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	<title>leg exercises &#8211; The Muscle Program</title>
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	<item>
		<title>Best Leg Workout for Beginners for Muscle Mass Gains</title>
		<link>https://www.themuscleprogram.com/best-leg-workout-for-beginners/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason Stallworth]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2021 17:04:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Beginners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bodybuilding for beginners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg exercises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg workouts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[workouts for beginners]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.themuscleprogram.com/?p=22553</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s face it, leg day is the toughest day of the week. Sure, you get great upper body workouts (especially on chest day!). But training legs is brutal. And it&#8217;s frustrating when you train them week after week but you&#8217;re not seeing the results you want. Your quads and hams just aren&#8217;t growing at the...]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Let&#8217;s face it, leg day is the toughest day of the week. Sure, you get great upper body workouts <em>(especially on chest day!)</em>. But training legs is brutal.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And it&#8217;s frustrating when you train them week after week but you&#8217;re not seeing the results you want. Your quads and hams just aren&#8217;t growing at the rate your upper body is. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That&#8217;s why in this post, I&#8217;m going to give you the <strong>best leg workout for beginners to ignite muscle growth</strong>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;re also going to learn some <em>simple methods</em> that you can start doing right now to <strong>gain more mass in your legs</strong>. And I&#8217;ll explain these in more detail below. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mass Gains Leg Workout for Beginners</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here&#8217;s the <strong>best leg workout for beginners</strong>:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Warm-up with Leg Extensions</strong>: 2 x 10</li><li><strong>Squats</strong>: 5 x 8-10</li><li><strong>Leg Press</strong>: 4 x 12</li><li><strong>Lying Leg Curls</strong>: 4 x 10</li><li><strong>Leg Extensions</strong>: 4 x 15</li><li><strong>Seated or Standing Calve Raises</strong>: 5 x 15</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now let&#8217;s dive deeper into each exercise. I&#8217;m also going to share some additional methods that you can use to <strong>gain more size and strength in your legs</strong>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warming Up Before Squats for Beginners</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I know, I know, you want to jump into the rack right away and start pumping out some heavy squats. But I <em>strongly</em> recommend that you do some type of warm-up first. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can start by doing a couple of light sets of leg extensions. 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps should do the trick.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Set 1</strong>: Light weight for 10 reps</li><li><strong>Set 2</strong>: Light-moderate weight for 12 reps</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can throw in a third set if you like. And once you get more advanced, you may even want to perform leg extensions with working sets before you squat <em>(I personally do this now)</em>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another warm-up method you may want to consider is doing 10-15 minutes of walking on the treadmill. Or you could ride the recumbent bike as a warm-up. The idea is to <strong><a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/prefierce-review/" data-type="post" data-id="19265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get the blood flowing in your legs</a></strong> and warm-up your muscles and more importantly, your joints. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Squats: Why They&#8217;re Crucial for Beginners</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Squats-parallel-perfect-squat.jpg" alt="Squats - parallel perfect squat" class="wp-image-20370" width="512" height="400" srcset="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Squats-parallel-perfect-squat.jpg 1024w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Squats-parallel-perfect-squat-300x234.jpg 300w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Squats-parallel-perfect-squat-768x600.jpg 768w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Squats-parallel-perfect-squat-150x117.jpg 150w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Squats-parallel-perfect-squat-600x469.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Squats are the king of exercises</strong>. That&#8217;s been said by countless bodybuilders, powerlifters, and other top-tier strength athletes. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Squats are going to be the key to building your foundation of muscle mass. Getting good at this exercise will help you get stronger and build more muscle in other areas as well.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Can you gain size without squats?</strong> Sure, but understand that squats are more than just a leg exercise. Squats are a <em>full-body exercise</em> and that will help you pack on more overall muscle mass. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Make squatting every week a priority</strong>. And as a beginner, go for 4- sets of 8-10 reps on squats. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leg Press for Beginners: The Dos and Don&#8217;ts</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Leg press can be an excellent exercise to build mass for beginners. You can load up some decent weight and pump out more reps.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>But leg press can also be the worst exercise for legs</strong>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As you&#8217;ve seen, most guys will pile on as many 45 lb. plates that will fit on the leg press machine. And you know what happens after that. They lower the platform down about two inches and call that a rep. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These guys usually have stick-legs. Why? Because they&#8217;re not performing leg press the right way.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to get bigger legs with leg press, you have to two things:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Do more reps</li><li>Do controlled reps</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You will more than likely find that your legs respond best to higher reps, in general. And they will definitely respond better to higher volume (more sets and reps, overall). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, doing controlled reps is what&#8217;s really going to make your legs grow. Especially on the leg press. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Controlled reps</strong> simply mean forcing your muscles to work harder. You&#8217;re taking a little more time throughout each rep and making sure that you feel your quads, hamstrings, and glutes working rather than just lifting the weight from point A to B. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Isolated Leg Exercises for Beginners</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After squats and leg press, it&#8217;s time to move on to some <strong>isolated exercises</strong>. You now want to directly target your quads, hamstrings, and calves. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are the basic exercises you&#8217;re doing:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Leg extensions for quads</li><li>Leg curl for hamstrings</li><li>Calf raises for calves</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As a beginner, you do need to focus more on compound exercises like squats. However, it&#8217;s also good to integrate these isolation exercises, especially if you&#8217;re going the bodybuilding route and want that muscle mass and definition. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The biggest thing here is don&#8217;t overthink these exercises. Just do anywhere from 3-5 sets of 10-15 reps each. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For leg extensions and calf raises, try the higher reps (12-15). For leg curls, you may find that doing 10 reps is more effective. Your hamstrings may respond a little differently from quads and calves, which require more volume. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What About Deadlifts for Legs for Beginners?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deadlifts-365.jpg" alt="Deadlifts - 365" class="wp-image-22118" width="512" height="400" srcset="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deadlifts-365.jpg 1024w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deadlifts-365-300x234.jpg 300w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deadlifts-365-768x600.jpg 768w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deadlifts-365-150x117.jpg 150w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deadlifts-365-600x469.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Deadlifts are another full-body exercise and are preferred for <strong>building your foundation for size</strong>. However, when you&#8217;re just starting out, I would rather you do deadlifts on another day.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The reason for this is both squats and deadlifts take a lot out of you. Trying to tackle them on the same day along with the other leg exercises you&#8217;re doing isn&#8217;t a good idea. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You could do deadlifts on back day or do them on a different day. If you&#8217;d like to read more about deadlifts and other compound exercises for beginners, read my post: <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/fundamentals-of-weight-training/" data-type="post" data-id="13584" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fundamentals of Weight Training</a>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Leg Training Tips for Beginners</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ve got an awesome leg workout for beginners and we broke down each type of exercise. Now let&#8217;s dig into some additional strategies that will help you gain more muscle mass. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Do some type of squat every leg workout! Never stray from the basic principles for building muscle.</li><li>Add more volume to your leg workouts (you can do this by simply adding another set to each exercise).</li><li>Increase your reps, especially for exercises like leg extensions and even leg press &#8211; you may find your legs respond better to higher reps.</li><li>Alternate different foot positions on the leg press (wide, regular, close &#8211; you&#8217;ll see this example in the workout below).</li><li>Remember to control the weight as you&#8217;re lifting; don&#8217;t let the weight control you.</li><li>Spend 5-10 minutes stretching your quads and hamstrings after each leg workout.</li><li>Give yourself at least 4 days before training legs again. The once-a-week rule works as well. </li><li>Go heavy but not to the point where you&#8217;re sacrificing your form or safety. </li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, as you gain more experience you can start adding techniques like drop sets and rest-pause sets to make your workouts more intense. At that point, you&#8217;ll be ready for one of my <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/shop/" data-type="page" data-id="14895" target="_blank">premium training programs</a></strong>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Faster Results and Nutrients Needed for Building Legs</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before we get into this next part, please understand that there&#8217;s nothing that replaces training hard and consistency. Nothing. Period.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And there&#8217;s no magic pill or supplement that&#8217;s going to give you unrealistic gains. However, there are some things you can do to get faster results, as long as you&#8217;re doing everything else right&#8230;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You need to ensure that you&#8217;re giving your body the proper nutrients (and balance of those nutrients) to gain muscle and size. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When you workout hard, you deplete your body of these nutrients. Especially on leg day because remember, leg training takes a lot more effort than training your other muscle groups. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And not only do you need to replenish those for muscle growth, but you also need more than the average person that doesn&#8217;t train hard (or at all).  <em>Because you&#8217;re certainly not average. </em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are the <strong>nutrients that you need to gain more size</strong> in your legs (and gain muscle, in general): </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Vitamin D</li><li>Zinc</li><li>Magnesium</li><li>B vitamins</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Those are the must-have vitamins and micronutrients needed for muscle growth. And it&#8217;s a good idea to get into the habit of taking these as a beginner (those good habits will carry forward).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These essential nutrients can also help <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/testofierce-review/" data-type="post" data-id="19473" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">boost your testosterone naturally</a>. And if you want to take it further, you can add ingredients like DAA (D-aspartic acid), fenugreek, and BioPerine. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That leads me to one supplement that contains all of this (and more). It&#8217;s actually more cost-efficient to take as opposed to having to buy all of those supplements individually.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re like to learn more, click here: <strong><a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/testofierce-review/" data-type="post" data-id="19473" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Recommended Test Booster for Mass Gains</a></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Nutrition for Leg Gains</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lastly, although this probably should have been first, you need to make sure you&#8217;re eating plenty of quality foods to gain muscle mass as a beginner. Develop those good eating habits now. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are some nutrition tips for beginners for mass gains:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Eat 5-6 meals a day</li><li>Make sure you&#8217;re getting plenty of protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats (yes, you need all macronutrients)</li><li>Eat a meal (or drink a shake) with high protein and some simple carbs for post-workout</li><li>Make sure you have adequate fuel before you train</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can also check out my <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/product/sensible-muscle-building-meal-plan/" data-type="product" data-id="22001" target="_blank">Sensible Muscle Building Meal Plan</a></strong> in my shop. That&#8217;s the only nutrition guide you&#8217;ll ever need. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Train with Passion,</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jason</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>5 Leg Press Mistakes (and How to Correct Them)</title>
		<link>https://www.themuscleprogram.com/leg-press-mistakes/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason Stallworth]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2020 17:12:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Gym Workouts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg exercises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg workouts]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.themuscleprogram.com/?p=19679</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Leg press can be an awesome exercise for building huge legs. But it can also be a wasted exercise if you don&#8217;t do it right. In this post, I&#8217;m going to share the 5 &#8216;huge&#8217; mistakes when it comes to leg press. And making these mistakes can actually do more harm than good. The awesome...]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Leg press can be an awesome exercise for building huge legs. But it can also be a <strong>wasted exercise</strong> if you don&#8217;t do it right.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In this post, I&#8217;m going to share the <strong>5 &#8216;huge&#8217; mistakes when it comes to leg press</strong>. And making these mistakes can actually do more harm than good. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The awesome news is I&#8217;m also going to show you how to correct these mistakes. And you&#8217;ll learn how just a few simple changes can help you build bigger, more muscular legs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mistake #1: Lack of Range of Motion</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-1024x600.png" alt="Leg Press close stance" class="wp-image-3140" width="495" height="290" srcset="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-1024x600.png 1024w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-600x352.png 600w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-150x88.png 150w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-300x176.png 300w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-768x450.png 768w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-80x47.png 80w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-220x129.png 220w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-171x100.png 171w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-256x150.png 256w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-406x238.png 406w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-708x415.png 708w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-831x487.png 831w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-1015x595.png 1015w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout-50x29.png 50w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leg-Press-Workout.png 1220w" sizes="(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px" /></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The first mistake I noticed people doing on leg press is not getting a full range of motion. They go down a few inches and think that they did a rep. Nope, not even close!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are two <strong>problems with restricted range of motion</strong>:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>You&#8217;re not fully working your muscles and you&#8217;re basically cheating yourself from making gains.</li><li>You may be putting more pressure on your knees and joint by stopping your range of motion too soon.</li></ol>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the reasons people don&#8217;t get a full range of motion is because of the angle of the leg press machine. Laying back like that makes you feel you&#8217;re bringing your legs down further than what you really are.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another reason for this is because <strong>many go way too heavy on leg press</strong>. I&#8217;ll talk more about that later, below. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You may also be more prone to injury when you don&#8217;t go at least parallel on the leg press. The stress of the weight is going to be constantly on your knees and joints if you&#8217;re just doing that short range of motion. </p>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph"><strong>How to Fix Your Range of Motion:<br></strong><br>&#8211; Film yourself doing leg press and analyze your form (you will be surprised and maybe even embarrassed, but it will certainly help you fix your range of motion!)<br><br>&#8211; Have a gym buddy, someone who will be honest with you, watch your form and range of motion<br><br>&#8211; Bring the weight down where you feel your quads working and contracting</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mistake #2: Improper (Wide) Foot Placement</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another common mistake, and I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve seen this, is going too wide with your <strong>foot placement</strong> on the leg press platform. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Many have a natural tendency to go wide. Why? Because it allows you to leg press more weight <em>(we&#8217;re going to get to that next!)</em>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The problem with going too wide is that you&#8217;re not working as much of your quads as you may think. In a sense, it makes the exercise <em>easier</em>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>&#8216;Easier&#8217; should not be the goal, though. </em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In fact, you need to <strong>make the exercise more difficult by forcing your muscles to work harder</strong>. That&#8217;s how you build muscle.  </p>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph"><strong>How to Fix Your Foot Placement:<br></strong><br>&#8211; Make sure your feet are about shoulder-width apart<br><br>&#8211; Point your toes outward a little<br><br>&#8211; Press the weight with your heels <em>(this is a side-note but is extremely important and may save you from knee pain)</em><br><br>&#8211; Whereas going wide isn&#8217;t as <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/can-full-body-workouts-build-muscle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effective at building muscle</a>, you can try a narrow foot placement from time to time as this will work your outer quads and hamstrings; it&#8217;s also more difficult and you typically won&#8217;t be able to press as much weight. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mistake #3: Ego Lifting</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/leg-press-machine-heavy.jpg" alt="leg press machine heavy" class="wp-image-19681" width="512" height="400"/></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is the most abused <strong>problem with leg press</strong>. And I know you&#8217;ve seen this just as many times as I have. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Heck, if you&#8217;re like me, you&#8217;ve even been guilty of doing this! And if you&#8217;re currently doing it, you&#8217;ll stop after reading this.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Many, especially guys, will load up the leg press with as many 45 pound plates that will fit. I get it&#8230;it looks cool. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But trust me when I say <strong>your ego is preventing you from building big legs</strong>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Think about it. How many dudes in the gym have you seen doing over 1,000 pounds on leg press only to have skinny legs? That alone should tell you something.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The other issue we&#8217;ve all seen is these same guys leg pressing massive amounts of weights can&#8217;t even squat 225. That&#8217;s a &#8216;huge&#8217; problem. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are the <strong>problems with trying to leg press too much weight</strong>:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Go back and re-read Mistake #1 because this is the prime reason why people don&#8217;t do a full range of motion on the leg press</li><li>Re-read Mistake #2 because you&#8217;re going to have a tendency to use a foot placement that allows you to press the most weight, not build the most muscle</li><li>It&#8217;s downright dangerous and ineffective </li><li>Your knees and joints are taking a beating for no good reason</li><li>You&#8217;re only training your ego</li></ul>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph"><strong>How to Check Your Ego with Leg Press:<br></strong><br>&#8211; Simply lighten the load and do full reps; you&#8217;ll be amazed at how much more muscle you gaining your legs<br><br>&#8211; Focus less on leg press and work on your squat<br><br>&#8211; Don&#8217;t worry or be bothered by what other people in the gym can leg press</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mistake #4: Pressing with the Balls of Your Feet</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One way to really screw up your knees is pressing with the balls of your feet and letting your heels come up off of the platform.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This typically happens when the <strong>wrong foot placement</strong> is used. Many will place their feet too high or too low on the platform in an attempt to press more weight.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rather, you want to keep your feet flat the entire time. You can even focus on pressing more with your heels as this will help prevent them from coming off the platform during the lift. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>*Improper form and foot placement often tie back to Mistake #3, trying to leg press too much weight. Remember, your focus is on building muscle, not your ego. </em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here&#8217;s a short video where former Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler talks about proper foot placement on the leg press:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jay Cutler&#039;s Training Tips: How To Do A Leg Press Correctly" width="720" height="405" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W1SD96lrudY?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph"><strong>How to Press and Have Proper Foot Placement:<br></strong><br>&#8211; Focus on keeping your feet flat throughout the movement<br><br>&#8211; Put more pressure on the heels of your feet to prevent your heels from coming off of the platform<br><br>&#8211; Make sure you have a shoulder-width foot placement as this will help keep your feet flat throughout each rep</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mistake #5: Reps Are Too Low</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This ties in with using too much weight on the leg press. But that&#8217;s not necessarily the problem all of the time.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The real issue is <strong>we tend to train our legs like our upper body</strong>, going heavy and sometimes doing lower reps for compound movements <em>(think of bench press or barbell rows)</em>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For legs, you need a different approach. Your quads likely have more slow-twitch muscle fibers, which means they may respond better to <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/high-reps-legs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">higher reps and more overall training volume</a>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For leg press, my personal recommendation:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Never go below 12 reps. I&#8217;ve seen far more leg growth from higher reps than years ago when I was &#8216;ego lifting&#8217; and trying to leg press as much as possible. </li><li>Realize that your legs can handle a lot more than you may think. But because of how we typically train our upper body, you may be prone to stop your set short of what you can really do.</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So push yourself further. You&#8217;ll be surprised how many more reps you can crank out, especially on leg press. </p>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph"><strong>How too Correct Your Reps:<br></strong><br>&#8211; As mentioned earlier, use lighter weights on leg press<br><br>&#8211; Push yourself to go to the next level and get those extra reps<br><br>&#8211; Use less rest between sets, and do more sets; this will condition your legs to handle the volume they&#8217;re built to handle</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leg Press the Right Way to Make More Gains</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Leg press sometimes gets a bad rap because of these mistakes. But rather than neglect leg press, you should embrace it. Just make sure you&#8217;re doing it right.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To recap, the way to <strong>make more lower body gains</strong> with leg press is:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Check your ego at the door <em>(this will prevent you from making the majority of other leg press mistakes)</em></li><li>Use proper foot placement and range of motion</li><li>Push your legs to the next level and crank out some reps</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, make sure you have <strong>extreme focus</strong> when doing leg press, and when doing legs in general. Leg training takes more mental effort so you need that clarity. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the ways to have that focus is to take a pre-workout like <strong><a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/prefierce-review/" data-type="post" data-id="19265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PreFierce</a></strong>. Chug a serving of this stuff about 15 minutes before the gym and you&#8217;ll be set.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">*You can <strong><a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/prefierce-review/" data-type="post" data-id="19265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">learn more about PreFierce pre-workout here</a></strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>One final note&#8230;</em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Don&#8217;t use leg press as a replacement for doing squats</strong>. In fact, you should focus more on squats than anything else. That&#8217;s going to build more muscle size than anything.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If this blog post helped you, please consider sharing it! </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Excuses Don&#8217;t Build Muscle,</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jason</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Leg Workout at Home with Light Dumbbells</title>
		<link>https://www.themuscleprogram.com/light-dumbbell-leg-workout/</link>
					<comments>https://www.themuscleprogram.com/light-dumbbell-leg-workout/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason Stallworth]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:03:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[At Home Workouts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[build muscle at home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg exercises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg workouts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[workouts at home]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.themuscleprogram.com/?p=19165</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Can you build your legs at home with just a pair of light dumbbells? In short, yes, it&#8217;s possible. But you have to understand that training legs at home will be much different than when you&#8217;re at the gym. In this post, you&#8217;re going to get a complete leg workout you can do at home...]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Can you <strong>build your legs at home</strong> with just a pair of light dumbbells? </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In short, yes, it&#8217;s possible. But you have to understand that training legs at home will be much different than when you&#8217;re at the gym. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In this post, you&#8217;re going to get a complete <strong>leg workout you can do at home with light dumbbells</strong>. More importantly, I&#8217;m also going to show you some methods that will make your workout more effective. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In fact, you&#8217;re going to be surprised at how brutal this leg workout is. Trust me, you&#8217;ll be out of breath and your quads will be on fire!  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And I&#8217;m going to show you how to work every angle of your legs at home your quads, hamstrings, glutes&#8230;<em>and even your calves!</em> </p>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;m writing this during the time of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak when most gyms around the world are closed.<br><br>This post is not intended to knock lifting heavy weight. Rather, it&#8217;s intended for those times <strong>when you can&#8217;t make it to the gym</strong> or your gym is closed for whatever reason.<br><br>Many do not have heavier weights at home, and buying weights can be expensive. So this workout shows you how to use what you have to get an intense workout <em>(or you can buy a pair of lighter dumbbells, which aren&#8217;t so expensive)</em>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leg Workout</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At a glance, this is going to look similar to a standard <strong>bodybuilding workout for legs</strong> that you would do at the gym. The differences are:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>You&#8217;ll be performing the same movements as you would with a barbell, but <strong>with dumbbells</strong></li><li>You&#8217;ll be doing <strong>higher reps</strong>, which is awesome for growth in your quads </li></ol>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Below are some notes about the workout before you get started:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Your rest time between sets should be about 1 minute</li><li>Since your doing super high reps for most exercises, you may be tempted to rush through them; although you will be moving fast, pumping those reps out, don&#8217;t get sloppy</li><li>Lightly stretch your quads and hamstrings between sets <em>(just simple stretches will do, like holding one leg behind you and toe touches)</em></li><li>Take something to boost your energy and mental focus before you workout, like what I&#8217;m taking: <strong><a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/prefierce-review/" data-type="post" data-id="19265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PreFierce pre-workout</a></strong></li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lastly, push yourself during this workout! If you&#8217;re new to doing this many reps you may want to quit your set too early. You&#8217;re working different muscle fibers here but you&#8217;ll be surprised how far you can go when you really push yourself.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here&#8217;s the workout&#8230;</p>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph"><em>**There are <strong>images</strong> and details for each exercise below the workout. </em></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-fixed-layout has-background"><thead><tr><th>Exercise</th><th>Sets x Reps</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Dumbbell Squats</td><td>4 x 25*</td></tr><tr><td>Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlifts<br>Lateral Raises</td><td>4 x 15</td></tr><tr><td>Sumo Squats</td><td>4 x 20</td></tr><tr><td>Walking Dumbbell Lunges</td><td>2 x 15 <em>(each leg)</em></td></tr><tr><td>Toe (calve) Raises</td><td>2 x 75**</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph">*<strong>Dumbbell Squats</strong>: Depending on how heavy your dumbbells are and how much endurance you have, you may not get all 25 reps for dumbbell squats. And chances are you won&#8217;t on that last set. <br><br>In this case, you will do a rest-pause set. Let&#8217;s say you get 19 reps. You&#8217;ll rest for about 15 seconds and then pump out the remaining reps until you get 15.<br><br>**<strong>Toe Raises</strong>: You&#8217;re going to do one extended set here, which is basically comprised of several rest-pause sets. You&#8217;ll pump out as many reps as you can do (with light dumbbells, I get about 25 reps). Then you&#8217;ll rest for 10 seconds and pump out more reps. <br><br>Keep repeating this until you get a total of 75 reps. I promise you that <strong>you will feel your calves burning</strong>!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leg Exercises with Dumbbells</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;re probably familiar with the <strong>leg exercises</strong> in the workout above. But these are quite different with dumbbells so I&#8217;m going to give you some additional tips below. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dumbbell Squats</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/16.jpg" alt="Dumbbells - legs - squats" data-id="18824" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/16.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/16/" class="wp-image-18824"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/17.jpg" alt="Dumbbells - legs - squats2" data-id="18825" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/17.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/17/" class="wp-image-18825"/></figure></li></ul></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Doing squats with dumbbells will feel much different from regular barbell squats. In fact, <strong>you may feel your quads working even more with dumbbell</strong> <strong>squats</strong>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is largely due to the position of the weight. With barbell squats, the weight is behind your neck on the top of your traps. But with dumbbells, that weight is directly above your shoulders so you&#8217;ll be <strong>recruiting other parts of your quads and glutes</strong> that you may have not felt before if you&#8217;re doing dumbbell squats for the first time. Here are some tips. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Keep a shoulder-width stance with your feet slightly pointed outward</li><li>You&#8217;ll hold the dumbbells in the starting position as if you were about to do a shoulder press</li><li>Since you&#8217;re probably doing these with light dumbbells, take advantage of that and do a full range squat, going all the way down</li><li>Flex your quads and glutes when you get back to the top of the movement (standing position)</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlifts</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_stiffleg.jpg" alt="dumbbell stiff-leg deadlift - woman" data-id="18951" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_stiffleg.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/leg-toning-dumbbell-workout/dumbbell_stiffleg/" class="wp-image-18951"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_stifflef2.jpg" alt="dumbbell stiff-leg deadlift2 - woman" data-id="18950" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_stifflef2.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/leg-toning-dumbbell-workout/dumbbell_stifflef2/" class="wp-image-18950"/></figure></li></ul></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stiff-leg deadlifts are known for <strong>working your hamstrings</strong>. But doing them with dumbbells can help you target your hams even more. Here are some tips to consider.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Maintain a slight arch in your lower back; you do not want to round your back</li><li>You&#8217;ll start with the dumbbells by your side but then you&#8217;ll naturally shift to holding them in front of you as you bend forward; this gives you a better range of motion at the top than you get with a barbell</li><li>Keep the dumbbells close to your body throughout the movement; this will help keep tension on your hamstrings</li><li>Tap into your <strong>mind-to-muscle connection</strong> and concentrate on making your hamstrings pull your body back up each rep</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dumbbell Sumo Squats</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/18.jpg" alt="Dumbbells - legs - sumo squats" data-id="18826" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/18.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/18/" class="wp-image-18826"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/19.jpg" alt="Dumbbells - legs - sumo squats2" data-id="18827" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/19.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/19/" class="wp-image-18827"/></figure></li></ul></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Doing sumo squats with dumbbells is a great exercise to <strong>work your inner leg thighs</strong>. But you can also target other areas in your legs throughout each rep by making a couple of little shifts. I&#8217;m going to show you how to do that below. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Make sure you have a wide but balanced stance</li><li>Point your feet out but keep the pressure on your heels the entire time</li><li>Don&#8217;t let your legs cave in as you squat down; keep them pushed out</li><li>As you&#8217;re squatting up, push your legs out even more; this will also involve your outer thighs as you get back to the standing position</li><li>Keep your shoulders blades clinched as much as possible, and have a slight arch in your lower back; this will help with balance, which will help you focus more on working your leg muscles throughout the movement</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dumbbell Lunges</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_walkinglunge.jpg" alt="dumbbell walking lunges - woman" data-id="18956" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_walkinglunge.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/leg-toning-dumbbell-workout/dumbbell_walkinglunge/" class="wp-image-18956"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_walkinglunge2.jpg" alt="dumbbell walking lunges2 - woman" data-id="18957" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dumbbell_walkinglunge2.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/leg-toning-dumbbell-workout/dumbbell_walkinglunge2/" class="wp-image-18957"/></figure></li></ul></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;re going to do standard dumbbell lunges here, just like you would at the gym. But the best part about doing these at home is you can expand your range by doing walking lunges outside in your yard or on your patio. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Walking lunges are awesome because throughout every step you take <em>(that was not intended to be a Police song pun!)</em>, you&#8217;ll <strong>target a different part of your leg muscles</strong>. Here are some tips to make lunges more effective: </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Take deep strides when doing these; you don&#8217;t want your knee to be over your foot</li><li>Keep constant tension on the quad muscle of the leg once your foot that&#8217;s stepping out touches the ground; control that rep <em>(you&#8217;ll feel your glutes working here, too!)</em></li><li>As you&#8217;re pushing your body back up with that leg, focus on the hamstring muscle of your other leg to assist in that movement; now you&#8217;re working the <strong>agonist and antagonist muscles</strong> at the same time</li><li>Once you&#8217;re back at the standing position, give all of your leg muscles a good squeeze before taking the next step with your other leg</li></ul>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph">There are some muscle-building advantages to working agonist and antagonist muscles together. You can read more about that in my post: <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/lean-and-strong-workout-program/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lean and Strong Workout with Agonist and Antagonist Supersets</a></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dumbbell Toe Raises</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/41.jpg" alt="Dumbbells - legs - toe raises2" data-id="18849" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/41.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/41/" class="wp-image-18849"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="800" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/40.jpg" alt="Dumbbells - legs - toe raises" data-id="18848" data-full-url="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/40.jpg" data-link="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/40/" class="wp-image-18848"/></figure></li></ul></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Doing toe raises while holding a pair of dumbbells sounds simple enough, and it is. But you&#8217;ll find that <strong>this exercise requires more balance</strong> than you probably thought. So here&#8217;s how to do them (without falling over):</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Keep your torso straight and core super tight; this will help you with balance</li><li>Keep the pressure on the balls of your feet throughout the exercise; this will keep constant tension on your calf muscles</li><li>Flex your calves at the top of each rep</li><li>Instead of letting yourself fall back to the starting position, control your reps, forcing the muscles to work harder on the descent of the movement</li><li>The &#8217;75 reps&#8217; you&#8217;re doing for this specific exercise will indeed <strong>make your calves grow</strong>!</li></ul>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph">I show you more methods to increase intensity with light dumbbells in this post: <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/build-muscle-with-light-dumbbells/">How to Build Muscle at Home with Light Dumbbells</a></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="methods-lightchestdb">Making Light Dumbbells Feel Heavy</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can get an <strong>awesome workout at home</strong> even if all you have is a pair of light dumbbells. The key is to force your muscles to work harder every rep. And to do that requires some <strong>intense focus</strong>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are some more tips to make your leg workouts effective so you can build muscle at home:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Concentrate and focus on the muscles you&#8217;re targeting throughout each rep</li><li>Even though you&#8217;re doing higher reps with lighter weights, don&#8217;t rush through your reps</li><li>On the note above, <strong>don&#8217;t let your form get sloppy</strong></li><li>Try your best to keep tension on your leg muscles during the entire set</li><li>Make sure to stretch your quads and hamstrings between sets and after your workout; this helps reduce soreness and can help with muscle recovery and growth</li></ul>



<p class="has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph">Earlier, I recommended <strong>taking a pre-workout supplement</strong>. We all need that extra boost, and the specific product I&#8217;m recommending really helps with mental focus, which is key to training at home. <br><br><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/prefierce-review/" target="_blank" data-type="post" data-id="19265">PreFierce</a></strong> is what I&#8217;ve been taking and it gives you that energy and mental focus so you can pump out these high reps. And it&#8217;s consistent every workout <em>(the effects do not wear off like most pre-workout supplements do)</em>.<br><br>You can learn more about PreFierce and how to purchase by <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/prefierce-review/" target="_blank" data-type="post" data-id="19265">clicking here</a></strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Try this light dumbbell workout at home on your next leg day. And feel free to share this article. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Excuses Don&#8217;t Build Muscle,</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jason</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>Why I Do High Reps for Legs: Build More Ripped Muscle</title>
		<link>https://www.themuscleprogram.com/high-reps-legs/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason Stallworth]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2016 11:50:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Gym Workouts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg exercises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leg workouts]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.themuscleprogram.com/?p=6712</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Before I write this, please understand that I&#8217;m an advocate for lifting heavy weights with lower rep ranges to build size, strength, and dense muscle mass. That will never change.&#160; However, I&#8217;ve found that training legs require a different approach. And in this post, I&#8217;m going to share why I do high reps for legs....]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before I write this, please understand that I&#8217;m an advocate for lifting heavy weights with lower rep ranges to build size, strength, and dense muscle mass. That will never change.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, I&#8217;ve found that training legs require a different approach. And in this post, I&#8217;m going to share <strong>why I do high reps for legs</strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;re also going to get 3 different leg workouts using high reps that you can try. <br><br>And after you read this post, go do one of these workouts and leave a comment to let me know what you think!&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-10">What Exactly is High Reps?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When I say high reps, I mean anywhere from 12 to 20 reps per set. 12 is the absolute minimum. And at times I&#8217;ll go higher, like 25-30 reps. But it&#8217;s usually around the 20&#8217;ish rep range.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="has-background has-very-light-gray-background-color wp-block-paragraph">Over my years (or I should say decades!) of bodybuilding and weight training, I&#8217;ve found that doing high reps for legs literary works like magic for <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/legs-twice-a-week-workout-plan/">building huge quads and hamstrings</a>. <br><br>This simple technique develops both the size and shape of your legs, especially that teardrop in your quads.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-2">Why Low Reps Suck for Legs</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="757" src="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-1024x757.png" alt="leg extensions" class="wp-image-6713" srcset="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-1024x757.png 1024w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-600x444.png 600w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-150x111.png 150w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-300x222.png 300w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-768x568.png 768w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-80x59.png 80w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-220x163.png 220w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-135x100.png 135w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-203x150.png 203w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-322x238.png 322w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-561x415.png 561w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-658x487.png 658w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-804x595.png 804w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth-50x37.png 50w, https://www.themuscleprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Leg-Extensions-Leg-Exercises-Jason-Stallworth.png 1249w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In my younger years, I remember trying to squat heavy. I got stronger in the sense that I would move up in how much I could squat. But the size of my legs never matched the amount of weight I could squat.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now let me take you an extremely familiar scene in the gym&#8230; </p>



<p class="has-background has-very-light-gray-background-color wp-block-paragraph">Have you ever noticed that there are many guys who will load up the leg press with as any 45 lbs plates that will fit? </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Yes, we&#8217;re both laughing right now&#8230;</em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And I&#8217;m sure you also noticed that the majority of these people have mediocre legs, at best. There&#8217;s no massive development or shape to their legs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Part of that is because of the crappy range of motion most use, specifically on the leg press machine. But it&#8217;s more so that they&#8217;re <strong>not stimulating the right muscle fibers in their legs</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-11">The Exception: Squats</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Let me back it up before I get crucified&#8230;there is an exception for squats (in my opinion). I do believe in doing heavy squats, and you should, in fact, start your workout with these. This will build your foundation of strength, size, and power.</p>



<p class="has-background has-very-light-gray-background-color wp-block-paragraph">Heavy squats will also <strong><a href="http://www.testofuel.com?a_aid=5085d21ca94f8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="naturally boost your testosterone (opens in a new tab)">naturally boost your testosterone</a></strong>. But after your heavy sets of squats, it&#8217;s time to kill the rest of your workout with high reps.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-1">Benefits of Training Legs with High Reps</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before we get into the high rep leg workouts, I want to learn the benefits of training legs with high reps. The reason I&#8217;m harping on this so much is that this was the time when I really started to see massive leg growth! So yeah, it&#8217;s time for you to get excited!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here&#8217;s <strong>what you can expect</strong> from training your legs with higher reps:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Extreme pumps in your quads and hams</li><li>Faster gains in overall leg size and mass</li><li>High reps will bring out those striations in your legs</li><li>You&#8217;ll burn more fat from the increased volume of your workouts</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-3">Leg Workouts</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now I&#8217;m going to give you <strong>3 high rep leg workouts</strong> you can do.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>High Rep Leg Workout</strong>: Your new go-to high rep leg workout</li><li><strong>Quick 350 Rep Leg Workout</strong>: Works great as a 2nd leg workout for the week, and if you have limited gym time</li><li><strong>Alternating Quads and Hams Workout</strong>: Based on training agonist and antagonist muscles together</li></ul>



<p class="has-background has-very-light-gray-background-color wp-block-paragraph">It&#8217;s probably obvious that these are also high volume workouts. On that note, make sure you&#8217;re rested and have the energy to plow through these. And a <strong><a href="http://www.4gauge.com?a_aid=5085d21ca94f8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="powerful pre-workout drink like 4 Gauge (opens in a new tab)">powerful pre-workout drink like 4 Gauge</a></strong> will also help.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-4">High Rep Leg Workout</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most of my leg workouts start with leg extensions, and these should be super light. This is a great way to warm up those quads and get your blood pumping.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In this workout, you&#8217;ll do some 12-rep set squats and follow that up with even higher reps on leg press. From there, it&#8217;s the basic extensions and curls, but not so basic with the extreme rep ranges. Get ready!&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background"><thead><tr><th>
<strong>Exercise</strong>
</th><th>
<strong>Sets x Reps</strong>
</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>
Leg Extensions
</td><td>
4 x 20
</td></tr><tr><td>
Squats
</td><td>
4 x 12
</td></tr><tr><td>
Leg Press
</td><td>
5 x 20
</td></tr><tr><td>
Single-Leg Extensions
</td><td>
4 x 12-15
</td></tr><tr><td>
Leg Curls
</td><td>
4 x 12-15
</td></tr><tr><td>
Calve Raises
</td><td>
5 x 15
</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-5">Quick 350 Rep Leg Workout</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll love this high rep leg workout if you&#8217;re short on time. It should only take you about 30 minutes to complete. And you&#8217;ll be doing an insane amount of overall reps&#8230;350!&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You may be wondering where the squats are. I did not include squats in this particular workout as the focus is on quickly getting in and out of the gym, and hitting a massive amount of reps. &nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another thing you&#8217;ll notice is 10 x 10 (10 sets of 10 reps). This technique is based on the <a href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/german-volume-training/">German Volume Training</a> style. Staying on one exercise for 10 sets will allow you to plow through your workout even faster. And you&#8217;ll get a tremendous leg pump!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now, I know I said earlier that high reps start with 12 or more. But it&#8217;s the overall reps in the workout that counts here. And think of the fact that you&#8217;re doing 100 reps for an exercise (10 x 10 for those mathematically challenged!).&nbsp;</p>



<p class="has-background has-very-light-gray-background-color wp-block-paragraph">*This works as a great second leg workout for the week. And I&#8217;m a huge fan of training legs twice a week. In fact, when you&#8217;re done with this post, read my post: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/legs-twice-a-week-workout-plan/" target="_blank"><strong>Training Legs Twice a Week: How to Build Bigger Legs</strong></a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background"><thead><tr><th>
<strong>Exercise</strong>
</th><th>
<strong>Sets x Reps</strong>
</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>
Leg Press
</td><td>
10 x 10
</td></tr><tr><td>
Leg Curls
</td><td>
5 x 15
</td></tr><tr><td>
Leg Extensions
</td><td>
10 x 10
</td></tr><tr><td>
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
</td><td>
5 x 15
</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-6">Alternating Quads and Hams Workout</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This last high rep leg workout is based on training agonists with antagonist muscles, which in this case, quads, and hams.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Of course, most leg workouts are a mix of exercises for both quads and hamstrings. But in this workout, you&#8217;ll be alternating these exercises with supersets.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is based on one of my programs that focuses on getting lean and strong. You can read more about that program here: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.themuscleprogram.com/lean-muscle-building-program/" target="_blank"><strong>Lean Muscle Building Program</strong></a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background"><thead><tr><th>
<strong>Exercise</strong>
</th><th>
<strong>Sets x Reps</strong>
</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>
Squats &#8211; <em>superset with below</em>
</td><td>
4 x 6-8
</td></tr><tr><td>
Lying Leg Curls
</td><td>
4 x 15
</td></tr><tr><td>
Leg Press &#8211; <em>superset with below</em>
</td><td>
4 x 25
</td></tr><tr><td>
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
</td><td>
4 x 15
</td></tr><tr><td>
Leg Extensions &#8211;&nbsp;<em>superset with below</em>
</td><td>
5 x 20
</td></tr><tr><td>
Seated or Standing Leg Curls
</td><td>
5 x 20
</td></tr><tr><td>
Calve Raises
</td><td>
7 x 15
</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-7">High Reps Doesn&#8217;t Mean Light Weight</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Let&#8217;s clear the air on one thing. High reps for legs doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean going light. Granted, you&#8217;re not loading up the usual amount of 45&#8217;s or doing the whole stack, but you still need to pick a challenging weight.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you haven&#8217;t done high reps for legs, I encourage you to try it for your next leg workout. Start with the first workout I gave you above called High Rep Leg Workout. <br></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Train with Passion,</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jason</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tab-con-8">Start Building More Muscle</h2>



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