My Favorite Leg Exercises

I'm starting to look forward to my 5:30 am workouts on Tuesdays.  Don't get me wrong, I do not enjoy getting up at 5 am to go to the gym, but I like it because its my leg day.  

Unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoy leg day!  I like to lift heavy so when I train legs, I lift heavy.  I used to be one of those people who thought that doing cardio like running was a sufficient workout for my legs and would build muscle.  I mean, after I ran my legs would be sore; wasn't that enough?  Little did I know it was all the more reason to start training legs and lifting!  

It wasn't until I started lifting heavy weights and doing movements like squats and deadlifts that I really noticed my legs start to change.  They got leaner and muscles started to show bit by bit.  My legs are a work in progress and have been slower to change compared to my upper body, but they are coming! 

Legs are large muscles and to grow large muscles, big movements and big weights are in order! I like to train legs because of the soreness I feel afterwards.  Yes, I like to feel the fatigue in my legs after working out! It makes me feel like I've accomplished something by having sore legs. I know its strange, but its the truth.   I like to do two leg days in a week and stagger them apart a few days so I have time to recover.  On my first leg day, which is Tuesday, I like to concentrate on heavy lifting like deadlifts and on my second one which is usually on the weekend, I try to focus more on "movement" type exercises like lunges.

This evening, I taught Ju Jitsu class where we worked on kicks in our adult class.  My poor legs felt like lead as I tried to jump and lift my ass up off the ground but it was fun. I will definitely be feeling the DOMS (daily onset muscle soreness) tomorrow! 

Here are some of my favorite leg exercises that I usually do on my Tuesday leg days.

1.  Deadlift

      I like the deadlift because it is a great all-in-one exercise.  It targets so many muscle groups including the legs, glutes, back and abs.  I've heard the deadlift being called the "king of exercises" and it makes sense due to all the muscle groups it hits.  I started doing the deadlift just with dumbbells at first then graduated to the barbell.  One important lesson I had to learn the hard way is keeping my back straight as well as my hips and shoulder in line.  Due to wear and tear, my hips slightly slant to the left.  What I mean is if I look at my hips when I think I am standing "straight" my body actually tilts to the left a bit so I have to adjust my hips and shoulders so I am actually completely square before lifting the weights.  That's how I injured my back earlier this year and it was a big learning curve to force my body to proper stance.  It felt completely unnatural but with some work with my awesome physiotherapist, it became easier.   

2.  Back Squat

     This exercise is great because it really helps to build power and strength in the legs and glutes.  The back squat specifically has the bar resting on the upper part of the back.  One note about this one is the way you squat is crucial for this.  You have to send your weight backwards and think "ass to grass", meaning your butt has to go backwards and prevent your knees from going past your toes.  

    

3.  Sumo Squat

     This is a variation of the regular back squat, for this one your feet are placed much wider than a regular squat and toes are pointed outward.  This exercise concentrates a lot of the inner thighs.  I find with this exercise, hip flexibility is important so make sure that the hips are stretched a lot and are flexible before trying this move. I also find that I can't go quite as heavy as with a regular squat so I decrease my weight a little bit.

4.  Front Barbell Squat

     This exercise is another variation of  a squat but instead of having the barbell on your upper back, you hold it in front of your shoulders.  This exercise I find puts a lot of work on the quads and your core muscles.  Its also one that requires good posture with the upper body and keeping your core tight.  I have to decrease the weight on this exercise compared to a regular back squat because my upper body can't quite hold the same amount of weight.  However, I find it works my legs in a totally different way than the other exercises.  

These are just some of the leg exercises that I do, I try to incorporate lots of different exercises with different movements so my legs never get used to training the same old, same old.  I like to increase my weight every 4-6 weeks by small amounts so my muscles have to work harder and get stronger rather than just plateau.

                                                These made me laugh!