Fitness Volt
  • News
    • Bodybuilding
    • Strongman
    • Powerlifting
    • Armwrestling
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Arnold Classic
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2025 WSM
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
    • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Exercise Guides
    • Muscle Groups
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Mobility & Stretching
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Supplements
    • Reviews
    • Food Facts
  • Calculators
  • More
    • Forum
    • Strength Standards
    • DIY
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • News
    • Bodybuilding
    • Strongman
    • Powerlifting
    • Armwrestling
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Arnold Classic
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2025 WSM
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
    • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Exercise Guides
    • Muscle Groups
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Mobility & Stretching
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Supplements
    • Reviews
    • Food Facts
  • Calculators
  • More
    • Forum
    • Strength Standards
    • DIY
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Home » Workouts » Legs

Build Bigger Legs With This Brutal Lower Body Workout

This leg workout isn’t easy, but that’s why it will add serious mass to your quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Written by Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Last Updated on24 December, 2019 | 9:58 AM EDT

Ask Question?

If you really want to build the biggest, strongest, leanest body you can, you need to get serious about leg training. Your lower body makes up close to 50% of your muscle mass, but a lot of people don’t really apply themselves to leg training. That leaves a lot of untapped potential for muscle growth.

Why the lack of love for leg training? It’s probably because working the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves is HARD! Even the most basic leg workouts can be exhausting and can leave you sore and limping for days afterward.

Friends don't let friends skip leg day!
Friends don’t let friends skip leg day!

Unfortunately, and unless you are happy with an average physique, you can’t afford not to train your legs hard and often. There is nothing worse than seeing an otherwise well-developed person walking around on skinny, weak legs. Like the meme says, “Friends don’t let friends skip leg day!”

Lower body anatomy 101

Effective leg training needs a variety of exercises. That’s because your legs are made up of a lot of different muscles with a range of functions. Your main lower-body muscles are:

  • Quadriceps– quads for short, these muscles are located on the front of your thigh. Their primary function is extension of the knee.
  • Hamstrings– located on the rear of your thigh, these muscles are responsible for knee flexion and hip extension.
  • Gluteus maximus– glutes for short, and also known as your butt, this is the largest muscle in the human body. Its main function is hip extension.
  • Adductors – located on the inside of your thighs, these muscles are responsible for drawing your leg in toward the midline of your body. There are three adductors: Longus, Brevis, and Magnus.
  • Abductors – the muscles of the outer hip responsible for lifting your leg out and away from the midline of your body. The main abductors are gluteus minimus and medius, and tensor fasciae latae , or TFL for short.
  • Gastrocnemius – the larger, upper calf muscle responsible for pointing your foot, a movement correctly called plantarflexion. Gastrocnemius is also a secondary knee flexor.
  • Soleus – the smaller, lower calf muscle. Also involved in plantarflexion and most active when the knee is bent.
Lower Body Anatomy
Lower Body Anatomy

How to build bigger, stronger muscles

You can’t just go through the motions in the gym and expect your muscles to grow. Instead, you need to adhere to the principles of effective exercise to get the results you want. That means you need to train long enough and hard enough to trigger hypertrophy. According to studies, for muscles to grow, you need to consider the following factors in your training (1 & 2):

  1. Focus on compound exercises– compound exercises involve movement at multiple joints at the same time. They also allow you to lift heavyweights. Examples of compound lower body exercises include leg presses, lunges, and step-ups.In contrast, isolation exercises like leg extensions and hip abductions only involve movement at one joint. They are not bad exercises, but your training should include plenty of compound exercises if you want to build maximal muscle and strength.
  2. Train hard – easy workouts don’t build muscle. If you want your muscles to grow, you need to challenge them. Lift heavy weights and take most of your sets close to failure. Failure is when you cannot perform any more reps in good form. This creates muscle tension and microtrauma, both of which are required for muscle growth.
  3. Make your workouts progressive– make sure you increase your weights week by week, otherwise your progress will soon stall. If you can’t add more weight, try and squeeze out an extra rep or two, or shorten your rests between sets.
  4. Don’t forget sleep and nutrition – training hard takes a lot out of your body. Make sure you replenish your energy levels by getting enough sleep and eating properly. If you aren’t making progress, you may need to pay more attention to sleep and nutrition.
  5. Be consistent– if you miss more workouts than you complete, you’ll never get the results you want. Commit to training regularly and consistently. If you skip too many workouts, your progress will soon stall, and you may even start to lose muscle and strength.
Chris Bumstead
Chris Bumstead

Your big, brutal leg workout

If your current leg workout is not producing the results you want, or you’ve not been working your legs hard enough lately, it’s time to try something new! Do this workout once or twice a week, on non-consecutive days. Warm-up before each workout with some light cardio, dynamic stretches, and a couple of light sets of each exercise. End your session with a few more minutes of cardio, followed by static stretching and foam rolling for your major lower body muscles.

Get Fitter, Faster

Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!

Please wait...
You're In! Let's Crush Your Fitness Goals Together

Expect expert-backed workouts, nutrition advice, the latest in strength sports, and a whole lot of motivation heading your way.

 

  Exercise Sets Reps Recovery
1 Paused squats 4 5 3 minutes
2a Leg extensions 21s 3 21 90 seconds
2b Alternating backward lunges 8 per leg
3a Romanian deadlifts 3 10 90 seconds
3b Leg curls 21s 21
4 Super slow standing calf raises 3 15 60 seconds
5 Seated calf raises 2 15 60 seconds

 

Note: Perform exercises 2a and 2b, and 3a and 3b as supersets. That means you must do them back to back, and without any rest. To clarify, do one set of leg extensions and then immediately do a set of backward lunges. Rest for 90 seconds, and then repeat that pairing. Use the same method for Romanian deadlifts and leg curls.

Paused squats

Regular back squats are one of the best quadriceps, hamstrings, and glute exercises around. Adding a mid-rep pause makes them even more effective because it increases time under tension, which is how long your muscles work per set.

  • In a squat rack, rest and hold a barbell across the fleshy part of your upper back. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward.
  • Lift your chest, inhale, and brace your abs. Look straight ahead.
  • Push your hips back and bend your knees. Descend until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Hold this position for five seconds.
  • Stand up and then squat down again. This time pause for four seconds.
  • Reduce the length of each pause so that, for your last rep, you only pause for one second.
  • That’s one set; rest and get ready to do it all over again, starting with a five-second pause.
Pause Squat
Pause Squat

Leg extensions 21s

21s are commonly associated with biceps training, but they are just as effective when combined with leg extensions. Prepare for your quads to burn like crazy!

Get Fitter, Faster

Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!

Please wait...
You're In! Let's Crush Your Fitness Goals Together

Expect expert-backed workouts, nutrition advice, the latest in strength sports, and a whole lot of motivation heading your way.

  • Set up your leg extension so that your knees are aligned with the machine’s pivot point. The leg pad should rest against your lower shin.
  • Extend your legs, so your knees are about halfway straight. Lower the weights and repeat seven times.
  • Next, fully extend your knees and then lower the weight halfway down. Repeat seven times.
  • Finally, do seven full reps. Keep your movements slow and controlled. On completion, move immediately to the next exercise.

Alternating backward lunges

Backward lunges work your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Although, after the leg extension 21s you’ve just done, you’ll feel this exercise mostly in the front of your thighs.

  • Stand with your feet together and your hands by your sides.
  • Take a large step backward and bend your legs. Lower your rear knee to within an inch of the floor.
  • Step back in and return to the starting position. Do another rep but, this time, lead with the opposite leg.
  • Continue alternating legs for the duration of your set.
  • Make this exercise harder by holding dumbbells.

Lunges

Romanian deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts are a classic hamstring, glute, and lower back k exercise. They take your hammies through a long range of motion, focusing primarily on hip extension. This makes them the ideal companion exercise to leg curls, which are all about knee flexion. 

  • Hold a barbell in front of your thighs and stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Bend your knees slightly, but then keep them rigid.
  • Push your hips back and lean forward. Lower the bar as far down your legs as you can without rounding your lower back. Get a really good stretch in your hamstrings.
  • Stand back up and repeat. On completion, move immediately to the next exercise.
  • Use dumbbells instead of a barbell if preferred.

The Romanian Deadlift

Leg curls 21s

Use the same 21s method to hammer your hamstrings into shape.

  • Use a seated or lying leg curl machine as preferred. Starting with your legs straight, bend your legs about halfway. Extend your legs and repeat seven times.
  • Next, fully flex your legs and then extend them about halfway. Repeat seven times.
  • Finally, do seven full reps.

Super slow standing calf raises

Calves are notoriously hard to build. They have a high threshold for weight and pain! This calf-building variation eliminates all momentum and increases time under tension for the ultimate lower leg workout.

  • Place the balls of your feet on the calf raise machine’s step. Put your shoulders beneath the shoulder pads. Stand up with your legs straight, and core braced.
  • Taking five seconds, slowly lower your heels down as far as you can.
  • Next, using the same slow tempo, push up onto your tiptoes.
  • Ignore the burning in your calves and keep going!

calf raises

Seated calf raises

Done with bent knees, this exercise emphasizes the soleus or lower calf muscle. When fully developed, the soleus can add a lot to your lower leg size and strength.

  • Sit on the seated calf raise machine so that the leg pad is across your lower thighs. Place the balls of your feet on the edge of the machine’s step.
  • Lower your heels down as far as you can, and then push up high onto your tiptoes.
  • This is your last exercise, so give it 100%.
Seated Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise

Leg training wrap-up

Building a strong, muscular lower body takes time and effort, but the rewards are enormous. Not only will your bigger, stronger “wheels” look amazing, but the rest of your body will also grow faster too. Don’t hide your legs under long pant legs; train them hard and build a lower body you are proud to show off.

References:

Fitness Volt is committed to providing our readers with science-based information. We use only credible and peer-reviewed sources to support the information we share in our articles.

1- Goldberg, A. L.; Etlinger, J. D.; Goldspink, D. F.; Jablecki, C. (1975). “Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle”. Medicine and Science in Sports. 7 (3): 185–198. ISSN 0025-7990. PMID 128681. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/128681

2- Peterson, Mark D.; Rhea, Matthew R.; Alvar, Brent A. (2005-11). “Applications of the dose-response for muscular strength development: a review of meta-analytic efficacy and reliability for designing training prescription”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 19 (4): 950–958. doi:10.1519/R-16874.1. ISSN 1064-8011. PMID 16287373. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16287373


If you have any questions or require further clarification on this article, please leave a comment below. Patrick is dedicated to addressing your queries promptly.

Stay on top of the latest fitness news and updates by adding Fitness Volt to your Google News feed: Follow us on Google News You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for even more content.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn Pinterest
Categories: Legs Training Workouts
Previous Post

Tavi Castro Details ‘Extortion Attempts’ Body Engineers Has Received

Next Post

Watch: Powerlifter Stefi Cohen Explains The Most Effective Way To Build Strength

Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine, is a Training Editor with 30 years of experience in Personal Training and Strength & Conditioning. A former British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications assessor, he is dedicated to delivering informative, reliable content. In addition, Patrick is an experienced writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.

Related

Jeff Nippard
Bodybuilding

Jeff Nippard Explains How a Science-Driven 6-Exercise Program Helped Him Build Bigger, Stronger Legs in One Year

Lean Legs Summer Challenge
Workouts

The Lean Legs Summer Challenge: 30 Days of Targeted Lower Body Workouts

Reverse Lunges vs. Forward Lunges
Training

Reverse Lunges vs. Forward Lunges: Which One Is Superior for Glute Growth & Knee Health?

Arnold Schwarzenegger 30-30 Challenge
Training

Can You Survive Arnold’s 30-30 Challenge? I Tried It and Got the Craziest Pump of My Life

Calisthenics Challenges
Calisthenics

Calisthenics Challenges: 3 Monthly Progress Programs to Keep You Motivated

Tom Platz
Bodybuilding

Tom Platz Talks Diet in Early Years and Transforming His Lower Body With Squats: “I Had No Legs Initially”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Ronnie Coleman Breaks Silence After Sepsis Hospitalization: “It Nearly Killed Me”

Women’s Physique Pro Bodybuilder Christina Bitner Passed Away at 41

Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals Whether More Reps Really Boost Muscle Growth

Tight Muscles and Zero Energy? This 10-Minute Yoga Flow Is a Total Reset

A Nutritionist’s “Lazy” 7-Day High-Protein Meal Plan to Help You Shed Pounds Fast

Wesley Vissers Breaks Down Why Bench Press Isn’t Always Safe and Shares Safer Chest-Building Alternatives to Avoid Injury

Fitness Volt

At Fitness Volt, our mission is to empower every individual on their fitness journey by providing expert advice, the latest research, and comprehensive resources. Whether you are a beginner or an elite athlete, we are here to support your goals with trustworthy and up-to-date information in strength, fitness, and nutrition. Read more.

For inquiries, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]

About Us | Careers | Contact Form

Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • WSM
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Exercises
  • Training
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Discussion Forum

More

  • Calculators
  • Fasting
  • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Workout Plans
  • At-Home Workouts
  • Programs
  • Supplements
  • Newsletter
  • Review Process
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Disclaimer

© Copyright 2010 - 2024 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Strongman
    • Armwrestling
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2024 WSM
    • Arnold Classic
  • Forum
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Workout Plans
    • Muscle Groups
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Programs
    • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Supplements
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Reviews
    • Food Facts
  • Fitness Calculator
  • More
    • DIY
    • Strength Standards
    • Motivation
    • Videos

© Copyright 2010 - 2024 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.