What Are the Best Leg Exercises for Mass and Strength

Do you want to get an impressive physique? Then, pay attention to training your legs, my friend. Robust and well-defined legs are the symbol of overall strength. And of course, they are important to have a sympatric body.

Even if everybody knows how important is to train legs, a lot of people neglect them.

Why?

One reason is maybe they focus on more on their chest and arms because they think a massive upper body is the symbol of strength. And with that, their lower body is weak and small.

The other reason can be that leg exercises are not so easy. I mean, what is harder to do? 10 barbell squats or ten biceps curls?

No matter what the reason is those who do not pay attention to their lower body, they commit a huge mistake.

Once, because leg training has a positive impact on the muscle groups of the upper body as well. Your body wants to grow proportionally.

Another reason why leg workouts are so important is that leg muscles grow quickly. I know a few guys who were struggling to develop their upper body, but they saw quick result with their lower body.

And finally, since most of the leg exercises are compound ones, they boost your heart rate up. So, you will be able to burn fat and develop your cardiovascular system. They are vital for weight loss and health.

I hope you have realized by now why leg training so crucial. But what are the best leg exercises? Here the eight most important ones.

Traditional Squat

The squat is the most important exercise for legs. It is the one that develops mass and strength. Also, since it is compound move, it develops secondary muscles as well that are responsible for stability. So, it must be in your workout routine.

To get the most from this exercise and avoid injuries it is vital to learn how to perform it correctly. I have a detailed guide on how to barbell squat properly, but you can check out the video below as well.

Also, there are many squat variations, for example, front squat, to target your those muscles in different ways.

 

Leg Presses

It is another powerful exercise to develop muscle mass and strength. The advantage of this move is that it puts less stress on the lower back. Besides, with this exercise you can handle heavier weights than doing squats with a barbell.

Watch the video below to learn how to do leg presses correctly.

 

Dumbbell Lunges

If you think that dumbbell lunges are just for girls, think twice. It is another complex leg exercise that works your thighs, hamstrings, glutes, and quads. It is an all in one exercise for sure. You can do lunge-walk, but the stationary position is as good.

It is another movement that is pretty hard to do correctly, but the video below will help you.

 

Leg Extensions

Well, I do not like using machines very much, but leg extension is the one that I always do. Simply, because there are no free weight exercises I can do to get the same result.

This practice is perfect for shaping and defining your muscles, especially the ones above your knees.

Since the motion is controlled by the equipment, it easy to do it correctly, but here is the tutorial.

Don’t cheat by letting your hips coming up, if you experience that, use lighter weights. Besides, by altering the position of your feet, you can work the different parts of the quadriceps.

 

Straight Deadlift

Standard deadlift is a terrific compound exercise to get strong. However, this version is mainly for training your glutes and lower back. Just pay attention to keep your back straight during the entire motion. Hunching your back may result in injuries, and you will lose the effect of the move.

Here is the tutorial.

 

Lying Leg Curls

For adding mass and getting the strength to your hamstrings this exercise is a must to do. The motion is controlled by the machine so it is not hard to do it properly. Although, by pointing your toes up, you can get better muscle stimulation.

With the five leg exercises above you can train your glutes and your entire thigh, but for building your calves, you need to do some extra workouts. Here are the two most beneficial.

 

Seated Calf Raises

This leg exercise develops the lower part of your calves. So, it is useful to get those v-cut calves. But it also works the upper part of the calf. It is not hard to do, but keep your back straight.

 

Standing Heel Raises

If squat is the ultimate exercise for the upper part of the leg, this is for your calves. It builds mass and strength. By keeping your toes in or out, you can vary the emphasis in your calf muscles. You can also do this exercise with a barbell, but it will be harder to keep the position.

In my opinion, these are the best leg exercises for mass and strength. If you do them, you will work all parts of your lower body. Once, you are familiar with doing them, you can try others or their variations. And once more, do not neglect your leg workout!

 

Tip Want to do leg workouts but have no time going to the gym?

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