Four Essential Leg Workout Moves You Should Adopt

The sheer number and breadth of lower-body exercises can make creating a good leg workout intimidating. This is why we have done this post for you. These four essential moves make an efficient and effective leg-strengthening session that will have you out of the gym in less than an hour.

Front Squat 

While you are likely not to be able to load the bar with the same weight that you would back squatting, the front squat is a great way to build the quadriceps. And, because of the core strength required to stay upright, the lift needs more total-body athleticism than required in its back-loaded counterpart. Front Squat move calls for more mobility in the upper back, shoulder, and ankle, but where most people struggle is with the front-rack grip.

Romanian Deadlift 

Romanian deadlift requires you to slightly more straighten your legs than the conventional deadlift. This setup better targets the hamstrings and glutes. For lower body strength and size, it is important to train these posterior-chain muscles. The goal here is to achieve the longest range of motion possible while maintaining a flat back.

Walking Lunge

This is a leg exercise that gives the lower back a rest from direct spinal loading. It also creates a dynamic movement targeting the glutes by a longer range of motion. In a lot of ways, this is a very athletic exercise of workout since more balance and coordination is required than classic bilateral movements such as squats and deadlifts. If you're an experienced lifter, you can try adding double dips to your lunges to scale up.

Leg Press 

The leg press is a perfect finishing exercise for your lower-body workout. The quadriceps usually respond very well to high-rep training. So, burning out on this machine is the best compliment to the low-rep front squats at the start of the session.

Recommended Leg Day Workout Plan;

1) Barbell Front Squat: 6 x 6 reps. Rest 2 to 3 minutes between rounds.

2) Barbell Romanian Deadlift: 5 x 10 reps. Rest 2 minutes between rounds.

3) Start with Walking Lunges with Double Dip: 4 x 20 strides. Rest 2 minutes between rounds.

4) Two-Minute Leg Press Drill: 3 rounds. Match your body weight, and perform continuous repetitions with good form for two minutes.

You should not rack the weight until the recommended time elapses. You can however rest-pause with straight legs while you catch your breath. You can Rest as long as you need between rounds, and aim to keep your number of total reps at a constant for each of the three rounds.