You know that guy at the gym who weighs 260 pounds but whose legs look like Popsicle sticks? Yeah, me too, there are a few in every gym. He looks like an ostrich and it’s ridiculous. Why go through all the blood, sweat, and tears if you’re not going to be evenly jacked? These same guys will nearly have a stroke if their biceps shrink by a centimeter yet they will neglect their legs terribly. It’s a bad look and means your workout is unbalanced. Listen up chicken legs, stop skipping leg day. They’re a big part of your body. Here are a few leg exercises that should have the lower half of your body catching up with the upper half in no time at all.
Calf Raises: You can’t forget about the calves and this classic move will get them bulging. Many gyms have a calf raise machine but if they don’t or you work out at home it’s just as easy to bang them out. Grab two dumbbells, one for each hand and then you want to stand on a step with your heels hanging off. You simply raise yourself with the front part of your foot and repeat. On the way down come down far enough that you feel it but not so much that you fall off the step. After 25 or 30 of these bad boys your calves should be burning. Many people break them down into sets but I’ve always found that this is an exercise that should be done in bulk so hammer out those reps.
Leg Extensions: All you need to do here is hop on the leg extension machine and get your feet behind the pad. Most machines have handles on the side so you can keep yourself locked into position which is a good idea or else you’ll kind of be all over the place. You want to set a weight that is heavy enough to feel the burn but not so much that you’re going to pull a muscle which can be fairly easy to do when you’re working legs. You lift your legs until your feet are straight out in front of you, bring them down, and repeat. Leg Curls are the go-to method for blasting the muscles in your thighs.
Leg Curls: Leg Curls are basically the opposite of leg extensions. When you jump on this machine your feet will be on top of the pad and you’ll start with your feet out in front of you. You’ll push down with your legs until you’re in a normal seated position and repeat. You want to keep good control here and not let the weight touch down on the rack every time. Get them within an inch of touching and then go back up or down. Leg curls hit the upper thigh heavy which is an important muscle to work. When it comes to legs I like to do slightly higher reps so I would try doing about 3 to 4 sets of 15.
Why didn’t we mention squats?
Besides the fact that your anus can prolapse? Unless, you’re training for Mr. Universe, it’s overkill. We know the anal prolapse thing is a stretch but they can be a dangerous exercise if you’re just working out to look good. You can seriously hurt your back doing squats and if you’ve ever had serious back pain you’d know it’s not worth it. Keep it simple and start off with the three exercises listed above and your legs will be looking great in no time with very little chance of injury.
Article By: Jon DaBove
