Photo Credit: www.pexels.com
Training legs is something everybody should take seriously. If you want an all round sculpted, proportioned physique, then you really need to make sure you’re doing it right. There’s no one way to train your legs, but there are some rules you can use to make sure you’re getting the results you want.
Figure Out What Needs The Most Work
Take a look at your legs and assess where you feel you might be the most dominant. If you have a flat bum and large quads, you are quad dominant. Unless you want bigger quads, you should avoid training them. Instead, focus on the glute muscles. The same goes for the other way around too. Some people will be more dominant in places than others.
Make The Mind Muscle Connection
Making the mind muscle connection really can make all the difference to the way your legs shape up. If you just go through the motions when you train, even if you find weights challenging, you won’t necessarily get the most out of your sessions. If you want to focus on the glutes, really think about them as you train. Feel the muscle working. Even imagine the muscle growing! It really works.
Focus On Free Weights And Compound Movements
Of course you can use both machines and isolation exercises to target different parts of the leg and get results. However, they shouldn’t be as important to you as free weights and compound movements. Squatting, walking lunges, split squats, and exercises like that are all so good for training different parts of the leg. Take a look at this split squat exercise progression to give you more of an idea of what to do. You don’t need to change the exercises every time you do them either. You can stick with the same exercises as long as you improve every time.
Warm Up And Cool Down
Warming up and cooling down is a must when training. However, don’t get it the wrong way round. Some people start stretching before training, but it’s never a good idea to stretch a cool muscle. Instead, do some dynamic warm ups, such as squatting without weight, uphill walking, and star jumping. Get your heart pumping and body nice and warm to begin. When it’s time to cool down, make sure you stretch out the muscle in use properly and maybe even foam roll it. Hot baths can help with soreness if you’re not used to training!
Monitor Your Progress
Monitor your progress properly so you can continue to improve. Take pictures and write down your weights so you can aim to get better each and every time. Either lift heavier, or do another rep. Challenging yourself like this will get you the best results.
Start using these tips to really get the most out of training your legs. Remember, if you want to feel the burn somewhere you are less dominant, such as the glutes, then you should warm up with activation exercises beforehand. Glute bridges, squats, and things like that without weights should help. A couple of sets should be enough before you move on to weights!