Best leg exercises

Best leg exercises

Your legs are made up of some of your largest muscles, which support you during most of your daily activities and everyday movements.

Having stronger leg muscles can make it easier to walk, run, jump, lunge, squat down and balance, as well as help to build stronger bones, reduce your risk of injury, and improve your overall fitness and workout performance. There are so many benefits!

Because your leg muscles are some of the largest in your body, leg workouts also require a lot of energy and are a great way to get your heart rate up, challenge your cardiovascular system and work out in different heart rate zones. Next time you do a leg workout, notice how much your heart rate picks up. Cardio isn`t the only way to build your fitness!

Knowing which leg exercises are the most effective can help take your workout routine to the next level. Most of these don`t require complicated movements or equipment - there is power in simplicity! You can use free weights such as dumbbells or a barbell, machines at the gym, or just your bodyweight.

When you train your legs, you should aim to include a range of exercises that strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, calves and quadriceps. Compound exercises, such as squats and deadlifts, engage several major muscle groups at once and can be a fantastic way to train your lower body.

Machine leg exercises

You can do these exercises using machines at the gym to help strengthen your legs.

Using machines can help you isolate and train specific muscles in your lower body to build strength, power and speed.

Hack squat

This squat variation keeps your upper back and hips in a stable position, reducing the reliance on core strength compared to a barbell squat and putting more of the load on your quads.

Leg press

The leg press targets your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Many gyms have a 45-degree leg press , or a horizontal leg press - both are great!

Leg extensions

This exercise targets your quads, using the lever action of the leg to load your thigh muscle. It`s an effective exercise for building lower body strength and muscle definition.