The best leg workout routine will include both slow weight training movements and some plyometric training exercises for speed. First you need to establish why you want to workout your legs. Do you want to be faster, have stronger legs, jump higher, or perform better in a sport? Or maybe you have realized that in order to build muscle quicker in your upper body you need to do leg workouts.
Depending on your motivation for doing a leg workout the exercises will differ. If you want to learn how to jump higher you will need to do plyometric exercises that focus on speed training to increase vertical leaping ability along with weight lifting to build strength.
Lets look at some leg exercises and what part of the leg they work.
Squats will work most of your leg above the knee and will even work the glutes a bit. Doing squats require good form so make sure that you have someone experienced check your form for correctness.
Lunges are a great exercise for the legs and they will target the back of the leg known at the hamstring and they are great for glutes. Lunges are one of the best butt exercises.
Jump rope is good for cardio and the calves. But if you are trying to jump higher you should avoid jump rope exercises because they will train your muscles endurance and not the explosiveness that is needed for jumping.
Leg extensions are one leg workout that should be avoided unless you are doing very light weight. Never go heavy on the leg extensions because they can cause serious knee problems.
Hamstring curls are a great way to tone up the back of your leg and you can go heavy on these.
Calf raises are good to do standing or sitting. Know that when you sit and your knee is bent you will only be working the underlying soleus muscle of the calf and not the gastrocnemius.
Tags: Leg Workout // Add Comment »
