Having big biceps symbolizes strength more than any other part of the body. Building arms at the gym has become so common it’s almost cliché. However…. I’m sure you’ve seen a ‘Foghorn Leghorn’ walking around with a big chest and tiny chicken legs!
An unbalanced body makes a person look like a caricature rather than someone who commands authority. Just like a car, if you want to ride in style you’ve got to have big rims. If you really want to achieve your fitness goals, taking time to develop your legs is a must.
Total Legs Workout – Are You Ready?
To get your legs pumping, start off with a medium paced jog on the treadmill. Five minutes is good enough. After the warm up, stretch your hamstrings, quads, and calves.
Leg extensions are great isolation workouts that can hit the quads. I like to warm up with 2 sets of 15-20 reps.
Next, you should do 3 sets of 6 reps of Power Cleans. If you don’t know how to do a Power Clean, have a professional instruct you. You can easily injure yourself if you do this powerful workout wrong.
Squats are the next exercise. You should do 4-5 sets of 15 reps. Squats are the best leg work out because they hit every muscle fiber in your lower body, sculpting your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. If you choose only one leg work out, select the squat.
The Romanian Deadlift is another great compound exercise. Do 4 sets of 10 reps. Careful to use proper form with deadlifts as you can injure your lower back.
Hamstring Curls are another effective isolation exercise. Do 3 sets of 10-15 followed by leg extensions using the same amount of sets and reps.
Next, do some Standing Calf Raises – 3 sets of 10 reps should be enough.
The Benefits
If you are able to get through this workout, then your legs will feel like jell-o for a while. If you can’t, start off with fewer sets and work your way up as time progresses. Exercising your legs is draining since you are working out the largest muscles in your body. Give yourself plenty of time to rest between workouts. Don’t try this every day. I usually wait five days to a week before doing another leg routine.
Another great thing about working out your legs is that since you are building so much muscle, your metabolism increases dramatically. You will shed fat every day, burning more calories even while you are sleeping. The increase in muscle mass will also result in an increase in your testosterone levels, allowing other parts of your body to grow bigger. Getting big legs is one of the best ways to get a bigger chest, back, and arms.
With all the benefits of working out your legs, it’s time to get started! Remember that proper form is more important than being able to lift bigger weights. Because your legs are so powerful, it’s easy to get carried away and injure yourself. Always ask a professional personal trainer for advice if you’ve never done a particular work out before.
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