9 Leg Exercises

Your legs contain the largest muscles in your body, and training them the right way will help you expend more calories and burn more fat overall. If you’re a woman and are concerned that training your legs will bulk them up, don’t worry. Adding muscle will give your legs definition and tone and even reduce the look of cellulite, so don’t fear the exercises in this chapter! While sometimes men overlook training their legs, focusing on their upper bodies, adding muscle to your legs will rev your metabolism and give you a stronger, more balanced physique.

Leg exercises that require a minimum of equipment and can be done at home are listed first. Leg exercises that use gym equipment appear later in the chapter.

Exercising at home? Many of the strength exercises in the following chapters require no equipment; you’ll need dumbbells for others. If you don’t own dumbbells already, consider purchasing several pairs you can keep and use at home. Men might start with 15-to 20-pound weights while women can choose lighter ones like 5 to 10 pounds.

If you don’t want to spend the money, you can use household items for the moves. A gallon jug of water or milk, canned goods, and even containers of dishwashing detergent can serve as added resistance. Once you are regularly lifting weights of more than 5 to 10 pounds, however, we suggest investing in a set or two of dumbbells—or working out at a gym where you’ll have access to them.

HOME LEG EXERCISES

BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT

Squats work the glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and even abs: As you perform the exercise, your core is naturally engaged.

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out slightly to engage your glutes. You can keep your arms at your sides, or hold them out in front of you for balance. Keeping your back straight with your weight in your heels, bend your knees until they make 90-degree angles—as if you were going to sit in a chair behind you. Inhale as you bend your knees, and keep them behind your toes. When you reach 90 degrees, pause briefly and then exhale as you return to your original position. (If you have knee pain that prevents you from squatting that deeply, squat as low as is comfortable.)

Aim for 15 to 20 reps for 3 to 4 sets, resting for 1 minute between sets. To increase the challenge, hold dumbbells at your sides.

WALL SIT

This exercise targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and abs. If you have knee issues, you needn’t lower yourself to make 90-degree angles with your knees—stop before you feel any discomfort. You’ll still get benefits from holding the position.

Stand with your back against a wall, and place your feet shoulder-distance apart. Keeping your abs engaged, with your arms at your sides, slide your body down the wall until your knees are bent; hold the position for at least 30 seconds and up to 60 seconds if you really want to challenge yourself, breathing normally before returning to your starting position. (If you can’t hold the position for 30 seconds, just hold for as long as you can and then return to the starting position.)

The 30-to 60-second hold counts as 1 set; aim for 3 to 4 sets. Rest for 1 minute between sets.

LUNGE

This exercise works the quadriceps, glutes, inner thighs, hamstrings, and calves.

Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart and inhale as you step far enough forward with your right foot so that both knees will make 90-degree angles as you lower your left knee toward the ground. Keep your chest up and your abs engaged. Pause briefly and exhale as you step your right foot back to the starting position. Repeat, stepping forward with your left foot. That’s 1 rep.

Aim for 12 to 15 reps for 3 to 4 sets. Rest for 1 minute between sets. To make the move more challenging, hold dumbbells at your sides.

BODY-WEIGHT CALF RAISE

This exercise targets the calf muscles.

Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart with your arms at your sides. Keeping your legs straight, exhale as you slowly lift your heels off the ground to bring your weight onto the balls of your feet and then return to the starting position as you inhale.

Your calf muscles are relatively small compared with the rest of your leg muscles, so you’ll do more repetitions of this exercise—aim for 3 to 4 sets of 25 to 30 reps each. Rest for 1 minute between sets. To increase the challenge, hold dumbbells at your sides.

GYM LEG EXERCISES

The following exercises require equipment you’ll find at your gym or health club. We’ve given detailed instructions about how to perform each move, but don’t hesitate to ask a staff member or employee if you have any questions about how to use the equipment. Most weight-lifting machines must be adjusted to fit your body—by raising or lowering a seat, for example—for safe use. A staff member can also help you determine the appropriate weight to lift. In general, the amount of weight you lift should be 50 to 70 percent of your 1-rep maximum weight, or the highest amount of weight you can lift one time.

LEG PRESS
(uses leg press machine)

This exercise targets the quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Place your feet on the leg press platform slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your back against the machine’s pad, hands at your sides holding the handles, knees bent at 90-degree angles. Exhale as you contract your quads (the muscles in the front of your thighs) and extend your legs until they’re straight with soft knees (without locking your knees); pause briefly and then return to your original position as you inhale.

Warm up with a light weight for your first set, and gradually increase the weight with each set.

Aim for 12 to 15 repetitions for 3 to 4 sets.

LEG EXTENSION
(uses leg extension machine)

This exercise targets the quads.

Sit on the leg extension machine with your back against the seat, roller pads against the fronts of your shins, and your knees lined up with the fulcrum of the machine. Hold the handles of the machine and exhale as you extend your legs until they’re straight without locking your knees; pause briefly and inhale as you return to your original position. Warm up using a light weight for your first set and gradually increase the weight with each set.

Aim for 12 to 15 reps for 3 to 4 sets.

CALF RAISE ON LEG PRESS MACHINE
(uses leg press machine)

This exercise targets the calf muscles.

Place your feet on the leg press platform slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your back against the machine’s pad, hands at your sides holding the handles, knees bent at 90-degree angles. Exhale as you contract your quads (the muscles in the front of your thighs) and extend your legs until they’re straight with soft knees (without locking your knees). Lift your heels to bring your weight onto the balls of your feet; pause briefly and lower your heels without letting them touch the ground. That’s 1 rep.

Aim for 20 to 25 reps for 3 to 4 sets.

SMITH MACHINE SQUAT
(uses Smith machine)

This exercise targets the quads and hamstrings. Using a Smith machine lets you use more weight without worrying about balance issues, so intermediate and advanced exercisers may want to use a Smith machine to do squats so they can lift more weight.

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out slightly to engage your glutes, shoulders under the padded bar, legs slightly bent. Keeping your weight in your heels, bend your knees until they make 90-degree angles. Inhale as you bend your knees, and keep them behind your toes. When your knees reach 90 degrees, pause briefly and then exhale as you return to your original position. The deeper you squat, the more you’ll feel this exercise in your hamstrings.

Aim for 10 to 12 reps for 3 to 4 sets.

PRONE LEG CURL
(uses prone leg curl machine)

This exercise works the hamstrings and butt.

Lie flat on the leg curl machine on your stomach, legs extended and the pad positioned on the backs of your ankles, holding the handles on either side of the machine. Keep your thighs pressed against the machine as you contract your hamstrings to pull the pad toward your butt; pause briefly and return to your original position.