Leg day has always been a very special thing in many people's lives. Some people love it so much that they even perform lower body workouts on birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It cannot be denied that leg day is extremely difficult, which is the reason why many people love it. However, do not be afraid. Do not hold back. Do not stay away because of the heavy weight. Do not try to maintain energy. You need to use your willpower to break out those leg sessions whenever you want to. If having ripped, strong and muscular legs is that you are looking for, please keep reading. In this article, you are going to discover interesting and effective ultimate leg workout routine for toning at home or gym that target your leg muscles, giving you the strong and big legs that you have been dreaming of.
– Sit down on a leg press machine then put both of your legs on the platform in front of you at a medium foot stance, keeping your feet shoulder width apart.
– Bring down the safety bars which are holding the weighted platform in desired place. After that, press your feet against the platform then push it up until your legs are completely straight.
A little tip: remember to be sure that your knees are not locked. You should create a 90 degree angle between the torso and your legs. This is the starting position.
– As you are breathing in, slowly bring the platform down until there is a 90 degree angle between the upper and lower legs.
– Use mostly the heels of your feet and the quadriceps to push against the platform, getting back to the starting position as you breathe out.
– Repeat this ultimate leg workout until you finish all the recommended reps. Remember to make sure that the safety pins are locked when you are done because you will not want the platform to fall on you with all the weight on it.
Caution: Always remember to make sure if you have locked the platform when you are racking the weight.
Variations: You can perform this exercise using all foot stance variations.
– Lie on your back on the back pad of the machine. Keep your shoulders under the shoulder pads of it.
– Place your legs on the platform. Keep them shoulder width apart. Slightly keep your toes pointed outwards. A little tip for you: always hold your head up as well as keep the back on the pad.
– Place both of your arms on the handles on two sides of the machine. After that, you can disengage the machine's safety bars.
– Now extend both of your legs without getting your knees locked. This is the starting position.
– Start to slowly bring the unit down by keeping your knees bent while you are maintaining a straight line from head to toe. Always hold your head up and keep your back on the pad. Continue to lower it down until the calves and the upper leg create an angle at less than 90 degrees. At this point, your upper legs should be parallel to the ground. Breathe in while performing this part.
A little tip for you: if this exercise is performed properly, there should be an imaginary straight line from the front of your knees to the toes. If your knees go past that line, i.e. past your toes, it means that you are putting a large amount of stress on your knees and the exercise is being performed incorrectly.
– Start to lift the unit up as you are breathing out by pushing the heel of your feet against the platform to extend your legs again. After that, go back to the starting position.
– Repeat this ultimate leg workout until you finish all the recommended reps.
– Rearrange the lever of the machine in order to fit your height. Sit on it, placing your back against the machine's back support pad.
– Put your lower legs' back on top of the machine's padded lever. Make sure that your thighs, just above the knees, are against the lap pad. After that, hold the handles on two sides of the machine while keeping your toes pointed straight. Remember to make sure that both of your legs are fully extended in front of you. This is your starting position.
– As you are breathing out, pull the lever of the machine as far as you can to the back of your thighs by keeping your knees flexed. Always maintain a straight torso. Hold this position still for a second.
– Slowly get back to the starting position while breathing in.
– Repeat this ultimate leg workout for toning body until you finish all the recommended reps.
Caution: In order to prevent injuries, it is necessary to not use too much weight on this exercise, causing you to swing and jerk.
Variations: You can perform this exercise using three foot positions.
– It is the best idea to perform this exercise while you are standing inside a squat rack to make sure that it is safe. To get started, first arrange the bar on the rack to match with your height. When you finish arranging and loading the bar, lift your arms up, placing it under the bar as you are keeping your elbows high. At this point, make sure that your upper arms are above parallel to the ground. Put the bar on top of the deltoids. Then make your arms cross each other as you are holding the bar for total control.
– Push your feet against the floor while extending your torso to lift the bar off the rack.
– Move away from the rack. Keep your legs shoulder width apart. Slightly keep the toes pointed outwards. Always hold your head up since you will lose balance as well as the straight back if you look down. This is the starting position.
– Start to slowly bring the bar down by keeping your knees bent as you are keeping a straight torso with your head help up. Continue to lower it down until you create an angle at 90 degrees between the calves and your upper leg. At this point, your upper legs should be below parallel to the ground. Breathe in while performing this step. A little tip: if you are performing this exercise properly, there should be an imaginary straight line from the front of your knees to the toes. If your knees go past that line, i.e. go past your toes, it means you are putting too much stress on your knees and the workout is being performed incorrectly.
– Start to lift the bar up while you are breathing out by pushing mostly the middle of your feet against the floor as you are extending your legs out to get back to the starting position.
Caution: This exercise should not be taken lightly. If you are suffering from back pain or leg pain, remember to always replace this exercise with a leg press or the dumbbell squat variations. However, if your back is healthy and not suffering from any pain, please make sure you are having a correct form and not slouching your back forward because it can lead to back injury. Moreover, you also need to be careful with the weight that you are using. In case you are doubtful about it, it is necessary to use the weight that is less than the amount that you usually use. This exercise is very safe only if you perform it correctly. Additionally, this version of squats is better done by advanced athletes.
Variations: As it has been mentioned above, there are many stances which you can use, depending on which muscle groups you want to target or what your purposes are. You can totally place a small block under the heels of your foot to enhance balance.
After reading this article, hopefully you will discover more interesting, exciting and effective workouts that target your leg muscles, giving you bigger and stronger legs that contribute to a perfect body and increased metabolism. If you find this ultimate leg workout routine for toning body at home or gym helpful, please let us know what you think by leaving a comment down the section below.
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