Best Leg Exercises – Develop Fitness Model Legs With These 3 Exercises
The three exercises below will not only strengthen and shape your legs, but also help you burn off extra fat. What makes these exercises so effective is that they are multiple joint exercises which means that their execution requires movement at two joints, in this case the knees and the hips. These exercises are super effective in shaping and firming since they place a demand on the large muscles of your legs, like your quadriceps, your hamstrings, and your glutes.
Without further ado, here are the exercises along with a brief instructions on how to do them. If you’re not sure how to do them after reading, seek the help of a qualified and certified personal trainer.
Squats
This is one of the best leg exercises, if not the best leg exercise you can do for sculpting your legs and butt. The great thing about squats is that they not only blast your thighs, they also indirectly strengthen your core, and even your upper body.
Start by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, toes slightly pointing outward. If you are doing bodyweight squats hold your arms straight out in front of you(if you’re a beginner definitely start with bodyweight squats). If you are using a barbell, rest the bar on your upper back or on your traps. Take a breath and slowly descend, initiating the movement with your hips (like your sitting back in a chair) until your thighs are parallel to the floor. On the way up, concentrate on pushing through you heels, hips and glutes.
Lunges
Lunges, while a little difficult to execute, are also a fantastic exercise for sculpting your legs and butt. There are several variations depending on your skill level, but for now we’ll start with the stationary lunge.
Start with your legs split with one leg about three feet in front of the other. Bend at the knees and lower yourself until both knees are at about 90 degree angles at the bottom of the movement. Keep your torso upright as you push yourself back up. If you need help, you can help yourself by putting you hand on a chair or a piece of exercises equipment. After you master the movement with your bodyweight, you can add resistance by holding dumbbells.
Stiff Leg Dead Lifts
This is one of the best leg exercises you can do for developing and sculpting your hamstrings, but it’s an advanced movement, so start with very light weights and ask a fitness professional walk you through it if need be. Do no more than a couple sets with very light weight the first time you try them, or trust me, you’ll be sorry the next day.
You can perform this exercise using a barbell or a dumbbell. Stand with light dumbbells or a light barbell using a grip slightly wider that shoulder width. Feet shoulder width apart. Slowly lower the bar by pushing your hips back and centering your weight over your heels, keeping the bar close to your legs. Bend knees slightly during decent. Lower the bar until it touches just below your knees and you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Lift the bar back up to the starting position by contracting your hamstrings and glutes, forcing the weight of your body down through your heels as you push your hips forward.
There are a ton of variations on these movements, so after you’ve mastered the above, you’ll have more than enough exercises to keep you busy.
A great resource for seeing how exactly to incorporate these movements into you’re overall workout strategy, is Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training. I bought it a few years ago and can recommend it without hesitation. It’s definitely a time saver if you’re not sure how to get started or what exercises to do. It comes with a few bonuses and not it’s too expensive either. Check it out here.