Leg Workouts For Men - Lose The Chicken Legs
Out of all the possible muscle groups, I would say that many, many men neglect their legs. Why this is, isn't a mystery. Legs are pretty muscled as it is. You walk on them every day. Most of the sports you play work your legs quite regularly.
And of course, if you do a lot of cardio in the gym, you're working your legs. In other words, the reason you don't see that many leg workouts for men in comparison to abs or biceps or chest is because...
That last point is so valid. If you want an all over workout that keeps everything in proportion, you can't afford to miss your legs, but working them is tough. It's not just like sitting with your buddies doing a few bicep curls and seeing miniature results. You'll be lifting scary amounts of weight.
Put a day aside, skip any cardio, to work on your legs.
The problem you may find, especially if you have a very active life, is that you'll be in pain the whole day. If you're walking around on the legs you've just battered into submission you'll regret it. You will have a hard time walking up stairs, getting into your car. You'll walk like a 90 year old woman. My advice to combat this is to try to ensure that 'leg day' falls on a day you won' t be doing much.
The same way you wouldn't work your biceps to exhaustion on the day you'll be carrying your wife over the threshold, don't plan any long hikes in the hills on the day you work your quads.
Speaking of which, the main muscles you'll want to be targeting to get massive, powerful looking legs are the quads, hamstrings and calves. I expect you know the difference between the three.
So, what's the first exercise in this workout?
Yup, you got it, my old favorite, and every serious lifters friend and foe, the squat.
The thing with the squat, is that it's got to be executed well. You can seriously hurt yourself if you're not going to take care that you're doing it safely and the muscles you hurt are the big ones, so be careful and take some instruction from a real life person.
What the squat is not going to help with is your quads. Luckily there's a machine that's perfect for the job. The Leg, or Thigh, Extension. It's the one where you place your instep beneath a pad and lift up. Simple yet very effective. Do it as heavy as you can. It's going to hurt. Stick in a few leg presses on your back and some calf raises.
Calves are another painful muscle to use, but couldn't be easier. If your gym doesn't have a dedicated calf raise machine as for some reason many don't, give it a go on the leg press. As effective and easier on the rest of your body at the same time.
My personal leg workouts look something like this...
Squats - 3 sets 8 reps
Leg extensions - 3 sets 8 reps
Leg press - 3 sets 8 reps
Calf raise - 3 sets 12 reps
As always, adjust to the weights you are lifting, always trying to exceed what you've done before. There are many other leg exercises you can do. Tempering this with some cycling or some squash which will work the muscles slightly differently can be good for you, but if you're planning to compete, be careful of that.
And of course, if you do a lot of cardio in the gym, you're working your legs. In other words, the reason you don't see that many leg workouts for men in comparison to abs or biceps or chest is because...
- Legs aren't the most visible muscle group
- They get a great workout much of the time anyway, so we think it's ok to maybe develop them a little less
- It hurts to work your legs
That last point is so valid. If you want an all over workout that keeps everything in proportion, you can't afford to miss your legs, but working them is tough. It's not just like sitting with your buddies doing a few bicep curls and seeing miniature results. You'll be lifting scary amounts of weight.
Put a day aside, skip any cardio, to work on your legs.
The problem you may find, especially if you have a very active life, is that you'll be in pain the whole day. If you're walking around on the legs you've just battered into submission you'll regret it. You will have a hard time walking up stairs, getting into your car. You'll walk like a 90 year old woman. My advice to combat this is to try to ensure that 'leg day' falls on a day you won' t be doing much.
The same way you wouldn't work your biceps to exhaustion on the day you'll be carrying your wife over the threshold, don't plan any long hikes in the hills on the day you work your quads.
Speaking of which, the main muscles you'll want to be targeting to get massive, powerful looking legs are the quads, hamstrings and calves. I expect you know the difference between the three.
So, what's the first exercise in this workout?
Yup, you got it, my old favorite, and every serious lifters friend and foe, the squat.
The thing with the squat, is that it's got to be executed well. You can seriously hurt yourself if you're not going to take care that you're doing it safely and the muscles you hurt are the big ones, so be careful and take some instruction from a real life person.
What the squat is not going to help with is your quads. Luckily there's a machine that's perfect for the job. The Leg, or Thigh, Extension. It's the one where you place your instep beneath a pad and lift up. Simple yet very effective. Do it as heavy as you can. It's going to hurt. Stick in a few leg presses on your back and some calf raises.
Calves are another painful muscle to use, but couldn't be easier. If your gym doesn't have a dedicated calf raise machine as for some reason many don't, give it a go on the leg press. As effective and easier on the rest of your body at the same time.
My personal leg workouts look something like this...
Squats - 3 sets 8 reps
Leg extensions - 3 sets 8 reps
Leg press - 3 sets 8 reps
Calf raise - 3 sets 12 reps
As always, adjust to the weights you are lifting, always trying to exceed what you've done before. There are many other leg exercises you can do. Tempering this with some cycling or some squash which will work the muscles slightly differently can be good for you, but if you're planning to compete, be careful of that.