Do you have chicken legs?
Are you worried that you spend more time training other parts of your body and less time on your legs?
Do you want to learn about leg training workouts that will leave your legs toned and strong?
Your legs offer you the balance and control needed to execute any exercise. So, without strong, well toned legs, you may find it hard maintaining proper form when performing strength training exercises in particular. This may result in increased incidents and accidents leading to injuries. Well, not to worry because in this guide, you will learn how to perform ten (10) popular leg training workouts for women to add some bulk to those legs, improve your balance, dexterity, control, and coordination for your overall fitness benefit.
The Ten (10) Popular Leg Training Workouts for Women You Should Try Out
The ten (10) popular leg training workouts for women highlighted below can be done by anyone regardless of their fitness level whether novice, intermediate or advanced.
Squats
If there is one leg training workout that all women need to try out today, it is squats. What makes squats so great is the fact that it is one compound exercise you can engage in if you want to target a variety of lower body muscle groups like your glute, hamstring, quadricep, and calf muscles.
To perform a proper squat, you need to take a stance with your feet positioned at about a shoulder-width apart and with your toes turned slightly outward.
Next, you need to engage your core while your chest is out and up at the same time. You then bend your knees to lower your body while your hips appear pushed back as if you are attempting to sit on a chair.
You should now go down with your thighs being parallel to the floor while your knees seem to track over the tips of your toes.
To get back to your starting posture, you have to push right through your heels and as you do this, you also squeeze your glutes right at the top of the starting posture.
You should try 3 sets consisting of 8-12 reps and progress from there as you perfect the form and you become more attuned with the leg workout.
Lunges
If you want to target your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps while enhancing both your leg strength and balance, then lunges is one leg training workout your program cannot do without.
You begin this leg exercise by having your feet spread hip-width apart as you stand. You then put one leg forward with the other leg behind you. Next, lower your body to the floor bending your knees by 90⁰ with the knee of your front leg leveled with the toes of your front foot.
You should then return to the starting posture by pushing through your front foot’s heel. Switch to your other leg and repeat the lunge. Try 3 sets of between 10-12 reps for each leg and watch as your leg strength, balance, and muscles improve.
Deadlifts
With deadlfts, your primary aim is to train your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. You also improve leg stability and strength with this popular leg training workout.
Begin a deadlift exercise by having your feet spread a hip-width apart as you stand. Hold onto either dumbbells or a barbell for added resistance. Make sure that you use an overhand grip when holding your choice of weight and that it is held right in front of your quads (thighs). Keep your core engaged, spine neutral, and back straightened as you bend your knees a bit to lower the dumbbells or barbell to the floor hinging from your hips. As you keep your preferred weight near your body as you execute the deadlift exercise, you engage your glutes and hamstrings when you return to your starting posture. Try 3 sets of deadlifts with anywhere from 8-10 reps for each set.
Step-Ups
This is a unilateral workout that aims to target your calves, glutes, and hamstrings while at the same time boosting both coordination and balance.
Step-ups should be be done using either a solid platform like stairs or fixed bench. You start by placing one of your foot on the bench then you use your heel in lifting up your body until your leg is straightened.
Next, in a controlled manner, lower down yourself with your other foot touching the floor lightly. Try 3 sets of anywhere between 10-12 reps for each leg when you engage in step-ups.
Bulgarian Split Squats
With the Bulgarian split squat, you will be able to target your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. You will also improve both your stability and balance with the Bulgarian split squats.
To begin this leg exercise stand facing the opposite direcrion from a platform or bench. Next, put one of your foot on the platform or bench behind you. Lower your body as if you are performing a lunge exercise with the knee of your front leg and the ankle of your front leg properly aligned while the knee of your back leg on the platform or bench points downwards to the floor.
With your front leg and foot planted to the floor, push through the heel of your front foot in order to get back to your starting posture. Try 3 sets of about 10-12 reps for each leg when you perform the Bulgarian split squats.
Romanian Deadlifts
With Romanian deadlifts you will target the major muscles of your glutes and hamstrings. You will also engage your core and back during this leg training workout.
Begon the Romanian deadlift leg workout with a starting posture where you stnd with your feet spread hip-width apart. Hold onto either dumbbells or a barbell when executing this leg workout with the weights just in front of your quads (thighs) while you hold the weights using an overhand grip.
Maintain a neutral spine and straight back with your knees bent slightly as you hinge from your hips when you lower your choice of weight to the floor. As you return to the starting posture, you engage both your glutes and hamstrings. Squeeze your glutes when you reach the top of the lift or the peak of your starting posture.
Ensure that you maintain proper form by having the weights as close as possible to your body all through the lift. Try 3 sets of between 8-10 reps of Romanian deadlift during your leg training program.
Calf Raises
With calf raises, you target mainly your calf muscles. Calf raises also helps to build your leg strength, control and balance.
Start by standing hip-width apart with the support of a sturdy surface. Lift your heels supporting your weight with the balls of your feet and hold the position for a few seconds before returning to the starting posture.
If you want to challenge yourself when performing this exercise, you can make use of a solid platform or step which enables your heels to lower just below your toes for a few seconds before you return to the starting posture. Try 3 sets of between 15-20 reps of the cal raise leg exercise.
Glute Bridges
With glute bridges you will be able to engage your core and hamstrings while you isolate as well as activate your glutes.
To perform this leg workout, you have to lie down on your back, bend your knees while the sole of your feet are planted to the floor (hip-width apart). Push through the heels of your feet to lift up your hips from the floor while you squeeze your glutes when you lift up your hips to a peak level. Keep your hips at this peak level for a few secondss before you steadily return to the starting posture.
For a greater challenge, you can try out the single-leg glute bridge exercise by lifting one of your feet from the floor even as you hold the bridge posture. Try out 3 sets of between 12-15 reps of the glute bridges exercise during your leg training regimen.
Leg Press
Using the leg press machine, you should execute the leg press exercise to trian your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
Start this exercise by sitting with your back flat on the backrest of the leg press machine. You feet should be a hip-width apart when placed on the leg press machine weighted footplate.
Next, using your heels push through the weighted footplate to lift your weight with your legs extended in the process. Your legs will be straightened without your knees locking when executing the leg press exercise.
Next, steadily lower the weighted footplate of the leg press machine until you bend your knees up to a 90⁰ angle. Try 3 sets of between 10-12 reps of the le press exercise when on your leg day training regime.
Hamstring Curls
With the hamstring curls, you will strengthen your hamstrings while boosting knee stability as you also enhance your general lower body fitness.
Start the hamstring curls by lying on a hamstring curl machine (face down). Your ankles should be placed tight under the machine’s padded curl roller. Next, your hamstrings are contracted in order to curl the padded roller until it reaches your glutes.
Make sure that your hips are pressed firmly on the bench as you steadily lower the padded curl roller. Exercise control while lowering the roller until your legs are fully extended. Try 3 sets of anywhere between 10-12 reps of hamstring curls.
Conclusion
You should try these ten (10) leg workouts whenever you have to go through your leg training workout days. You can start with the recommended sets and reps in this guide, but be mindful that to achieve sustained results, you should incorporate progressive overload into each of the leg training workouts by either increasing your rep range or weights.
For more information on leg training, you can ask an expert by chatting with one of our IFBB PRO consultants today.
