, calves

NOTES: Squatting with a barbell typically allows you to use heavier weights because the weight is supported by your entire body rather than trying to hold onto it with just your hands. The Wide-stance version emphasizes the inside of the thighs more than the outside muscles.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Place a bar on either a squat safety rack or in a power cage, making sure you have the safety bars set about even with your hips when you are standing up. In this position, the safety bars will keep you from getting crushed if you loose control on the bottom of the movement.

2. Align your body from the bottom up by first taking a shoulder-width stance with feet pointed straight ahead. WIDE SQUATS: Stand with your feet about 1 ½ hip width apart and point your toes out slightly.

5. If you feel unstable, you may put small weight plates under each heel for stability.

6. Duck under the bar and with a shoulder-width overhand grip, use your shoulders to unrack the barbell. Readjust your alignment in the full upright position before you continue.

7. Contract your glutes and flex your thighs to get into Zone-Tone, then descend by bending your knees. Remember to keep your back straight. Your shins should be in a vertical line throughout the move.

8. As you are squatting, it is very important that your knees never go forward beyond your toes. This puts way too much pressure on the knees and can seriously damage them. If you’re having trouble with that, mimic the motion and alignment of sitting in a chair. Make sure you keep your back as straight as possible. This motion will naturally help you keep proper form.

9. Don't let your thighs go below parallel as you could injure your lower back or push the knees past your toes, once again leading to injury.

10. As you reach parallel or just above it, exhale and press off your feet, distributing the weight through the heel while pressing upward. Concentrate on keeping and holding proper alignment throughout the movement. Feel your thigh and glute muscles contract through the ascent.

11. At the top, do not lock out your knees since it will put too much stress on the joint. If at any time during the movement you should feel or notice yourself getting sloppy or not retaining the proper alignment, stop immediately! Never jeopardize your safety with bad form.

12. When you've done your desired amount of reps, rack the barbell at the top of your final squat.

Barbell Squats sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

When your squat load starts to get heavy, grind out a few more reps by tensing your entire lower body and screw your legs into the floor. Screw your legs in opposite directions so that your heels would rotate inward if they weren’t pinned to the floor by that weight on your shoulders.

Mindfulness

Squats, once you’ve become accustomed to using correct form and when done safely in a squat safety rack, in a power cage or on a Smith Machine, are a good exercise in which to challenge yourself. Your legs are immensely powerful and can often do more than you think. Challenge yourself to lift heavier, do more reps, or rest less between sets and see what you can handle when you put your full concentration and confidence into an exercise. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself…Just be safe when doing so…You must learn to know your limits. There is a difference between a safe challenge and a stupid one…It’s always a great idea to have a qualified person to spot you whenever you choose to take that next challenge step.

Bodyweight Squats

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Thighs

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Hamstrings, glutes

NOTES: This exercise can be done anywhere. Because you’re not using any extra weight, bodyweight squats require vastly more repetitions to peak the muscles for growth. Done at a quick pace it can be a good cardiovascular exercise as well as a strength builder.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Stand erect with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. You can either point your toes straight ahead or angle your toes slightly outward. Your arms are hanging straight at your sides.

2. Keep your head straight and looking forward throughout the exercise.

3. Contract your thigh muscles and glutes in tight isometric squeeze before your begin.

4. Bend your knees and push your butt back as you lower it toward the ground. Keep your back straight or with a slight arch in the lower back. On the descent you can raise your arms out in front of you to act as a counter balance and keep you from falling backward.

5. Stop the descent when your thighs are parallel to the ground or as far as you can while maintaining your balance and keeping your back straight.

6. Hold the bottom position in a tight contraction for two seconds. Give your glutes an extra squeeze to help you on your way back up. Lower your arms as you come up so you don’t overstress the upper back and pull it out of alignment.

ADVANCED TRAINEES: Alternately, instead of stopping with thighs at parallel, lift the heels off the ground and touch your butt to them. Again, squeeze the glutes before you begin the ascent as this will stabilize and strengthen your form. This method can also be done one leg at a time with the non-working leg stretched out in front of you. If you attempt this exercise, keep your heel on the ground or elevated on a small weight plate.

Bodyweight Squats sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

For a little extra burn, try the Flushing technique and hold your final descent position for as long as you can handle it. From time to time in your program, do this on the last rep on every set and shoot to hold the second set flush longer than the first set flush, the third set flush longer than the second set flush, etc.

Mindfulness

When the burn sets in on high-rep sets and you think you’re about to collapse, hand that pain to somebody else. Tell yourself that pain belongs to the person next to you and that you don’t really feel any pain at all. Believe it and the pain will fade away as you finish your set. Trust in yourself…The mind is so much stronger than you ever thought! Please remember to always use a qualified spotter when practicing a technique like this!

Leg Extensions

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Quadriceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Calves

NOTES: Extensions help strengthen the knee, which is a commonly injured area. It is recommended by most physical therapists as a good tool for knee rehabilitation. The key to the effectiveness and safety of this exercise is to choose a machine whose starting position allows your toes to be right in front of your knees and to focus on contracting the thigh muscle, as opposed to lifting heavy. Focusing on lifting heavy weights will cause knee damage, especially if you are using a machine in which your toes start behind your knees. You can do this exercise one leg at a time or with both legs. Execution for the exercise is the same for both versions, though we will use the two-leg version.

EXECUTION AND FORM

l. Seat yourself on the machine and position the back pad so that you are sitting totally upright.

2. The back of your knees must be pressed flush against the front of the seat, which will help you avoid a potential knee injury caused by allowing the knee to hang over the seat without support. Doing this will give the needed support to your knees. You also want to make sure that the axis of the knees are in line with the machine axis, helping to set up the proper alignment of the knee and direct the maximum resistance to the quadriceps. In addition, as discussed previously, ensure that the starting position allows the toes to be in front of the knees and that the upper leg and lower leg create a 90-degree angle.

3. Adjust the shin roller pad against the lowest point of the shin to help optimize the shin as a lever and the knee as the fulcrum. This will again help to direct the majority of the resistance to the thigh muscles. Before you begin the exercise, grip the handles provided or grab the front of the seat on each side of your legs.

4. Begin with your legs totally relaxed and your shins behind the roller pad positioned at the bottom. Isometrically contract the quad muscles and slowly begin to lift the weight by lifting the roller pad with the shins.

5. As you extend your legs, stay in control by allowing the quad muscles to lift the weight. Do not use momentum or leverage. This is a very easy exercise to cheat on by using quick bursts of momentum at the bottom of the movement, or by leaning back and using leverage to lift the weight.

6. As you reach the point of full extension, when your shins are extended in a nearly direct line with your upper thigh, focus only on fully contracting the quad muscles. As long as you make a great effort to squeeze or contract the quad muscle fully at the top of full extension, you will be taking full advantage of the exercise.

7. Make sure that once you get to the fully extended position of the exercise, you don't just let the leg drop but slowly return back to the beginning of the movement in a controlled fashion. Feel the quads flex during the lowering motion.

8. When you reach the bottom, do not rest. Slowly and smoothly begin the next extension. Always go through the full range of motion for these exercises to provide the maximum muscular development.

Leg Extensions sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Did you know you can make the muscle on one side of a joint stronger by flexing the muscle on the opposite side? When you’re about two-thirds of the way through a set, pause in a rest position and contract the opposing muscle, such as the hamstrings for this exercise, for 10 counts then maintain that hamstring tension as you complete the set. The hamstring tells the quad it can handle the load if the quad gets out of hand, so the quad has permission to recruit more muscle fibers and maximize its power.

Mindfulness

Try counting your reps backward. Sometimes counting out the number of reps you have left makes it easier toward the end of the set because now your mind/muscle link is all about: “Only three more, I can handle it . . . only two more, I can do it . . . last one, this is easy!”

Lying Leg Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Hamstrings

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Gluteus, lower back

NOTES: Form over weight is crucial for leg curls. It is very easy to pull a hamstring if you are using heavy weights and trying to jerk them. Leg curls are the leg equivalent of a bar-bell curl. The lying leg curl can be done one leg at a time or both legs at the same time.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Position yourself on the machine and align your body by placing the backs of your ankles on the underside of the lifting pad with your feet at right angles to your shins your feet.

2. Lock your pelvis into place by contracting your abdominal muscles.

3. Focus your concentration on the hamstring muscles and flex them to get into Zone-Tone.

4. Relax your upper body. (Allowing your body to stay tense during the exercise will only negatively affect hamstring stimulation.) If you like, you can hold on to the set of handles, which are usually supplied. Just make sure you do so with a very light grip. Squeezing too hard can change the focus of resistance in the hamstring muscles, causing this exercise to be less beneficial. Holding too tight can also cause leverage to do the work for you instead of working the muscle. Remember, don't sell yourself short by trying to find the easy way of exercising; you are here to work, not to make things easy, because work produces results.

5. As you begin the movement, contract the hamstrings before actually moving to help focus the resistance on the hamstring muscles and better stimulate those muscles.

6. Drive your heels to your butt while flexing your feet toward your knees. Flexing your feet is very important, because it helps to better isolate the hamstring muscles. Refer to pictures on showing the relaxed feet and the flexed feet positions.

7. When you reach your butt, or as close as you can get to it, hold that position for two seconds. This will increase the intensity of the exercise and better stimulate the hamstring muscles.

8. As you return to starting position, do so with a slow, controlled movement that resists the weight. When you reach the starting position, without rest, slowly and smoothly change directions, moving upward once again. Following these guidelines will ensure your safety and greater results.

9. ONE LEGGED CURLS: When you finish a set with one leg, immediately get your second leg into position and do a set with that leg.

Lying Leg Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Concentrate on squeezing your leg biceps. See in your mind how it pulls it up into a ball as it pulls up that lower leg. Visualize that the goal of the movement is to form that ball of muscle, not to lift the weight. Picture your hamstring muscles like they’re nothing more than huge biceps muscles…They work very similarly.

Mindfulness

Before you step into the gym or while you’re getting ready for your home workout, take time to pre-visualize your workout. Think about the exercises you’re going to do, what you want them to feel like, and how you will feel afterward. Pre-program your mind and body for a successful workout and you will certainly have one.

Standing Leg Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Hamstrings

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Gluteus, lower back

NOTES: The standing leg curl does more isolate the hamstring muscles, reduce strain on the glutes and lower back, and focus on possible imbalances between the two legs than the lying leg curl does. Remember that form is more important than using heavy weight for leg curls. It is very easy to pull a hamstring if you are using heavy weights and trying to jerk them.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Stand next to the lever arm of the leg curl machine so that it is to the right of your leg. Hook your right heel under the roller pad attached to the lever arm. The type of machine you have access to will either allow you to kneel upon the knee rest with your left leg or stand with your left leg on a platform, which will keep your body elevated for your right leg to clear the platform when performing the exercise movement.

2. Lock your pelvis into place by contracting your abdominal muscles.

3. Focus your concentration on the hamstring muscles and flex them to get into Zone-Tone.

5. As you begin the movement, contract the hamstrings of your working leg before actually moving as this will help to focus the resistance on the hamstring muscles and better stimulate the those muscles.

6. Drive your heel to your butt, while flexing your feet toward your knees. It will be the same whether sitting or lying down. This is very important; it helps to better isolate the hamstring muscles. Refer to pictures on showing the relaxed feet and the flexed feet positions.

7. When you reach your butt, or get as close as you can to it, hold that position for two seconds. This will increase the intensity of the exercise and better stimulate the hamstring muscles.

8. As you return to starting position, do so with a slow, controlled movement. When you reach the starting position, without rest, slowly and smoothly change directions, moving upward once again. Following these guidelines will ensure your safety and greater results.

9. When you finish a set with one leg, immediately get your second leg into position and do a set with that leg.

Standing Leg Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Make sure you pay as much attention to the eccentric motion, or lowering of the weight, in an exercise as you do to the concentric motion or lifting part. The eccentric portion does just as much to stimulate muscle growth, and there is some indication that it actually does more to stimulate growth than the lifting portion. Always make sure not to lower the weight too quickly…Use a controlled and strict manner.

Mindfulness

Talk encouragingly to yourself during a set, or have someone else encourage you. At least one study has indicated that encouraging talk, such as “Excellent!” and “Good job!” actually increases an athlete’s effort in an exercise.

Barbell Lunges

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Thighs, glutes, hamstrings

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Calves

NOTES: Because only one leg is used at a time, lunges require a balancing act. In order to maintain balance the body recruits as many auxiliary fibers as possible. This means more muscle stimulation per repetition. In addition, lunges can stimulate the hamstring muscles or the quadriceps muscles by varying how far away you place your foot. If you step forward with your foot closer to your body, you will primarily stimulate the quadriceps. If you step forward with your foot farther away, you will primarily stimulate the hamstrings. Note: In no case, as you'll see in the exercise description, should your knee go past your toes. The barbell variation places more stress on the lower back, so remember to keep your back straight and vertical.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Place a relatively light barbell across your shoulders as if you were doing a squat.

2. Align your body from the bottom up, taking a stance with the feet together and toes pointing straight ahead. Keep your knees slightly bent to avoid any stress from locking the knee joint. Slightly contract the abdominal muscles.

3. Stick the chest out while simultaneously bringing the shoulder blades back, keeping them there throughout the movement. Keep your head level at all times, making sure your head or your eyes do not drop down or excessively wander upward.

4. Step forward with your right foot. Bend at the knees making sure you descend slowly and in control and that your right knee does not go past your toes. As your left knee bends and your hips are lowering, lower yourself only until your left knee is about two inches from the ground and then stop.

5. Reverse the movement by pushing through the heel of your right foot only. You may naturally want to use the left knee to assist in pushing back up, but do not let this happen. The objective is to fully isolate the right leg muscles and use the left leg only as a balancing tool, sort of like the rudder on a boat. Remember to keep your focus on the contraction of your right thigh muscle throughout the exercise.

6. Make sure you do not use momentum as you push off with the right leg to return. This will totally inhibit the stimulation of the leg muscles.

7. Return to the start position but do not rest. Switch legs and repeat the same movement making sure to maintain the alignment and posture throughout the movement. Once you’ve lunged with both legs you’ve completed one repetition.

Barbell Lunges sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Some people think that you have to be loose and springy to avoid injury on an exercise like the lunge. Actually, tensing your leg muscles in this exercise stabilizes your joints and absorbs the impact to reduce the risk of injury. It’s like a seatbelt in a car accident: a snug one will keep you tight against the seatback and limits whiplash, while a loose one lets your body gain forward momentum before jolting you to a stop. Now you know why so many guy’s use lifting belts during their workouts…It makes them feel more secure.

Mindfulness

Imagine that there’s a hundred-dollar bill out in front of you and you have to lunge out to get it. A new bill appears for each rep. The more reps you do, the richer you become. If money doesn’t motivate you, imagine something else in its place, like Food!

Dumbbell Lunges

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Thighs, glutes, hamstrings

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Calves

NOTES: Generally, it’s easier to keep your balance with dumbbell lunges than with the barbell version. However, dumbbells are harder to go heavy with because it’s dependent on your grip strength. Just like barbell lunges, dumbbell lunges require a balancing act that causes the body to recruit as many auxiliary fibers as possible and stimulate more muscle growth. Remember, if you step forward with your foot closer to your body, you will primarily stimulate the quadriceps, but you will primarily stimulate the hamstrings if you step forward with your foot farther away.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended down and palms facing your body.

5. Reverse the movement by pushing off the right foot only. You may naturally want to use the left knee to assist in pushing back up, but do not let this happen. The objective is to fully isolate the right leg muscles and use the left leg only as a balancing tool, sort of like the rudder on a boat. Remember to keep your focus on the contraction of your right thigh muscle throughout the exercise.

6. Make sure you do not use momentum as you push off with the right leg to return. This will totally inhibit the stimulation of the leg muscles.

Dumbbell Lunges sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Don’t forget your back in an exercise like lunges. Although your thigh, hamstrings and glutes are involved primarily, forgetting about your back can cause it to come out of alignment and result in injury. Without taking your concentration off the main muscles, try to develop an awareness of your back—it will keep you coming back to the gym.

Mindfulness

Imagine you are lunging into a pool of water to pull out a drowning person. The weight on the end of your arms is the person you are saving and you need to press powerfully back to the start position, through your heel, to get that person out of the water.

Standing Calf Raise Machine

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Calves

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: None

NOTES: The calf muscles are very stubborn and they won't respond to training unless you train them correctly. Besides needing different angles of training with proper technique and form, they also need a lot of weight and repetitions in order to grow. If you think about how much work your calves do every day with just your normal routine (walking, running, sitting down, standing up, etc.), and take into account that these activities are done with your full body weight; you can see why your calf muscles would require special training to grow. The calf muscles have adapted to the rigors of everyday life; you must introduce them to training that they are not used to—heavy weight with high repetitions. This will shock them, and they will now be forced to adapt to the new training by growing.

The standing calf raise machine is the easiest and safest way to load your calves up heavy. You can do this exercise one leg at a time or both legs at once. Execution for the exercise is the same for both versions.

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Set the weight to a resistance you can handle while practicing perfect form. Step on the platform and take hold of the grip bars on the sides of the shoulder harness. With your feet pointing straight ahead, place your toes and the balls of your feet on the edge of the platform with your heels hanging off. If using one leg at a time, hold the foot of your non-working up behind you.

2. Set the shoulder pads so they will be slightly lower than your shoulders while you are in this position. Bend at the knees and position your shoulders underneath the shoulder pads comfortably. Stand up straight so that your shoulders lift the shoulder pads, which will lift the weight plates up.

3. Keep your knees pointing straight ahead and keep them bent very slightly during the exercise. The bent-knee position can help stretch the calves in the lower position and will save your lower back in the upper position,

4. Make sure to keep your body straight during the exercise. Be careful not to bend at the waist during any portion of the movement or hyperextend your back at the top of the movement. Doing either of these can injure your back. Stick your chest out and keep your shoulders squared at all times during the exercise. Keep your head straight and level and look straight ahead at all times.

5. Focus your attention on contracting your calf muscles. Feel where the muscle is and get into Zone-Tone. Keeping your body as straight as possible, lower your heels toward the floor and slowly bring the calves to a full stretch. Hold this position for 2 seconds.

6. From this position, without momentum, contract the calves and push off the balls of your feet to come up on to your tiptoes. Push as high as possible and concentrate on contracting the calves as hard as you can. Hold this position for a 2-second count.