There is plenty of information on the internet that will show you how to do various leg exercises, but how are you supposed to know which exercises are best for you personally? In this article, I will break down the best leg exercises for you based on your goal.
Your Goal: Toned Legs
If your goal is more “toned” legs, you are looking to have a lower body fat percentage. Specifically, you would like your leg muscles to appear more defined, which happens by having bigger muscles and less fat. Usually, this encourages a middle-of-the-road approach of increasing muscle size while still focusing on practical movements.
Exercise for Toned Legs – Squats
Anyone interested in toning their legs should do squats. There are many varieties of squats, such as a barbell squat and jump squats, which makes them accessible for anyone to do. Even older individuals and people just starting a fitness regimen can perform a squat, and they’re great for toning and strengthening your butt and legs.
If starting out, start with attempting 10 squats with just your bodyweight. Take a 40 second break before your next set of 10 squats. If you find it very difficult to do 10 squats right away, do as many as you can before the break. Try to do 3 or 4 sets of 10 when a beginner. If this is too easy, try adding weights and performing a goblet squat.
Information on how to perform a squat is here.
Your Goal: Bigger Muscles
If your goal is bigger muscles, you will want to perform your leg exercises with relatively heavy weights and lower repetitions. This will mean different things for different individuals, but, especially when starting out, you should focus on lifting as heavy a weight as you can for only 4 repetitions. It is especially important to warm up before this type of exercise.
Leg Exercise for Bigger Muscles – Deadlift
The deadlift is one of the best exercises for bigger muscles. You can determine how much weight you want to use, and the movement involves many leg and core muscles. This makes it more efficient than many other leg exercises, especially ones that only focus on one muscle.
Especially when a beginner, the deadlift can be technically challenging. It is very important to warm up, since there is a slightly higher risk of injury when performing exercises with heavy weights. If you go to a gym, it might be a good idea to ask a staff member for assistance, since there is often someone there able to show you how to use the equipment. It could also be a good idea to practice with just the bar a few times to make sure you have the movement correct. This will allow you to identify when you are making a mistake in your form with heavier weights, since you will know what the correct movement feels like.
Information on how to deadlift is here.
Leg Exercise for Bigger Muscles – Leg Press
The leg press is another exercise that is great for getting bigger muscles, but is less technically difficult than a deadlift. It is easier to use heavier weights without the higher risk of injuring yourself. It also works quite a few leg muscles, making it efficient.
There are usually a few different kinds of leg press machines at the gym. If a beginner, I recommend you use the machine that looks easiest to change the weight. That way, you won’t have to constantly change the weight on the machine while you are still learning how much weight is best.
Information on how to perform the leg press is here.
Your Goal: General Physical Preparedness
If your goal is less specific, but you would like to be able to maintain or grow your general physical preparedness, you can do your exercises in a couple of different ways. If you want to get better at everyday tasks, such as walking and standing for longer periods or time, you will want to do leg exercises with more repetitions and lower weight. This is more able to mimic the actual muscular movements and requirements of walking and standing. This is a great goal to have for people who find themselves on their feet all day at their jobs, and are tired of being so sore at the end of the day. It is also ideal for older individuals who are conscious of maintaining independence as they age.
Leg Exercise for General Physical Preparedness – Walking Lunges
Walking lunges are a great place to start for generally preparing you for walking and standing for longer. Walking lunges also work on your balance, and can be easily modified with weights. This makes them an ideal exercise for almost anyone’s goals.
Starting out, I recommend a person does not start with weights. Some people will not be able to lunge as deeply as many of the tutorials suggest, and that’s OK! If you work on it, you can eventually lunge properly without falling over or being unable to get back up. Once you’re comfortable with 15 consecutive lunges without weights, you can consider adding weight. Remember, if your goal is just everyday fitness, you don’t need to use anything particularly heavy. The more lunges you can do, the better.
More information on how to do walking lunges is here.
Final Tips
As a final note, each of these exercises mentioned can be modified to suit your goals. Using weights, and how many repetitions you do while doing the exercise, will ultimately determine how your muscles react to the exercise.
Importantly, please remember that everyone starts somewhere, as well. Whether you’ve been working out for years, or you are just starting, we all have areas where we can improve. Comparing yourself to others can be discouraging. We each have our own goals, so your workout probably won’t look like the workout of the person next to you.
