Got Legs? Leg Workouts for Beginners

This one needn’t be long or complicated. It is after all, for beginners.

So a lot of you are new to the whole fitness game thing. That’s cool. Welcome to what could be the best self-loathing addiction of a lifetime you’ve ever signed up for.

I’m going to save you a whole heap of trouble right now and let you know that if your newbie ass is skipping on legs workout for the purpose of focusing solely on upper body development, then congratulations, you are royally fucking yourself. Do you want to end up as Johnny Bravo? Good as his hair looks, you may or may not have actually noticed the fact he never actually gets the girl. Guess why? Chicken bitch ass legs. That’s why.

That seems sexist in retrospect. As though all my readers are teenage males. They probably are. But for political correctness’ sake let’s assume you’re a reader of the female variety. That’s right, a vagina owner. Reading this. Right now. On my blog. I knew it would happen if I waited long enough! I gotta call my mom and let her know!

So ladies, did you know that in order to get that crazy ass Brazilian booty, then exercises such as squats are your new BFFs? Weight lifting creates muscles, which in turn stretches your skin, burns fat and gets that booty poppin’ and those legs rockin’!

Keep in mind, this post isn’t a biblical text on all things legs. Merely an introduction to the most basic (yet most influential) exercises to perform to build a solid foundation. Now that we’ve given you reason and motif, let’s get down to business!

Squats = Booty + Strength + Shape + Glory

Hands down, there is no single compound exercise that delivers more impact all over your lower body than your classic squats. As a compound exercise, it activates multiple muscle groups simultaneously, resulting in the release of Growth Hormone [GH] (famous for its ability to torch stored fat and add muscle mass). Squats trigger your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, calves and even your core into action. As one of the classic compound workouts, it’s also a classic mass gainer. If you have a flabby ass or shabby legs, this is the exercise to perform to counteract that.

The exercise can be performed with your very own body weight (with numerous variations) or free weights using a barbell (front or back) or dumbbells. You can also use the smith machine or the leg press machines for the same results (albeit with less impact on your stabilizer muscles and core)

Squats are all about the perfect form:

1. Make sure your feet are shoulder width if you’re performing a classic squat (especially if you’re going heavy with the weights).
2. Make sure your knees never extend beyond your feet on your way down.
3. Make sure to inhale going down and exhale going up.
4. Make sure that the motion is coming from your hips and that you’re squeezing your glutes to get back up.
5. Make sure you don’t over-extend beyond the 90 degrees angle on your way down.
6. Make sure to trigger your core into action by focusing on using it for stabilization when using free weights.

Lunges = Definition + Loud cursing + More Glory

At first glance, lunges may appear ridiculous, like they’re meant as some sort of warm up exercise or a stretch. Do not be mistaken youngling, this exercise will give you a run for your money. Big time.

This one is also a compound exercise with arguably more localized focus on the hamstrings and glutes than anything else but it still activates muscle fibers all over your legs. This exercise is notable among gym goers and Leg day addicts for the “cuts” or definition it brings about one’s legs. Squats may add the size, but lunges give it the tone!

Lunges are - like all exercises ought to be - all about that right form. Getting both your legs in the 90 degrees angle is crucial to both maximize the benefit of the exercise as well as to stave off possible injury or imbalances. That being said, some experts argue that changing your angle of descent (by expanding or narrowing how far apart your legs are from each other) can impact your individual muscles differently with narrow descents focusing more on the quads and hamstrings while the wider strides give your glutes the workout of a lifetime.

If you’ve always skipped legs day or just never saw the purpose behind those workouts, I hope the above has managed to persuade you to at least give it a shot sometime this week.

Let me know how it goes, and above all, perform everything in perfect form, have an experienced lifter show you how it’s done, and stay safe!