Lower work outs Legs workout,Leg Extension,Leg Press ,Romanian dead lift,
Lower Workout :
Squat:
Some things never change. Take squats and lunges. They’ll forever be great exercises for developing lower-body size and strength. So great, in fact, that you should be doing both on a weekly basis if you want to get the most out of your legs.
This isn’t to say that you need to do standard barbell back squats and barbell lunges every week. We mean the basic movements of squats and lunges, for which there are many variations. Back squats can be alternated with front squats or machine squats, and barbell lunges can be subbed out for any number of lunging offshoots or even highly comparable stepups.
In this installment of Level Up, we’re taking a quality, bare-bones Straight Up leg workout and giving it a tweak to show you how to change your routine while keeping it highly effective and, yes, bare-bones. The two workouts we’re comparing are similar—both include squats, a machine compound move, leg extensions, Romanian deadlifts, and leg curls—yet different enough for the Level Up version to provide a different stimulus to spark new leg gains.
Begin with the barbell supported on top of the traps. The chest should be up and the head facing forward. Adopt a hip-width stance with the feet turned out as needed.
Descend by flexing the knees, refraining from moving the hips back as much as possible. This requires that the knees travel forward. Ensure that they stay align with the feet. The goal is to keep the torso as upright as possible.
Continue all the way down, keeping the weight on the front of the heel. At the moment the upper legs contact the lower legs reverse the motion, driving the weight upward.
SQUAT:
Replacing back squats with front squats puts more emphasis on the quads than the glutes and will help keep your torso more upright. The set-rep scheme is slightly lower in volume (four working sets versus five), but the rep counts are still hypertrophy-friendly.
LEG EXTENSION
In the original Straight Up workout, leg extensions served as a pre-exhaust before squats. Here, they serve first as an easy warm up before front squats, then as an intense finisher.
In the original Straight Up workout, leg extensions served as a pre-exhaust before squats. Here, they serve first as an easy warm up before front squats, then as an intense finisher.
STEPUP:
LEVEL UP DIFFERENCE: A close cousin of the lunge, step ups are a great exercise performed by many athletes. Stepping with one leg calls balance and function into play. Err on the light side initially to stay safe.
LEVEL UP DIFFERENCE: A close cousin of the lunge, step ups are a great exercise performed by many athletes. Stepping with one leg calls balance and function into play. Err on the light side initially to stay safe.
SINGLE-LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT:
Any great hamstring-training program should include RDLs. Mixing in the single-leg version is good for ensuring a weaker leg doesn’t fall too far behind the stronger one.
Any great hamstring-training program should include RDLs. Mixing in the single-leg version is good for ensuring a weaker leg doesn’t fall too far behind the stronger one.
LYING LEG CURL:
While the variations for leg curls are limited—lying, seated, and standing are just about it—the objective is the same: Isolate the hamstrings to create size in the backs of the legs.
HACK SQUAT: Switching from a lying back leg press machine to hack squats is simply a matter of varying the stimulus on the quads, glutes, and hammies. With both variations, we prefer higher rep counts for time under tension.
More Overall Leg Mass:
Mass-building comes with a set of rules. That means starting your workout with the most challenging exercises and heaviest loads, hitting the thighs from a variety of angles, keeping the volume (number of total sets and reps) high, and training to muscle failure.Altering your foot placement on the leg press allows you to recruit leg musculature in slightly different ways. Putting your feet up higher on the sled shifts some of the emphasis from the quads to the hams and glutes because a greater degree of hip flexion/extension is taking place. Also, don't shortchange the depth of your knee bend—which should reach 90 degrees—by going too heavy—that also limits glute and hamstrings activation. Unless you're following a pre-exhaust routine, save the single-joint movements for last.Mass-building comes with a set of rules. That means starting your workout with the most challenging exercises and heaviest loads, hitting the thighs from a variety of angles, keeping the volume (number of total sets and reps) high, and training to muscle failure.The workout follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately. The workouts target four muscle groups: quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. To shorten the workout, you could eliminate exercises for calves, hamstrings, or both; if so, hit calves and hammies on a different training day.
Notes
Do as many warm-up reps as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure by the target rep listed.
If you have a spotter, do a few forced reps on your 1-2 heaviest sets of each exercise.
Greater Leg Definition:
Simply doing more work with light weight for high reps isn't enough to get you lean. To keep your metabolism high, you still need that stimulus for building and keeping muscle size. That will help boost excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which roughly translates to the number of calories you burn after your workout is over.
While the variations for leg curls are limited—lying, seated, and standing are just about it—the objective is the same: Isolate the hamstrings to create size in the backs of the legs.
HACK SQUAT: Switching from a lying back leg press machine to hack squats is simply a matter of varying the stimulus on the quads, glutes, and hammies. With both variations, we prefer higher rep counts for time under tension.
More Overall Leg Mass:
Mass-building comes with a set of rules. That means starting your workout with the most challenging exercises and heaviest loads, hitting the thighs from a variety of angles, keeping the volume (number of total sets and reps) high, and training to muscle failure.Altering your foot placement on the leg press allows you to recruit leg musculature in slightly different ways. Putting your feet up higher on the sled shifts some of the emphasis from the quads to the hams and glutes because a greater degree of hip flexion/extension is taking place. Also, don't shortchange the depth of your knee bend—which should reach 90 degrees—by going too heavy—that also limits glute and hamstrings activation. Unless you're following a pre-exhaust routine, save the single-joint movements for last.Mass-building comes with a set of rules. That means starting your workout with the most challenging exercises and heaviest loads, hitting the thighs from a variety of angles, keeping the volume (number of total sets and reps) high, and training to muscle failure.The workout follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately. The workouts target four muscle groups: quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. To shorten the workout, you could eliminate exercises for calves, hamstrings, or both; if so, hit calves and hammies on a different training day.
Notes
Do as many warm-up reps as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure by the target rep listed.
If you have a spotter, do a few forced reps on your 1-2 heaviest sets of each exercise.
Greater Leg Definition:
Simply doing more work with light weight for high reps isn't enough to get you lean. To keep your metabolism high, you still need that stimulus for building and keeping muscle size. That will help boost excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which roughly translates to the number of calories you burn after your workout is over.
-
That's why the first exercise here is done straight-sets-style, but the rest of the workout consists of super-sets with multi-joint exercises, along with reduced rest periods and a high volume of work.
- Simply doing more work with light weight for high reps isn't enough to get you lean. To keep your metabolism high, you still need that stimulus for building and keeping muscle size.
-
That's why the first exercise here is done straight-sets-style, but the rest of the workout consists of super-sets with multi-joint exercises, along with reduced rest periods and a high volume of work.
- Simply doing more work with light weight for high reps isn't enough to get you lean. To keep your metabolism high, you still need that stimulus for building and keeping muscle size.
Starting Strong:
-
Learning to squat can be a challenge, which is why the simple goblet version is a great place to start. The idea here is to learn and practice movement patterns before loading them with heavier weights or graduating to more complex moves.
The idea here is to learn and practice movement patterns before loading them with heavier weights or graduating to more complex moves.
- This workout is largely machine based, which allows for a more controlled introduction to weight training. As your coordination improves and your muscles strengthen, move on to more challenging free-weight moves and heavier loads.
- Learning to squat can be a challenge, which is why the simple goblet version is a great place to start. The idea here is to learn and practice movement patterns before loading them with heavier weights or graduating to more complex moves.The idea here is to learn and practice movement patterns before loading them with heavier weights or graduating to more complex moves.
- This workout is largely machine based, which allows for a more controlled introduction to weight training. As your coordination improves and your muscles strengthen, move on to more challenging free-weight moves and heavier loads.
Notes
- Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
- Choose a weight that allows you to approach muscle failure by the target rep listed, but stop a rep or two short. Proper technique starts to give way when you push to muscle failure, and your priority here is learning good form.
- Start the workout with more challenging multi-joint movements. Because they recruit a larger amount of muscle mass, rest periods are correspondingly longer.
- Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
- Choose a weight that allows you to approach muscle failure by the target rep listed, but stop a rep or two short. Proper technique starts to give way when you push to muscle failure, and your priority here is learning good form.
- Start the workout with more challenging multi-joint movements. Because they recruit a larger amount of muscle mass, rest periods are correspondingly longer.
Emphasize Your Quads:
-
Because multijoint leg movements work your legs from top to bottom, it's impossible to completely isolate one area over another. However, you can emphasize one area over another. In this case, we're trying to maximize the range of motion of the knee joint while limiting the range of motion at the hip joint. One way to do this is by changing up your foot position on machine exercises.
The front squat also emphasizes the quads more than, say, a barbell back squat does by shifting your center of gravity forward. With heavy partials, you're not going deep, so you can really overload the quads; put on up to 30 percent more weight than you normally use, but go only part of the way down.
This workout follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately. Note that this workout covers only quads and glutes; add hamstring and calf exercises as desired.
- Because multijoint leg movements work your legs from top to bottom, it's impossible to completely isolate one area over another. However, you can emphasize one area over another.
- Because multijoint leg movements work your legs from top to bottom, it's impossible to completely isolate one area over another. However, you can emphasize one area over another. In this case, we're trying to maximize the range of motion of the knee joint while limiting the range of motion at the hip joint. One way to do this is by changing up your foot position on machine exercises.The front squat also emphasizes the quads more than, say, a barbell back squat does by shifting your center of gravity forward. With heavy partials, you're not going deep, so you can really overload the quads; put on up to 30 percent more weight than you normally use, but go only part of the way down.This workout follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately. Note that this workout covers only quads and glutes; add hamstring and calf exercises as desired.
- Because multijoint leg movements work your legs from top to bottom, it's impossible to completely isolate one area over another. However, you can emphasize one area over another.
Notes:
Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure by the target rep listed.
This scheme follows a reverse pyramid, meaning you lighten the weight after your first 1-2 sets for slightly higher reps.
If you have a spotter, do a few forced reps on your 1-2 heaviest sets of each exercise.
Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
While you tried to minimize hip flexion/extension in the quad-focused workout, here you want to maximize it. Do that by choosing exercises and foot positions that allow the glutes to be trained through their full range of motion. Be sure to descend fairly deep in all squatting motions; otherwise, you'll limit glute activation.
The workout again follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately. The last exercise, the Romanian deadlift, is considered a hamstring exercise, but it focuses on the upper region as well as the glutes, especially the glute-ham tie-in
While you tried to minimize hip flexion/extension in the quad-focused workout, here you want to maximize it. Do that by choosing exercises and foot positions that allow the glutes to be trained through their full range of motion.
Add knee-joint hamstring and calf exercises as desired for a complete leg workout.
Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Add knee-joint hamstring and calf exercises as desired for a complete leg workout.
Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure by the target rep listed.
This scheme follows a reverse pyramid, meaning you lighten the weight after your first 1-2 sets for slightly higher reps.
If you have a spotter, do a few forced reps on your 1-2 heaviest sets of each exercise.
Emphasize Your Hamstrings:
-
Hams shouldn't be an afterthought, and not just for aesthetic reasons; they also support knee-joint integrity. Most bodybuilders are familiar with the family of leg-curl movements, which can be done lying, seated, standing, or with one knee supported on a bench. Don't forget to work the hams from the hip joint as well, which means doing Romanians.
Often confused with the stiff-legged deadlift (a lower-back exercise) and even the conventional deadlift (with Romanians, the plates never touch the floor), it's an effective move for the upper hams where they tie in with the glutes.
Don't forget, your hams also get worked when you squat deep and when you control the speed of the descent in squatting motions. However, that amount of work isn't enough to let you skip dedicated hamstring exercises. If you decide to split your quad and ham workouts into two different days, separate them by at least 48 hours to ensure full recovery. Or tack this workout onto the end of a quad/glute workout, occasionally even doing it prior.
This workout again follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately.
Good form is critical with RDLs—keep your back flat and never try to achieve excessive range of motion if it causes your back to round.ood form is critical with RDLs—keep your back flat and never try to achieve excessive range of motion if it causes your back to round.
Hams shouldn't be an afterthought, and not just for aesthetic reasons; they also support knee-joint integrity. Most bodybuilders are familiar with the family of leg-curl movements, which can be done lying, seated, standing, or with one knee supported on a bench. Don't forget to work the hams from the hip joint as well, which means doing Romanians.
Often confused with the stiff-legged deadlift (a lower-back exercise) and even the conventional deadlift (with Romanians, the plates never touch the floor), it's an effective move for the upper hams where they tie in with the glutes.
Don't forget, your hams also get worked when you squat deep and when you control the speed of the descent in squatting motions. However, that amount of work isn't enough to let you skip dedicated hamstring exercises. If you decide to split your quad and ham workouts into two different days, separate them by at least 48 hours to ensure full recovery. Or tack this workout onto the end of a quad/glute workout, occasionally even doing it prior.
This workout again follows a reverse-pyramid protocol, which allows you to take more total sets to muscle failure. As the rep target goes up, be sure to lighten the weight commensurately.
Notes
Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure by the target rep listed.
This scheme follows a reverse pyramid, meaning you lighten the weight after your first 1-2 sets for slightly higher reps.
If you have trouble doing the floor glute-ham raise at the end of your workout, do it earlier when you're less fatigued.
Alternate seated and lying leg curls for the standing single-leg curls so you're including all three at least once every three workouts.
Pre-Exhaust Your Legs:
This workout starts by targeting just your quads with a single-joint movement. By the time you get to the multijoint exercises that follow, your quads will already be highly fatigued—but your glutes and hams will have been spared. Neither muscle group will be the weak link in those follow-up exercises; you'll be pushing your quads, however, to their limit.
This more advanced method of training is a great way to rise above a plateau. Even though you'll be significantly stronger on your leg extensions—which you normally do toward the end of your workout—keep the reps relatively high to avoid overtaxing the knee joint. With the quads prefatigued, everything that follows will feel harder, so lighten the weights up here, too.
This workout starts by targeting just your quads with a single-joint movement. By the time you get to the multijoint exercises that follow, your quads will already be highly fatigued—but your glutes and hams will have been spared. Neither muscle group will be the weak link in those follow-up exercises; you'll be pushing your quads, however, to their limit.
With the quads prefatigued, everything that follows will feel harder, so lighten the weights up here, too.
Notes
Do as many warm-ups as you need, but never take them to muscle failure.
Choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure by the target rep listed.
By flip-flopping the exercises, you'll be a little stronger on your single-joint moves but weaker on multi joint ones, so adjust your weights accordingly.
Straight Up Legs:
The leg extension is
an isolation exercise that targets your quadriceps, the muscles on the front of
your thigh.
·
Leg Extension. 3 sets.
14, 12, 10 reps. ...
·
Leg Press How to. 4
sets. 20, 17, 14, 11 reps. ...
·
Romanian Dead lift You'll need: Barbell How to. 3 sets. 10,10,10 reps. ...
·
Seated Leg Curl. 4
sets. 14, 12, 10, 8 reps. ...
·
Barbell Squat You'll
need: Barbell How to. 5 sets.
·
Calf raise Workout
Leg Extension:
1.
For this exercise you
will need to use a leg extension machine. ...
Leg Press:
1.
Using a leg press
machine, sit down on the machine and place your legs on the platform directly
in front of you at a medium (shoulder width) foot stance. Lower the safety bars
holding the weighted platform in place and press the platform all the way up
until your legs are fully extended in front of you. Tip: Make sure that you do not lock your knees.
Your torso and the legs should make a perfect 90-degree angle. This will be
your starting position.
2. As you inhale, slowly
lower the platform until your upper and lower legs make a 90-degree angle.
The leg press is
a weight training exercise in which the individual pushes a weight or
resistance away from them using their legs. The term leg press also
refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. The leg press can be used to evaluate an athlete's
overall lower body strength (from knee joint to hip).
Romanian Dead lift:
1.
Hold a bar at hip
level with a pronated (palms facing down) grip. Your shoulders should be back,
your back arched, and your knees slightly bent. This will be your starting
position.
Flexibility
just below the knee. Any further movement will be compensation and should be
avoided for this movement.
Lying Leg Curls:
1.
Adjust the machine
lever to fit your height and lie face down on the leg curl machine with the pad
of the lever on the back of your legs (just a few inches under the calves). Tip: Preferably use a leg curl machine that is
angled as opposed to flat since an angled position is more favorable for
hamstrings recruitment.
Do
not ever use so much weight on the exercise that you start using swinging and
jerking as you can risk both lower back injury and also a hamstring injury.
Calf raises muscles
The calf is composed
of two different muscles: the gastronomic, which is easily visible providing
the shape when your calf is flexed; and the soles, which lies underneath the
gastronomic, giving the depth to your calf. When you are doing standing calf
raises you are effectively working the gastronomic. When you are seated, the
bent angle of your knee takes the larger gastronomic out of the movement
thereby putting the majority of the workload on the underlying soles. The
function of the soles is exactly the same as the gastronomic, to raise the
heel. The only difference is that it works in a different position when the
knee is bent. So, while it may seem logical that the two exercises are simply
for the calves, in reality you need to work the two muscles differently for
total calf development.
· Stand with your toes on
the platform and your heels hanging off the end of
platform.Put your shoulders under
the pads and straighten your legs, lifting the weight clear of the support Keeping your legs
straight, while inhaling slowly lower your heels and weight as far as possible,
pause and absorb the stretch into the calf.Rise up on your toes as
far as possible while exhaling, hold the contraction briefly then lower to the
starting position.
The leg extension is an isolation exercise that targets your quadriceps, the muscles on the front of your thigh.
·
Leg Extension. 3 sets.
14, 12, 10 reps. ...
·
Leg Press How to. 4
sets. 20, 17, 14, 11 reps. ...
·
Romanian Dead lift You'll need: Barbell How to. 3 sets. 10,10,10 reps. ...
·
Seated Leg Curl. 4
sets. 14, 12, 10, 8 reps. ...
·
Barbell Squat You'll
need: Barbell How to. 5 sets.
·
Calf raise Workout
Leg Extension:
Leg Press:
1.
Using a leg press
machine, sit down on the machine and place your legs on the platform directly
in front of you at a medium (shoulder width) foot stance. Lower the safety bars
holding the weighted platform in place and press the platform all the way up
until your legs are fully extended in front of you. Tip: Make sure that you do not lock your knees.
Your torso and the legs should make a perfect 90-degree angle. This will be
your starting position.
2. As you inhale, slowly
lower the platform until your upper and lower legs make a 90-degree angle.
3. Pushing mainly with
the heels of your feet and using the quadriceps go back to the starting position as you exhale.
4. Repeat for the
recommended amount of repetitions and ensure to lock the safety pins properly
once you are done. You do not want that platform falling on you fully loaded.
Always
check to make sure that when you re-rack the weight the platform is securely
locked.
The leg press is
a weight training exercise in which the individual pushes a weight or
resistance away from them using their legs. The term leg press also
refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. The leg press can be used to evaluate an athlete's
overall lower body strength (from knee joint to hip).
Romanian Dead lift:
1.
Hold a bar at hip
level with a pronated (palms facing down) grip. Your shoulders should be back,
your back arched, and your knees slightly bent. This will be your starting
position.
2.
Lower the bar by
moving your butt back as far as you can. Keep the bar close to your body, your
head looking forward, and your shoulders back. Done correctly, you should reach
the maximum range of your hamstring
Flexibility
just below the knee. Any further movement will be compensation and should be
avoided for this movement.
1.
At the bottom of your
range of motion, return the starting position by driving the hips forward to
stand up tall.
Lying Leg Curls:
1.
Adjust the machine
lever to fit your height and lie face down on the leg curl machine with the pad
of the lever on the back of your legs (just a few inches under the calves). Tip: Preferably use a leg curl machine that is
angled as opposed to flat since an angled position is more favorable for
hamstrings recruitment.
2.
Keeping the torso flat
on the bench, ensure your legs are fully stretched and grab the side handles of
the machine. Position your toes straight (or you can also use any of the other
two stances described on the foot positioning section). This will be your
starting position.
3.
As you exhale, curl
your legs up as far as possible without lifting the upper legs from the pad. Once
you hit the fully contracted position, hold it for a second.
4.
As you inhale, bring
the legs back to the initial position. Repeat for the recommended amount of
repetitions.
Do
not ever use so much weight on the exercise that you start using swinging and
jerking as you can risk both lower back injury and also a hamstring injury.
Since you have three
foot positions you have in reality three exercises. The movement can also be
performed with a dumbbell held in between your feet (a partner needs to place
it properly). This latter exercise though is only suitable for advanced
trainees. Finally, it is also possible to just use one leg at a time for better
isolation.
Calf raises muscles
The calf is composed
of two different muscles: the gastronomic, which is easily visible providing
the shape when your calf is flexed; and the soles, which lies underneath the
gastronomic, giving the depth to your calf. When you are doing standing calf
raises you are effectively working the gastronomic. When you are seated, the
bent angle of your knee takes the larger gastronomic out of the movement
thereby putting the majority of the workload on the underlying soles. The
function of the soles is exactly the same as the gastronomic, to raise the
heel. The only difference is that it works in a different position when the
knee is bent. So, while it may seem logical that the two exercises are simply
for the calves, in reality you need to work the two muscles differently for
total calf development.
· Stand with your toes on
the platform and your heels hanging off the end of
platform.Put your shoulders under
the pads and straighten your legs, lifting the weight clear of the support Keeping your legs
straight, while inhaling slowly lower your heels and weight as far as possible,
pause and absorb the stretch into the calf.Rise up on your toes as
far as possible while exhaling, hold the contraction briefly then lower to the
starting position.
hi leg extension and calf do workout alternatively possible http://keranfitness.blogspot.in/2017/11/legs-workoutleg-extensionleg-press.html#comments
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