Great legs cannot be bought nor built overnight. You need to work hard for it. Before you think about skipping those squats, know that it is very important for you to have a very strong lower body. Your legs support your entire body's weight whenever you walk, stand so when you do many activities every day. Having strong legs not only look good in shorts. It may also help you produce more power whenever you perform your upper-body exercises. You'll need strong legs more so if you are sprinting, jumping or running in sports competitions. The good news is that building leg muscles do not have to be a very complicated process. To start, here are some effective leg exercises which will definitely make your leg day much more interesting.
Lunges
Lunges allow you to perform a movement pattern similar to what you do when you go for a walk. With lunges, you enable your body shift weight from one foot to another. This being active is one great way to tone your thighs. Additionally, it works well in strengthening your quads. Start this exercise while you are positioning much like a squat. Training until you are able to build your confidence inside your current form and ready to go up a notch.
Start inside a standing position with your feet together. Step your left foot back by about two feet or depending on your height. Lower your body down which means that your knees are bent as much as 90 degrees. Then slowly press support into a standing position. Do that in 10 repetitions for every leg. If you can do it in 3 rounds, get it done.
To rev up this exercise, you may add weight to the routine. Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest, one weight for every side. You may also put your back foot on the bench that is behind you so that you can make this exercise into a Bulgarian split squat. This greatly improves your own body's stability.
Single Side Moves
In addition to lunges, which are also considered as single side moves. Other single side exercises that you can perform include staggered deadlifts, split squats and pistol squats. These are the kinds of leg exercises that will help you determine which side of your leg is stronger or is more dominant. Note that your legs work as sisters, which means the other side might be stronger than the other one. Among the aims of doing single side exercises would be to help your weaker leg become as strong as the dominant leg. To do this, focus on which side of your leg is stronger. Notice how each leg is performing and how you feel while you are doing the single side exercise. If for instance, your left leg is weaker, don't try to push it far beyond its limits. Otherwise, you become vulnerable to getting injured. Just take things slow. Allow your legs to improve gradually and not drastically.
Squat
Squats have been proven effective for strengthening quads, calves, hamstrings, and glutes. You can do squats using many variations without the need to use weights. But, you may also do single-leg squats while also adding weight by using a medicine ball, dumbbells, a barbell or a kettlebell. To do this, you can stand with your feet apart, in hip-distance. Now, start bending your hips and knees when you send your butt back and then down just like how you are positioned when you are about to sit into a chair. See to it that you are keeping the torso erect. Make sure you are slightly transferring unwanted weight back into your heels. Keep coming down until your thighs become parallel using the floor. If you can do it further or slightly lower. Make sure you exhale when you start to move the feet so you can push yourself support and into a standing position.
If you need to opt for barbell squats, you'll begin using the barbell that you could see in a squat rack. You have to position the bar squarely right across shoulders. Try to grasp it wider than your own shoulders. Then, stand up and then start stepping out of the squat rack. If you plan to use dumbbells, think about having them in a resting position from the front part of your shoulders. Check your elbows and see to it that they are bent.
Deadlifts
Performing deadlifts is one of the most effective ways of creating leg strength. If you are new to this routine, you may practice first doing the basic moves at home before you start doing it with an addition of weight. However, it is crucial that you master the good techniques to do deadlifts first before adding weights. This helps spare you from hurting your back.
To do that, stand with your feet apart, in the hip distance. See to it that your kettlebell or dumbbell is placed before your shins. This way, it will be easier for you to reach down for this. Now slightly bend your knees. Hinge at your hips when you also lower your torso at the same time. Your back must remain flat. Once you notice your back becoming almost parallel to the ground, you may reach for your weights. Then, start contracting the muscles of your glute as you are also extending your hips towards the top of the motion.
These are just a few of the many leg exercises that you can do at home or in the gym. Do not hesitate to do some modifications to your leg routine exercises to make your exercise time more exciting and fewer monotonous. As a bonus, observe that the more you exercise your legs the more that your entire body will also benefit from its metabolic effect. This is because intense leg workouts can perform wonders in stimulating the release of growth hormones. In turn, you're more likely to increase its mass and size. However, for each exercise modification that you want to add to your routine, do not forget to consult a fitness expert. This is to ensure you do not injure yourself in the process.