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Genus. 1984 Trained since 1999 Trained since 2007. Candidate of Masters in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and South Russia according to AWPC. Champion of the Krasnodar region according to IPF. 1st category in weightlifting. 2-time winner of the Krasnodar Territory championship in t/a. Author of more than 700 articles on fitness and amateur athletics. Author and co-author of 5 books.

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Date: 2012-01-07 Views: 47 012 Grade: 5.0 By legs I mean the muscles of the thigh and lower leg. And although leg training is almost always inextricably linked with butt training, I wrote about the buttocks. So, let's get started: how to pump up your legs? The most important exercise is this. I think you all know this exercise well, so I want to talk about its variations. And . I do not recommend doing such squats for those who came to the gym for the first time, and for those who have not yet mastered the technique of classic squats. In addition, this option requires good flexibility in the hip joints. But its advantage is that it allows you to better work out the inner thigh. Squats with incomplete straightening of the legs. A very difficult exercise. Even light weights will instantly push your hips to the limit. After all, if you do not stand up completely, then the front surface of the thigh is deprived of the opportunity to rest and is always under tension. Performing this exercise after basic leg exercises can serve as an additional impetus for increasing the volume of your hips. . Due to the fact that there is almost no back tilt, more load falls on the front surface of the thigh, in particular on the quadriceps muscle. . They are performed both without weight (to begin with) and with a barbell on the shoulders. The technique should be such that if you look from the side, then at the bottom point the angles should be the same as with a normal squat. The leg set to the side is always straight. And thus you roll from foot to foot. This exercise works great on the back of the thigh. can be safely considered a basic exercise for leg muscles among simulators. The principle of operation of the leg muscles is similar to squats with a barbell, with one significant difference. There is no back strain. Therefore, this exercise is especially useful for those who cannot squat with a barbell due to various injuries and diseases of the spine. . This exercise, like squats, puts stress on your back. But a little smaller due to the fact that there is a backrest. The further you place your feet forward, the more load will be placed on the front of your thighs. Now a few words about the shin. All exercises for the lower leg can be divided into two categories. These are standing (or) and sitting (or). In the standing version, it is the calf muscle (biceps surae) that will work. In the sitting version, it is mainly the soleus muscle, which is located under the gastrocnemius. Hence the conclusion that if you want to pump up your lower leg, then you need to do the exercises both sitting and standing. Let's say one workout is sitting, the other is standing. Moreover, the calf muscles are very resilient muscles, and in order to make them grow, it is necessary to perform many approaches of 20–30 lifts per approach. There are still a great many exercises for the leg muscles (especially on simulators). In this article I focused on the main ones. Now I want to say a few words about how to combine all this in training. A standard program for complex leg work will be considered. It is quite possible to pump your legs 2 times a week. It is better to start training your legs with squats. This can be either the classic version or the various variations given above. Then you can shake your legs. After this, you can do a couple of exercises on simulators for any surface of the thigh (at your discretion). You can finish your workout with a calf exercise. If the first workout was on Monday, then the next one on your legs can be done on Friday. Squats in the HAKK machine and side rolls are quite enough. Shin - optional. Thus, on Monday – the main training. And on Friday - extra. Another option is to use different supersets for the same muscle. Let's say, first - one set of squats with a barbell, then immediately -. Rolls to the side, then immediately - . And so on. And so 3 – 4 approaches. But this option is for the more experienced. However, this method can give a powerful impetus to muscle growth. That's all for today. Subscribe to new articles, and good luck!

Expert opinion

Obukhov Sergey - CCM in bench press, folk press, deadlift and author of the site strength.rf

I agree with the author’s article, but I would like to share my personal experience and observations. Working as a coach, I tested this not only on myself, but also on my students. We train our legs hard, but once every 2 weeks. Legs are the largest muscle group and require a lot of time to recover and even more so to supercompensate. While the process of myofibril restoration takes a long time, other processes, such as glycogen replenishment, have long since ended. Therefore, in the 1st week we train heavy legs in a small repetition range of 6-8, and the next week we do light leg training with 50% of the working weight for 10 repetitions. This way we will catch supercompensation in all directions. Periodization is a very powerful thing and you can’t constantly push yourself into failure, otherwise you’ll quickly get overtrained. During the first year of training according to this scheme, my students reached 100 kg of working weight.

By the way, you can order yourself

The thought of training your quadriceps always sends a chill down your back, because real leg training is exhausting and exhausting. We will prove that swinging your legs can be fun!

Let's be honest: all guys want to know how to quickly pump up their legs so that their calves will be admired! However, having received the long-awaited knowledge, not everyone is in a hurry to do it. Sometimes you really want to skip leg exercises (squats and lunges) - if only because they require a lot of energy. But that's exactly the point. Real leg training is exhausting and exhausting. This is probably why many people avoid working on their legs, and pay all their attention to and. But leg training is the most important, because legs are the foundation of the body. And it is simply impossible to build a house without a reliable foundation. In addition, if the leg muscles grow, then other parts of the body also grow. If you are not serious about working with weights, it is better to move on to another article, for example, here we will talk about building powerful legs. This article will focus primarily on the quadriceps. Here we will tell you how quickly you can pump up your legs, and what training methods are best to use for this.

We are all different. Some people have genetically large hips and can exercise at partial strength and still have large legs. And someone will have to sweat while pumping up. After doing squats, you will feel like you were run over by a train. But often, despite all efforts, there is no significant growth. So what's the matter?

Want to pump up your legs quickly? Train to failure

Many people perform shoulder or chest sets to the point of exhaustion every workout, but cannot handle the same load on their legs. Why is this happening? - this is what will help you quickly pump up your legs. And yes, this applies to .

Before you pick it up and start squatting, you need to warm up well.

Warm-up

We recommend ellipse or at least 5-8 minutes. Work at a moderate pace, enough to work up a sweat. Immediately after this, spend 10 minutes stretching. Remember: you need to stretch not only your quadriceps, but also all the muscles in your legs and lower back. To complete your warm-up, do 2-3 sets of 20, 18, 15 repetitions of leg extensions on the machine. You shouldn’t push yourself; on the last set of the warm-up you should be fully prepared for hard work. Check: your back is pressed tightly against the backrest, your hips are pressed against the seat. And most importantly, additionally tighten your quadriceps. If you think that this is too much for warming up, don’t worry, it’s necessary. Now you are ready to begin leg pumping exercises.

Squat to pump up your legs quickly

Most people find squats difficult. This exercise only seems easy from the outside: just bend your legs, squat down, and then straighten up. But it's not that simple. Before moving on to heavy weights, start with lighter weights that provide enough resistance to get the hang of proper technique. For example, you will feel a weight of 60 kg, but at the same time it can be controlled.

Your goal isn't just to lift weights to quickly pump up your legs, it's important to focus on lifting through your hips. Once you are comfortable with the technique, you can think about scales. Correct execution is the key to muscle growth and quick pumping of the legs.

Hack squats and leg press

- another excellent exercise that perfectly loads the outer part and quickly pumps up the leg muscles to impressive sizes. If everything is done correctly, then the upper part will not be left without work. By changing the position of your feet, you can target all parts of the hip. Make sure you push the weight with your heels and not your toes. The entire emphasis of this exercise is on leg extension, and the power comes from straightening the knees rather than pushing through the hips. You will feel the difference.

Throughout the entire exercise, your back and hips should be pressed tightly against the machine. If you neglect this, you can pinch the sciatic nerve, which, most likely, you will never completely heal. When working on your quads, always focus on what you're doing. At the highest point, try to press your heels into the platform. However, don't overdo it.

The press is great for quickly and increasing the volume of your legs. But this doesn't mean you will become super strong. The whole point is in the technique: you need to lower the weight until the moment when the pelvis begins to lift away from the seat. The pelvis should not lift off, so complete the movement to this point. When pushing the weight up, try to do it with your heels as in. When doing this, always change the position of your legs. Push through your feet and never cross your arms to help your legs. If you cannot perform the exercise correctly with the selected weight, it is better to dampen your pride and take less weight. And when you get comfortable with the technique, you will be able to work with any, even huge, weights.

We pump up our legs with lunges and extensions in the simulator

Extensions are a useful exercise for the legs, both as a warm-up and for work during the main workout. Since this is a growth exercise, you must be extremely careful. It seems simple, but many athletes get burned by it. Straighten your entire leg from your quads to your calves. How you do this is another important question. Extension is carried out by tensioning the quadriceps, but also try to simultaneously pull your feet up. Make sure your back is firmly pressed into the seat and your hips are not lifting off.

Don't ignore lunges if you want to quickly build up your leg muscles. You will be surprised, but many people do this exercise incorrectly. When performed correctly, a clear line is drawn not only for the quadriceps, but also for the hamstrings, which is especially important for girls.

Protein, creatine, gainer, arginine, BCAA, amino acids will help speed up the process of gaining muscle mass. These supplements are specially designed for athletes and fitness-active people of different fitness levels. Such drugs are completely safe, and their effectiveness has already been proven.

Pumping your legs

Basic set

Extended set

Basic set

Basic set

Extended set

Dymatize | Dymatize BCAA 2200 ?

4 tablets, between meals.

The essential branched chain amino acids in Dymatize BCAA provide muscle cells with essential building blocks. The use of this supplement will help not only preserve and increase muscle tissue in the body, but also optimize the passage of a number of other metabolic processes.

Dymatize | L-carnitine xtreme ?

1-2 capsules daily, preferably during meals.

The fat burner from the world famous manufacturer Dymatize L-carnitine xtreme 60ct is a unique product, its main purpose is to utilize subcutaneous fat as quickly as possible.

Dymatize | ISO 100?

If necessary, you can add one serving before bedtime.

Dymatize Iso 100 728g – a protein mixture from the American manufacturer Dymatize, which contains 90% milk protein and whey isolate, supplies the athlete’s body with slow and fast proteins.

TwinLab | Men's Ultra Multi Daily ?

1 capsule each.

Twinlab Men's Ultra Multi Daily vitamin and mineral complex developed specifically for men contains the necessary set of nutrients and special matrices to improve prostate function, as well as antioxidants and tonic components.

Universal Nutrition | Ultra Whey Pro

1-2 measuring spoons are mixed with 200-250 grams of water or any other liquid.

Universal Nutrition | Amino 2250 ?

2 capsules before and after training.

Universal Nutrition Amino 2250 is a balanced amino acid complex that not only improves metabolism and promotes muscle growth, but also has a positive effect on the athlete’s body as a whole.

Universal Nutrition | Daily formula ?

One tablet immediately before meals (preferably before breakfast).

UN Daily Formula is a highly effective multivitamin and mineral complex that, in addition to the basic elements, contains a set of specially selected enzymes that promote the rapid absorption of essential nutrients.

Slender and beautiful legs are the cherished dream of many girls. The time of emaciated top models is a thing of the past, and beautiful, elastic and toned female silhouettes are in fashion. Moreover, in the modern world, where the population suffers from physical inactivity, slender female legs, barely covered by a miniskirt, are a real feast for men’s eyes. In other words, the question of how to pump up your legs at home is more relevant than ever.

Regular exercises for the corresponding muscle groups will help improve the shape of your legs and make them attractive.

Today I will talk about five of the most effective and popular ones. Among other things, almost all exercises involve the gluteal muscles.

Standard squat

Place your feet parallel, slightly wider than your pelvis. Keep your back straight. You can put a bodybar on your shoulders or take a barbell with a light weight (depending on your level of training). At the very initial stage, you can do it without any additional weights at all. Squat slowly, making sure that your knees in the squat do not go forward beyond the level of your toes. We lower the pelvis to a right angle at the knee joint.

• gluteus maximus muscle;
• biceps femoris (muscle on the back of the thigh).

This exercise is a basic exercise for working the lower body and is rightfully considered one of the most effective. When answering the question of how to pump up legs at home, the squat is the first thing that comes to mind for most trainers. The buttocks are also perfectly worked out.

Classic forward lunge

When performing lunges, both legs should be bent at the knee joint at an angle of 90 degrees. The working leg is the one in front. It is on this that we transfer the weight. We only support ourselves with the leg standing behind us, and do not hit our knee on the floor (there should be a couple of centimeters left to the floor.) We keep the body straight, the knee of the leg in front does not go beyond the line of the toe.

Classic lunges are one of the main exercises for beautiful legs.

In fact, any lunges in any direction are exercises for working the legs. The classic forward lunge is one of the main leg exercises.

• quadriceps femoris muscle (quadriceps);
• gluteus maximus muscle.

Hip extension to kneeling position

We take the emphasis while lying down. We place our hands on our forearms, our feet on our knees. When performing the exercise, the back is straight, there is no deflection in the lower back, and the abdominal muscles are tightened.

We raise the leg, bent at the knee, up to such a level until your thigh makes a straight line with the body, maybe a little higher. At the same time, the foot is contracted, as if you are “pressing” into the ceiling with your heel. The knee is bent at a right angle.

Be careful not to arch your back (this is the most common mistake). Gently lower your knee to the floor without impact. This exercise should be performed with a mat underneath. You can use additional weights on your legs.

Please note that you should not swing and throw your leg up by inertia. Perform the exercise slowly, feel the work of each muscle.

• biceps femoris (muscle on the back of the thigh);
• gluteus maximus muscle.

Hip adduction in side decubitus position

Lie on your side on the mat and rest on your lower forearm. Place the palm of your upper hand in front of you at stomach level. Your body will turn slightly upward. Bend your upper leg at the knee and rest it on the floor. The lower leg is straight, the foot is shortened, the inner surface of the foot is facing upward, we try to point the heel towards the ceiling.

In this position, raise your straight leg as high as you can without turning your foot toe up. You should feel tension on your inner thigh.

• adductor muscle (muscle on the inner thigh).

This exercise is very important, since in everyday life the adductor muscles of the thigh are poorly used. And in order to create a harmonious program that answers the question of how to pump up a girl’s legs at home, it is necessary to give exercises to all the main muscles of the lower extremities. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you do not forget about the muscles of the inner thigh.

Half toe raise

This exercise will allow you to tighten your calves, making them more defined and beautiful.

In a standing position, rise onto your toes, lowering with your heels, without touching the floor. It is convenient to do this exercise by standing on some kind of height - a step platform or a door threshold. Then the amplitude of movements will be greater and, accordingly, the load on the calf muscles will be higher.

It is very convenient to perform half-toe lifting by standing on a step platform or any other “step”.

• calf muscle.

So, these are the five basic exercises to pump up your legs at home. You can vary the number of sets and repetitions depending on your fitness level. After just a month of training, you will notice that the shape of your legs has begun to change and your dream of slender, toned legs is only a short distance away.

Pumping up your legs at home is a completely doable task, you just have to want it.

Do you want to build powerful leg muscles? Use invaluable expert advice on your squat and deadlift days!

If you asked me to pick the most valuable leg training tip, I would go with “Don't skip leg days!”

Many beginners may think, “why train legs when the bench is empty?” And even if you have reached the stage where the need to train your legs is no longer in doubt, you may still have questions regarding working out your lower body. I've picked out nine tips that I think are the most overlooked.

1. Leg training can't be easy.

Most bodybuilders know that leg training is literally the hardest workout of the week, due to the impressive weight and high volume required to work large muscle groups. Avid strength training aficionados are familiar with praying to the porcelain gods after a particularly tough leg workout.

On the other hand, casual athletes often look at training their legs in the same way as training their arms, but without the benefit of looking good in a T-shirt. They will happily skip a leg workout or two.

The leg workout is the hardest workout of the week, due to the impressive weight and high volume required to work large muscle groups

“Leg days are completely different from training other parts of the body,” says Mike Hildebrand, director of fitness at Axiom (Boise, Idaho), three-time Men's Physicist winner and one of Dymatize's sponsored athletes. – Leg training day requires special psychological and physical preparation. When it's time to pump my legs, I prepare myself for an hours-long battle. I accept the fact that on leg day you need to step far out of your comfort zone, otherwise you won’t make the progress you want.”

You can train your legs like any other part of the body, or you can give your legs a hell of a workout. If you don't feel it after your workout, you haven't worked hard enough! I'm not saying you should crawl out of the gym, but climbing the stairs should be a real challenge!

The hardest and most exhausting workout of the week requires complete psychological and physical readiness. This means that before training you should be well rested, eat well and take a supplement, which will help you continue moving forward with all your strength. You need to mentally tune in to the fact that the next workout will be better than the previous one. And you shouldn’t hope that at the end of the workout you will have enough strength to train another muscle group!

2. The leg press will never replace squats.

For every bodybuilder who loves to train legs and does them regularly, there are a dozen athletes who hate them. I know because I am like that myself. I'm looking for any excuse not to squat. A favorite excuse is to convince yourself that you are as good as squats. After all, it involves the same muscle groups and I can lift a ton of iron!

Of course, just because the knees and hips are flexed, the leg press does not become equal to the squat. "There's no question that the squat is more challenging and recruits more muscle fibers than the leg press," says Hildebrand. “The squat requires the entire kinematic chain to engage all muscles simultaneously, making it superior in terms of functionality, mass and strength development.”

Squats release more hormones than bench presses, no matter how many sets you do.

Hildebrand emphasizes that squats with appropriate volume and intensity optimize the natural secretion of anabolic hormones. After multi-joint exercises, athletes have higher levels of growth hormone in the blood than after exercises that load less muscle mass. There is a direct relationship between the amount of testosterone produced and the amount of muscle mass involved in performing the movement.

Although the battle between free weight squats and machine squats has ended in favor of free weights, you don't have to limit yourself to just high bar squats, which are often called bodybuilder squats. will help shift the emphasis from the buttocks to the quadriceps by moving the center of gravity forward.

In low bar powerlifter squats, you lower the barbell lower to the level of your rear delts rather than your traps. This forces you to lean forward more and shifts your center of gravity slightly. You'll immediately be able to lift more weight simply by increasing glute and hamstring engagement and less lower quadriceps activation.

Other useful free weight squat variations are sumo squats, and.

3. Do not squat with your heels on a board or plates.

Have you ever asked yourself why a guy squats with his heels on a board or small plates? With your heels raised, your center of gravity shifts slightly forward, causing your knees to move forward more during the transition to the bottom position. This shifts the emphasis of the exercise to the lower quadriceps. But the story doesn't end there. At the same time, the load on the cartilage and ligaments of the knee joints increases.

If your knees are fine, it's no big deal - at least not yet. But almost all experienced powerlifters suffer from knee pain, so knowing about safer squat options definitely doesn't hurt.

“During squats, the load on the knee joint is already very high. Putting your heels on the board can do more harm than good. says Brooke Erickson, IFBB professional fitness model. “Biomechanics plays a major role in the longevity of your joints, no matter how healthy they are currently.”

By far the best way to evaluate your technique in terms of knee safety is to place your feet on the floor or platform of the machine and, during the descending phase, check that your knees do not extend beyond the imaginary plane that passes through your toes. (When doing this, this plane is located at a slight angle).

If your knees move out of the imaginary plane, you are putting unwanted stress on the joint. Move your feet. Most likely, you need to raise them higher on the platform or set them further back when performing other exercises, platform climbs or so that you do not cross the plane of your toes. For lunges, this means you'll just have to take a slightly wider step.

4. Vary your feet to change the emphasis of the exercise.

Many of us pay little attention to the position of our feet during leg exercises. We place them somewhere between hip width and shoulder width and turn them outward a little. There is no doubt that this is a solid foundation from which to build.

But many leg exercises, especially machines, allow you to use a greater range of leg positions. Wide or narrow, high or low, or even exactly in the center. Does it matter? One hundred percent!

If you place your feet too low on the platform, you run the risk of your knees extending beyond the plane of your toes. With this position of the feet, the load on the muscles around the knee joint increases and the load on the gluteal muscles decreases. This leads to more quadriceps activation and less glute activation.

Movements with wide feet work on the inner surface more strongly; on the contrary, a narrow leg position more effectively loads the muscles of the outer thigh

By analogy, by raising your feet higher, you increase the degree of flexion and extension in the hip joints and reduce the range of motion in the knees. Therefore, you train your gluteal muscles and upper hamstrings more effectively. Remember, this shift in emphasis is very relative. You can't completely isolate any one muscle.

Movements with wide feet work on the inner surface more strongly; on the contrary, a narrow leg position more effectively loads the muscles of the outer thigh. Regardless, you've just learned about a ton of leg exercise options that are especially helpful when using machines.

5. Squat depth matters.

We've all seen the guy who hangs a ton of weights on the bar before doing squats and then lowers himself a few centimeters. Perhaps the ability to hold an impressive weight pleases his pride, but his muscle fibers will not agree with him. So-called partial reps don't engage all the muscle fibers in the quads, let alone the glutes. You simply aren't working the muscle fully if you only perform half or a quarter of a rep.

Deep squats work the glutes and hamstrings more than shallow squats. Try to lower yourself to the point where your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees are bent at about 90 degrees.

“Depth of movement is very important for developing the legs and buttocks,” says Hildebrand. - There is only one way to do squats: go all the way down. Partial squats equal partial results when it comes to creating harmoniously balanced leg muscles. If you want to create a flawless body, every centimeter is worth its weight in gold.”

Consider the glutes and hamstrings to be working hard to control the amount of descent, but only really exploding at the bottom. Shallow squats train, first of all, the quadriceps, but not even all the quadriceps, but some part of them, depends on the depth of the squat.

The rule applies not only to squats, but also to other multi-joint movements with knee flexion. Of course, you need to start with lighter weights and perform these movements through a full range of motion to fully develop your legs. But you will definitely develop them.

6. Use specific exercises for the hamstrings

Some people think that squats and other leg extension movements are enough to pump up the hamstrings. Meanwhile, research shows that although the posterior surface is involved in squats, the load on it is very limited.

“Specific exercises for mass and posterior muscle growth are important and should be included in a weekly leg routine,” says Erickson. “Additional exercises for the posterior surface are good not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also for the development of speed and strength and the prevention of injuries to the knees, hips and lower back muscles.”

Most of us are familiar with the group of exercises aimed at the back muscles. They can be performed sitting, standing, lying down, with support, or alternating with one leg. All of them are good for strengthening the hamstrings.

Erickson knows that hamstring injuries can be very frustrating. When a muscle group is relatively weak (compared to the quadriceps), there is a high risk of experiencing an anterior cruciate ligament injury or muscle strain. To promote knee stability and health, the quadriceps (the antagonist flexor muscles of the knee joint) should be stronger at a ratio of approximately 3:2 (they are stronger because they are used more and more often in daily activities).

You can figure this out by measuring your strength: If your max in leg extensions (a single-joint movement for the quads) is 10 reps with 70kg, you should be able to do the same 10 reps with 45kg in bench leg curls. If you can't bend your legs 10 times, your knees are more vulnerable to injury. At the very least, you should be aware of this so you can focus your efforts on the weak link.

Because it's normal for women to have a lower quad to hamstring strength ratio—and for female athletes the ratio is even lower—they are even more at risk for muscle strains and ACL injuries.

FYI, here's how the hamstrings work during a squat: By controlling the downward phase as your hips descend to the bottom of the squat, the quadriceps muscle fibers stretch and the hamstrings contract. The deeper you go, the more muscle fibers on the back surface are activated.

Additionally, the hack squat platform, squat machine, bench squat, and even the leg press can allow you to place your feet very high. This reduces quadriceps activation and increases stress on the glutes and flexors. But you still need to add specific exercises for the hamstrings.

7. Don't forget about hip movements

Most likely, you are familiar with the leg curls mentioned earlier. What they have in common is flexion at the knee joints.

However, the posterior muscles can be worked with movements at both the knees and hips, and you can focus on the upper portions of these muscles with movements in which you flex the pelvis. The best way to do this is to include it in your training program. The emphasis here is not only on the upper rear, but also on the buttocks, so tighten your glutes harder while standing.

The Romanian deadlift is technically more difficult to perform than you might think. Keep your back straight or slightly arched. The knees should remain bent at a very slight angle. Keep the barbell close to your feet and do not try to lower it all the way to the floor. Mid-calf or so is ideal. The Romanian deadlift is performed by leaning forward and pushing your butt back so that the bar never touches the floor.

8. Stiff-legged deadlifts are not a hamstring exercise.

Do not confuse the Romanian deadlift with. These are completely different movements.

Romanian deadlift

Although the stiff-legged deadlift also works the posterior muscles to some extent, it is primarily a lower back exercise, not a leg exercise, and the technique is different, even if the names are somewhat similar. There is no rounding of the lower back in the Romanian deadlift because you are bending at the hips, not at the lower back, and the bar is close to the shin. And you don't go very low (depending on flexibility).

When viewed from the side, the difference becomes more obvious. Performing lower back exercises incorrectly puts your intervertebral discs at serious risk of injury. During the Romanian deadlift, your discs are not as vulnerable because you are not bending at the waist.

9. Work your calves while standing.

Not all exercises for the lower leg muscles equally load the two main muscles in this area - the soleus and gastrocnemius.

Although most calf exercises are performed with straight legs, exercises with bent knees are very different. Because the gastrocnemius muscle is attached above the knee joint, when the knee bends, it cannot contract at its full capacity, and the soleus muscle takes on the lion's share of the load. In straight leg exercises, both muscles come into play. Consequently, straight-legged calf raises (for example, standing raises or calf raises) work the calf muscle, while failing to cope with this task.

For aesthetics, most powerlifters tend to target the gastrocnemius rather than the soleus muscle. So if you plan to do only one calf exercise, make sure you do it with straight legs.

– this is the first thing you should do in the gym. If you were not lazy and read an article about how to build muscles, then you should already know that the first thing you need to do is pump up large muscle groups. And the winner in this category is the legs, yes, the legs are the largest muscle group in the human body. Even the back cannot compare with the legs. Moreover, in addition to the overall muscle mass, the legs are larger than all other muscle groups, affecting strength indicators.

Leg training should definitely be divided into several stages: mass and strength training, and leg shape training. The first stage is barbell squats, yes, just one single exercise that affects the mass and strength of the legs. It’s not that other exercises don’t allow you to pump up your legs; there are other important basic exercises for pumping up this muscle group, but they all pale in comparison to squats with a barbell. But this exercise pumps up mass and strength at the same time.

For correcting lagging muscle groups, drawing muscles, etc. all other exercises exist. If you specialize in pumping legs, then you can pump up all muscle qualities. To do this, you need to allocate one workout for legs. On the other hand, you shouldn’t overdo it, otherwise, instead of pumping up your legs, you will drive yourself into overtraining. So, leg training is divided into two stages.

Pump up your legs: mass and strength

Barbell squats, as mentioned above, pump up both. There are several squat schemes: in the range of up to 5 repetitions, in the range of 6 to 12 repetitions and 3 sets of 20 repetitions, the so-called super squats.

You can increase leg mass using any of these schemes. But the strength indicators will differ from each other. If your goal is maximum weight in one repetition, and not just pumping up your legs, then, of course, you should do barbell squats in the 5-rep range. Super squats will help develop endurance and will contribute to the release of testosterone, which will give a wild anabolic jump in training other muscle groups. The range from 6 to 12 repetitions is a classic scheme with which you can develop all the muscular qualities of the legs.

When an athlete tries to pump up his legs by squatting in the 5 rep range, he uses the famous 5 by 5 scheme. The scheme involves increasing the weight on the bar in each working approach so that you can perform the penultimate set for 4 repetitions, and the last one for 3, with In this case, each workout the weight on the apparatus should increase by at least 0.5 kg.

Super squats are an exercise for fans. There's no better way to tone your legs, but prepare to be dizzy. The scheme is very simple, you warm up and do 3 sets of 20 repetitions. Rest between sets for 2-3 minutes. You must complete the last approach, but do the last 2 repetitions with the help of a partner. After which you pack your bag and go home, training is over for today.

The 6 to 12 rep range is a one-size-fits-all pattern to start with when training your legs. You should choose such a weight that you would do 10-12 repetitions in the first approach, and 6-8 in the last. This scheme, like the 5 by 5 scheme, is quite suitable for including formative exercises in the training.

Pump up your legs: relief

It is possible and necessary to pump up your legs with squats, but you must take into account that you will only pump up the strongest muscles. In this case, the hamstring biceps will be practically not involved. If you have genetically weak calf muscles, then you won’t pump them up either. You will be able to increase the mass of the quadriceps muscles, the shape of which will also have to be corrected with shaping exercises.

In this case, we are not talking about isolation exercises, although you can use them too. But the base is the base, so if you want to build mass, then pump up your legs with basic exercises. This is a muscle group that makes no sense to train in isolation. It was already noted above that this is the largest and strongest muscle group, so other muscle groups cannot steal the load from it. You can pump up your legs only with basic exercises.

As for tips that are suitable for everyone in order to pump up their legs, such advice would be to combine the following exercises with squats, or separate them into a separate workout: lunges with dumbbells or a barbell, Romanian deadlifts and the “donkey” exercise. Lunges pump up the quadriceps, so they must be done immediately after squats to “finish off” the quadriceps. Then you should do an exercise to pump up the hamstrings, because the hamstrings are a large muscle that requires energy to pump. And at the end, pump up your calves, for which it is best to use the “donkey” exercise, because it pumps both bundles of calf muscles.

To summarize, we can say that pumping up your legs is not at all difficult! To increase the overall muscle mass of the legs, you need to do squats with a barbell, to give your legs an elegant shape, you need to do basic exercises that emphasize the load on different parts of the leg muscles. Well, to give your legs the ideal shape and sharpen them like Michelangelo’s David, you need to include isolation exercises in your training program.