Answer:
Dear
John,
The legs
are comprised of many muscles, but your weight training routine will
focus mostly on the following four major muscles:
1. Quadriceps
("quads") located in front upper portion of the of the leg,
from the hip joint down to the knee joint.
2. Gluteus
("glutes") located at the back of the pelvis and top of
the femur (upper leg bone).
3. Hamstrings
("hams") located at the upper rear portion of the leg, from
the hip joint down to the knee.
4. Calves
- Located at the rear lower portion of the leg, from the rear of the
knee down to the ankle.
Each muscle plays a specific role in the movement of the ankle, hip
or knee joint.
How
to get strong Quadriceps:
Leg Lifts
One of
the easiest ways for beginners to strengthen their quadriceps is to
begin by sitting on the edge of a chair. Make sure that nothing is
in front of you. With your legs at a 90-degree angle, touching the
floor, slowly lift one leg at a time until you have lifted it so that
it's completely straight.
Squats
Lunges
How
to get strong Gluteus:
-Go climb
a hill.
-Try doing some jumps
-Do some running.
-Do some hula hoops
-Climb some stairs.
-Do leg lifts
How
to get strong Hamstrings:
Do deadlifts.
Do step-ups.
Do supine
hamstring curls with a stability ball. This is a great one for hip
strength and stability as well.
Lying on your back, extend your legs straight and put your heels on
top of a stability ball. Raise your hips off the floor as high as
possible, and then pull the ball in towards your gluteus.
Do isometric
hamstring lifts off of the floor. Lying on your back, place your left
foot flat on the floor, right leg out straight. Push your left heel
firmly into the ground, raising your right leg and your hips up as
far as possible.
Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, and then switch legs.
How
to get strong Calves
1. Standing
Raise/burn out - Stand on the foot block of the machine, if you don't
have a machine you can still do it on stairs or even a book, anything
that will allow you to obtain full range of motion. Make sure your
feet are comfortably apart and your toes are forward. Begin with your
heels lowered as far as possible and then slowly rise up to your tiptoes
then down again. Do 15 reps with full range of motion then get off
machine and while standing flat on the floor do another 50 calf raises.
TIP:
Anytime you are doing calf raises you need to keep in mind that you
need to complete a full range of motion, stretch your heel all the
way at the bottom then go all the way up on your tip toes in order
to get the best results.
2. Seated
calf Raise - Sit down at a calf raise machine. Put your toes on the
platform facing forward with your upper thighs under the leg pad just
above your knees. Lift up with your heels so that you are on your
tiptoes and make sure to flex your calf muscles while in this position
and hold for a count of one. Repeat for 15 reps.
3. Donkey
calf raise - Place your toes on the edge of a block or dumbbell and
then lean your body forward from the waist at a 90-degree angle and
hold onto a table or bench for support. This exercise can be done
with either bent knees or straight legs. For added resistance you
can allow some one sit on your lower back, hence the name Donkey Calf
Raises. Repeat 15 to 20 times.
4. Treadmill
calf exercises - Using a treadmill set your incline to 15%. Walk for
at least 20 minutes to work the calves out.
TIP:
Anytime you are working your calves out make sure that you stretch
them out after each set by propping your leg slightly and reaching
forward into your toe, pull back on the toe slightly and release.
5. Leg
press machine calf raises - Sit at a leg press machine and press the
weight up as if you are doing leg presses. Now holding the rack up,
place the balls of your feet on the platform and allow you're your
heels hang off. Now slowly push the platform up until your toes are
pointed hold for a count of one and then slowly release down back
down until your toes are once again in line with your heels. Use control
with the exercise and perform each repetition slowing, do not bounce
the toe. By adjusting your toes to point in or point out you can focus
on the inner or outer calf muscles. Repeat 15 to 20 times
