Right up there with getting six-pack abs, the legs are a region that many men love to target in the gym. Here’s the thing: you can’t spot reduce. What you can do is develop more lean muscle in a targeted area to build strong legs. These exercises strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, and calves and even hit your core.
Below are 3 Ways to Build Strong Legs
Squat Everyday to Build Strong Legs
The squat serves as the foundation for all lower-body exercises. So if you want the best results, you need to spend time in squat position daily. This doesn’t mean you need to squat heavy or even underload everyday. But it does mean you need to 1, accumulate as many reps as possible of the squat,2, spend as much time as possible in a deep squat position.
To start, I suggest squatting under load three times per week. As for the other days, you should do bodyweight squats and squat mobility work like spending 5-to-10 minutes in a deep squat. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. Simple rotate between barbell front squats, barbell back squats, box squats, and goblet squats. Be sure to mix the load and rep scheme within the same week or every couple weeks to prevent plateaus. Do heavy strength work in the 3-to-5 rep range, hypertrophy work in the 6-to-12 rep range, and endurance work in the 15 –to-20 plus rep range.
Deadlift Heavy at Least Once a Week to Build Strong Legs
Deadlifting isn’t for everyone. But if you can do it safely and without pain, I highly recommend you deadlift at least once per week. It’s a total-body strength and muscle builder and it adds slabs of meat to your back, hips, and hashstrings. This extra strength and muscle provides the balance your body needs to look and perform better. If you can’t make it work with conventional or sumo deadlifts, try trap bar deadlifts or rack pulls instead. You could also perform straight-leg deadlifts. Keep the reps between 1 and 5 for most or your sets, pull from a dead-start with a pause, and reset between each rep. Focus on progressively adding weight over time. Save the high-rep metabolic work for swings and squats. The goal here is raw strength and good form.
Build Up Strength With Bulgarians for Strong Legs
Single leg exercises are the key to balance and symmetry between sides. They also unload your spine and improve your hip mobility and core stability. Recent studies have shown that the Bulgarian-or rear-foot-elevated split squat-may be just as effective as the regular squat for muscle and strength gains, while putting less stress on your back. Do the Bulgarian split squat at least once a week. If needed, you can also use it in place of squatting all together. Your goal should be to perform multiple sets of 10-plus reps while holding a combined weight that is at least half your body weight.
