The Leg Workout To Build is approached with trepidation by many gym-goers and with good reason. Not only is a leg workout itself one of the toughest you’ll tackle in any given week, but the days afterwards tend to be a struggle as well, as you stagger around in the grip of DOMS.
However, leg exercises are an essential part of any good gym routine. Compound exercises like squats, lunges and deadlifts are the key moves for building the functional strength that’s fit to excel in the gym, when playing sports and in everyday life.
They also get the heart pumping and burn boatloads of calories, increasing your cardiovascular fitness as well as your strength.
For your next The Leg Workout To Build try this six-move workout. It focuses on the quads, hamstrings, glutes and core to help you build useful muscle mass in your lower body. The workout is made up of two straight sets followed by two supersets, where you do the exercises back to back with hardly any rest.
The Leg Workout To Build Bigger Legs Fast !
How To Do This Leg Workout
This six-move session is made up of two straight sets and two supersets. Do exercise 1, sticking to the sets, reps and rest shown, then do all reps of exercise 2. After resting, do moves 3A and 3B as a superset: so 10 reps of the seated hamstring curl, rest for 30 seconds
10 reps of the seated leg extension, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat that sequence a total of four times. Take the same superset approach for 4A and 4B to shock your legs into growing bigger and stronger.
Warm-up
The workout below is made up of taxing compound lifts which should be done using challenging weights if you want to get the most out of the session, so taking the time to warm up thoroughly is vital.
Not only will this reduce your risk of injury and ensure you start the first working set ready to perform at your best, it might also lessen your post-leg day DOMS. Now there’s an incentive.
Start with some dynamic stretches to get your muscles moving – here’s a great warm-up routine that will get your whole body primed for action. From there you need to do
someThe Leg Workout To Build -specific movements, which will target the muscles you’re about to use. The easiest way to do this is to run through a few sets of the exercise you will be doing, using light weights or no weights at all.
1 Deadlift
Sets 5 Reps 8 Rest 60sec
Why It’s the classic big lift for all-over muscle
How Stand tall with the barbell in front of you, then squat down and grasp it with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press down through your heels to stand up. Push your hips forwards at the top, then lower.
2 Leg press
Sets 5 Reps 8 Rest 60sec
Why Work your quads and hamstrings hard and safely
How Sit in the leg press machine positioned correctly according to the instructions. Place your feet lower and closer together to work your quads more, or higher and wider to hit your hamstrings and glutes more directly. Bend your knees to bring them towards your chest, then press back to the start
SUPERSET 1
This first superset will hit your hamstrings and quads hard. Because these two major muscles will be thoroughly warmed up from the first two straight sets, try to go as heavy as you can while maintaining correct form and completing all the reps.
Go slow on the eccentric part of the move, where you return to the start, to work your muscles even harder.
3A Seated hamstring curl’
SUPERSET 2
This final superset comprises two high-rep moves to target and fatigue as many muscle fibres as possible so you end the session with your heart rate soaring. If you struggle to hit the rep target, lift lighter or finish each set with bodyweight reps.
4A Dumbbell lunge
Sets 3 Reps 8 each side Rest 30sec
Why This works all your lower leg muscles as well as your abs and lower back
How Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand. With your chest up and core braced, take a big step forwards with your left leg and lunge down until both knees are bent at 90°. Push off your front foot to return to the start, then repeat with your right leg. Alternate your leading leg with each rep.
LEG WORKOUT FAQS
How often should you train your legs?
“I’ll begin with how often the average person should train their legs if they want to achieve a lean, muscular physique with a low body fat percentage, as part of a balanced, strength training-focused workout programme,” says personal trainer Emily Servante, global trainer education manager at Ultimate Performance(opens in new tab).
“Three days a week is the absolute minimum frequency of strength training one should do when seeking results quickly. For people who lead busy, highly stressed lives, this level of frequency creates the right balance between stimulus and recovery.
“For beginners or anyone with less than six to 12 months of training experience, a full-body routine would be the best option. You can do this by alternating between two different workouts, A + B, which both include moves that will train your upper and lower body.
WORKOUT TIPS FOR BUILDING BIGGER LEGS
This workout is a great way to bulk up your lower body, but if you’re looking to develop a keener understanding of effective leg training, we’ve pulled together some key pointers for how to build bigger legs. For anyone who’s short on time, here’s the tl:dr version.
- Train fast – explosive movements can build leg muscle more quickly.
- Do unilateral moves – maintain balance in your body by working one side at a time.
- Isolate the muscles – isolation exercises can increase muscle definition.
- Stabilise – don’t neglect stabiliser muscles, because they are key to performing heavy lifts safely and effectively.
- Use resistance bands – banded exercises can help you warm up and increase the difficulty of big lifts.
- Work your glutes – strong glutes are vital for building bigger legs. Add these glute exercises to your routine
- Don’t neglect your calf muscles – use calf raises and other calf exercises to ensure your lower legs aren’t left out.
LEG WORKOUTS FOR THE GYM
Stefanie Moir’s leg day workout
This session from Stefanie Moir(opens in new tab) uses free weights and resistance machines to test your leg strength, and throws in pulses to increase the challenge of unweighted squats, too. See the leg day workout
Maro Itoje’s leg workout
This workout used by England rugby union star Maro Itoje was shared with us in 2017 has stood the test of time, mixing compound exercises with lesser spotted moves like the front-foot elevated split squat. See Maro Itoje’s leg workout
A booty workout from fitness app SHREDDY
When you want to grow your glutes and nothing but your glorious glutes, try this taster of SHREDDY’s booty-building training plan. See the booty The Leg Workout To Build
