The legs are the largest muscles in your body, but they’re also the most under-trained. Many people don’t train their legs because they think it will make them too big or bulky.
But that’s not true at all! When you build a strong foundation with squats and leg presses, you’ll be able to run faster, jump higher, and even increase your vertical leap!
In this blog post, we will go over the basics of leg training, including the importance of it and some tips to get started.
So keep reading if you want to get stronger legs!
Why You Need Strong Legs
It’s a no brainer we need strong legs, just in case you’re unsure why here are a few reasons:
It Will Help You Lose Weight
The reason why it can help you lose weight is that when you have strong, muscular legs it makes your muscles work harder and as a result burns more calories.
If want to get cut up, then now is the time to start working on getting those legs stronger.
It Will Help You With Your Core
We know that our core needs to be strong for us not only from an aesthetic point of view but also because when we have a weak core it can cause larger injury risks such as back pain or even hamstring tears.
And who wants either of these things? No one! So if you’re serious about having abs show this off-season make sure your doing exercises that focus on strengthening your hips and glutes such as squats and lunges.
It Will Give You More Energy and Make it Easier For You to Exercise
It will be easier for you to do things like running or even going upstairs. You’ll have more energy because certain physical activities are not as hard as it was anymore.
You’ll have more endurance!
It Will Keep Your Knees From Hurting
It will help keep the load off your knees. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments around your knees will be stronger and your knee joints won’t have to hold the weight of you while you’re moving.
Can Reduce The Risk of Injury When Playing Sports Like Basketball, Soccer, or Running
It will also make you less susceptible to injury. Stronger legs can help you avoid all sorts of injuries such as shin splints or knee pain.
Read More: 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Skip Leg Day
Strong Legs Anatomy
Our legs contain the largest muscle group in the human body, a.k.a., our quads. The quadriceps femoris is made up of four muscles: vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius.
Our quadriceps is responsible for extension of the knee and flexion at the hip. This is what gives us that strong, confident walk across a room or upstairs.
However, our quads can also be used for pulling movements such as deadlifts and squats; which will help to create some nice shapely legs too!
Another muscle group in our legs is the hamstrings muscles. These muscles are on the backside of our thigh and help flex, extend, rotate and stabilize the knee joint.
The hamstrings do not get nearly as much exercise time in most people’s workout routines because they’re difficult to isolate with exercises like leg extensions or hamstring curls (hamstring curl machine).
A good way to work your hamstrings is by doing a single-leg deadlift; which can be done with just about any weight you have handy! It will also keep your balance skills sharp while giving yourself that extra lean look we all want from those firm legs.
The gastrocnemius or commonly known as calves. This particular muscle works by performing plantar flexion which means it helps someone push off with their toes, or stand on tiptoes; and has a tendon head at both ends so they can contract in different directions.
To get your calves into shape you will need to do some exercises like seated leg curls where you curl your foot towards yourself using resistance from weight machines.
You could also use a cable machine and set the rope attachment higher than knee height if there are no weights available for this type of exercise!
The best way, however, is to attach the resistance bands over both of your shoulders so it forces you to balance on one leg while performing an exercise such as a lunge. This will activate all of those stabilizing muscles too!
Be sure not to neglect those smaller stabilizing muscles too because they can help keep your ankles stable and they also help propel us forward when we walk.
Trainer-Approved Tips to Strengthening Your Legs In No Time
Without a doubt, getting strong legs is not easy. But with the right knowledge and motivation, you’ll have the beefy legs you want in no time.
So, what are the best exercises to get those muscular thighs?
Here’s a shortlist of some trainer approved tips that will help:
Include More Explosive Movements to Your Training
Including more explosive movements in your leg training will help you develop the strength, power, and endurance needed to build a stronger pair of legs.
And as a bonus, it’ll also help with your overall conditioning because these exercises are more demanding on your cardiovascular system.
Include Single-Leg Exercises in Your Training
Single leg work is another way that can give you those strong thighs you’re looking for and will require less time than bilateral (two-leg) workouts would need to get the same results.
Utilize Proper Form
Proper form is vital to your fitness journey. If you’re incorrectly performing exercises, then it’s likely that your legs are not being worked as hard and you will never see the results that you want.
Include Bodyweight Exercises in Your Training
Bodyweight exercises can be extremely effective for leg training because they require little to no equipment or space; meaning that if you only have a few minutes before work starts up again, this could be enough exercise to give your strong thighs what they need.
Switch Up Your Commute
If you’re able to, try less driving and more walking.
If walking or biking is not an option as your primary source of commute, consider taking public transportation or carpooling. Also, one way to get more steps in is by parking farther away from the store.
Get Enough Rest and Sleep
Getting enough rest and sleep is crucial for muscular growth and recovery. Make sure to get at least seven hours of sleep each night to grow your muscles!
Exercise with Isometrics
Isometric workouts are a great way to build muscle and increase strength without a lot of heavy lifting. While less intense than concentric or eccentric contractions, isometric exercises can make up for this by requiring the muscles to work at the near-maximal effort.
For instance:
Push yourself as hard as you can against an immovable object like your couch or wall, then hold it for 60 seconds before releasing it. Repeat five times with 30-second breaks in between each set.
Reduce Excessive Sitting
Less sitting more standing! Try your best to avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes in a row.
Stand up while you’re on the phone, or take a walk around your office every hour and try to stand as much as possible throughout the day.
Sitting down all day can greatly reduce the amount of energy going towards strengthening your legs – always take time out of your day to stand instead!
Don’t Neglect Your Diet
Eating a healthy balanced diet will help your muscles grow and get strong. Make sure you’re getting enough protein, carbs, and fat to fuel them for growth!
Be mindful about a balanced diet with plenty of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; if you don’t provide these nutrients to your body they won’t be able to do their job properly!
You need all three macronutrients (protein/fat/carbs) to get the build-u of muscle.
Challenge Yourself With These Everyday Leg Exercises
Jump Squats
This exercise consists of a squat jump where you leap into the air as high as possible.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Bulgarian split squat is very similar to the regular split squat except you only put one foot back and lower the other.
Exercise Ball Hamstring Curls
This exercise is a way to target your hamstrings with an exercise ball. Simply sit on the floor in front of an exercise ball, place both feet against it, then pull yourself forward by rolling over the balls with your feet.
Calf Raises
This is a simple exercise that can be done anywhere. You just stand on one leg and raise the other while bending your knee to get it close to the same height as your standing foot’s calf muscle. Stand back down, then repeat with the opposite leg.
Step-Ups
This exercise is very similar to stationary lunges but with one big difference: you will be using an elevated surface (like stairs) instead of your legs only. It’s recommended that if you’re just starting with this move, try doing them on low steps or even from a chair in order not to strain your back too much.
Lunges on Incline Bench
Place one foot on top of the bench so that it’s flat against the surface; then place the other foot behind you so that the front knee is bent 90 degrees down towards ground level. Slowly start lowering yourself by bending knees until they’re almost touching the floor then push up off of both feet bringing them together again.
Lunges with Dumbbells
This is a slightly more advanced move and will require you to have dumbbells to do it correctly so make sure that if this is something you want, they’re accessible when doing these exercises. Place one foot back behind your body then place the weight in the front hand. Lower yourself until your back knee is slightly bent and then push up off of both feet to stand once again as you shift the weight into the other hand, switching legs positions to do this without too much difficulty.
Glute Bridges
Glute bridges are a great way to build up your butt, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Start by lying flat on the floor with knees bent then push yourself off of the ground so that only your shoulders are touching it. Slowly lower yourself back down as you squeeze to use all of those muscles for this one exercise.
Nutrition Tips for Stronger Legs
A proper well-balanced diet can help you get stronger, so you can build a bigger and healthier set of legs. Carbs are an important part of your diet plan if you want to become fitter and have strong muscles like the rest of your body.
A lot of people eat too many carbs which are not good for their health or fitness goals because it will lead them towards weight gain as well as fat storage around the stomach area.
Avoid snacks that contain sugar; instead, choose something with protein to maintain muscle mass while losing weight. Adding vegetables into every meal will also help give you better leg strength since they provide essential vitamins and nutrients needed by our bodies such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium just to name a few.
Whether you’re looking for a quick fix or something more sustainable, this blog post has got the answers. We hope that it helps you find what works best for your goals and lifestyle!
If you want to learn even more about leg muscles and how they work, be sure to check out my other blogs on fitness tips. I’ve written some great articles all about getting stronger legs faster.
FAQ
Do leg workouts make your legs bigger?
If you’re working out for the sole purpose of getting your legs bigger, then the answer is Yes.
What's the best exercise to strengthen your legs?
The best exercise to strengthen your legs is squats. Squats are one of the most challenging exercises, but they are also very effective exercises.
What food makes your legs stronger?
Protein will help rebuild muscle fibers, which will make your legs stronger.
How do I make my legs stronger when I'm young?
You can start by creating a workout plan designed specifically for hypertrophy. Shoot for 4 sets 8-12 reps.
Is it OK to train legs every day?
I would not suggest training your legs every day. Our legs contain large muscles, which means that we need a longer rest period to grow them.
How can I train my legs to be stronger?
Start with the basics, such as squats and leg presses. These exercises will get your muscles used to being worked hard which will help you in the long run.
