1. Barbell squats
This is a complex exercise actively involving your quadriceps, gluteal, calf, and many other muscles. This exercise can also be performed with dumbbells, on the Smith machine, in the hack squat machine on special machines on unstable surfaces, on one foot etc. An equivalent exercise is leg press.
Put the barbell on racks slightly below your shoulder joints. Add the required weight. Sit under the barbell so that the bar is on the upper back slightly above the blades. Carefully lift the barbell off the racks and make a short step back. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly apart. Squat smoothly with your back straight, until your hips are in a horizontal position. Do not stop at the lowest point but stand up. At the end phase do not straighten your legs leaving them somewhat bent. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, and hips. Do not bring your knees together. Do not bend or hyperextend your lumbar spine, try to hold your back straight.
2. Classic leg press
This is a complex exercise actively involving your quadriceps, gluteal, calf, and many other muscles. An equivalent exercise is squatting.
Choose a suitable weight. Adjust the height of the seat (if possible) (the higher the seat the more the gluteal muscles are involved). If the seat is on a moving roller of the machine, set it to the low position. Sit on a seat and put your feet on a support shoulder-width apart, your toes slightly apart. The height of the feet depends on the height of the athlete. Carefully press the platform (or roller) and unlock the hook (if there is one). Smoothly bend your legs to the angle of 70 – 80° between the hip and the shank (if flexible enough), but do not let your hips lift from the seat. Not stopping at the lowest point, press the platform (or roller). At the end phase do not straighten your legs leaving them somewhat bent. Avoid jerky movements, rotating your head, moving your torso and hips. Do not bring your knees together.
3. Barbell lunge
This is a complex exercise actively involving your gluteal muscles, quadriceps and many other muscles. This exercise can also be performed with dumbbells, on the Smith machine, on special machines on unstable surfaces, on one foot etc. An equivalent exercise is single leg raise on the bench.
Put the barbell on racks slightly below your shoulder joints. Add the required weight. Sit under the barbell so that the bar is on the upper back slightly above the blades. Carefully lift the barbell off the racks and make a short step back. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, your feet parallel. Make a wide step back with any leg so that at the lowest point the shank of the front leg and the hip of the back leg are perpendicular to the floor. Smoothly squat with your back straight as low as possible. Not touching the back leg with your knee and not stopping at the lowest point, rise. At the end phase do not straighten your legs leaving them somewhat bent. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, and hips. Do not bring your knees together. Do not bend or hyperextend your lumbar spine, try to hold your back straight.
4. Barbell press on straight legs (deadlift)
This exercise develops your gluteal, biceps, semitendinosus, semimembranosus and many other muscles. This exercise can also be performed with dumbbells, on the Smith machine, on special machines etc. An equivalent exercise is one of variants of hyperextensions.
Choose a suitable weight. Step close to the barbell till it touches your hips. Take the barbell with straight grip. Optimal grip is at the shoulder-width. With your back straight and slightly bending your knees, lean forward until the muscles are fully stretched at the back surface of hips. As you move, do not change the angle between the hip and the shank. Do not stop at the lowest point, but stand up. At the end phase do not straighten your legs leaving them somewhat bent. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, and hips. Do not bring your knees together. Do not bend or hyperextend your lumbar spine, try to hold your back straight.
5. Leg extensions
The exercise predominantly develops your hip quadriceps and has a lot of modifications This exercise may be performed from the standing (on one foot), sitting, lying position with free weights, on machines, with one or two legs etc. From this variety of exercises, we will look at the most common variant, i.e. leg extensions sitting in a machine.
Choose a suitable weight. Adjust the back of the seat so that the lever rotation axis is opposite to the knee joints. Set the footrest to the lower part of the shank close to the foot. Bend your legs as much as possible and fix the lever so that the weight plates do not touch one another at the bottom point. Smoothly extend your legs until full traction of your muscles. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, lifting your hips. Do not bring your knees together, do not turn your toes out or to one another, turn your toes straight.
6. Bending knees
The exercise predominantly develops your muscles of the back surface of the hip (biceps, semitendinosus, semimembranosus muscles) and has a lot of modifications. This exercise may be performed from the standing (on one foot), sitting, lying position with free weights, on machines, with one or two legs etc. From this variety of exercises, we will look at the most common variant, i.e. bending legs lying in a machine.
Choose a suitable weight. Adjust the foot support so that the lever rotation axis is opposite to the knee joints and roller is at the lower part of the shank close to the foot. Lie on the bench. Smoothly bend your knees until full traction of your muscles. At the end phase do not straighten your legs leaving them somewhat bent. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, lifting your hips. Do not bring your knees together, do not turn your toes out or to one another, turn your toes straight.
7. Pulling legs together
The exercise predominantly develops your inner hip surface muscles (long, short, big, abductors etc.). Let’s look at the most popular variant – pulling legs sitting in a machine.
Choose a suitable weight. Pull handles with leg supports slightly wider than you can stretch your legs. Sit on the seat so that the spinning axes of levers are under your hip joints. Put one leg on the step of the lever (the height depends on your height), so that the support is against the inner surface of your hip. With your hands pull the levers together and put the other leg on the step. Slowly set your legs apart, straining your adductor muscles as much as possible, avoiding touching the load plates and continuing to move your legs together until full traction of your muscles. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, moving your hips. Do not turn your feet out or in – let your toes be straight.
8. Spreading legs
This exercise best suits to develop your gluteal muscles. Let’s look at the most popular variant of this exercise – spreading legs seated in the machine.
Choose a suitable weight. Sit on the seat so that the spinning axes of levers are under your hip joints. Put your leg on the steps of the levers (the height depends on your height), so that the support is against the inner surface of your thigh. Bring the levers together as narrow as possible and fix them. Slowly set your legs apart until full traction of your muscles. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, moving your hips. Do not turn your feet out or in – let your toes be straight.
9. Calf raises
This exercise best suits to develop your calf muscles and has a lot of modifications. Let’s look at the most common variants:
Variant 1 (on a leg press machine): choose a suitable weight Set the back of the seat to the high position (if it is adjustable). If the seat is on a moving roller of the machine, set it to the high position. Sit on a seat and put your feet on a support so that your toes (1/3 of the foot) is at the lower edge of the support shoulder-width apart, hold your toes straight. Carefully press the platform (or roller) avoiding unlocking the hook device (if there is one). Smoothly press the platform (or roller) until full traction of your muscles. As you move keep your legs slightly bent at knees. Avoid jerky movements, rotating your head, moving your torso and hips. Do not bring your knees together. Do not turn your feet out or in – let your toes be straight.
Variant 2 (standing on one foot): Step on a low platform so that the toe (1/3 of the foot) of your foot is at the low edge of the platform. Keep your toe straight. Smoothly move down stretching your calf muscles as much as you can, and without stopping move up until full traction of your muscles. As you move keep your legs slightly bent at knees. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, and hips. Do not twist your foot out or in – your toes should be straight. Regulate the load with additional weight, taken into the unilateral hand.
Variant 3 (on a machine): Choose a suitable weight. Set the back of the seat so that the lever rotation axis is opposite your ankle joints as your calf muscles are maximally stretched. Sit on a seat and put your feet on a support so that your toes (1/3 of the foot) is at the lower edge of the support shoulder-width apart, hold your toes straight. Smoothly press on the support until full traction of your muscles. As you move keep your legs slightly bent at knees. Avoid jerky movements, rotating your head, moving your torso and hips. Do not bring your knees together. Do not turn your feet out or in – let your toes be straight.
Variant 4 (in a machine with knees bent): Unlike other variants, this one is focused on the soleus muscles.
Choose a suitable weight. Sit on a seat and put your feet on the lower support so that your toes (1/3 of the foot) is at the lower edge of the support shoulder-width apart, hold your toes straight. Put the upper support down on your knees and fix it. Carefully press the weight and unlock the hook device. Smoothly move down stretching your calf muscles as much as you can, and not stopping move up until full traction of your muscles. Avoid jerky movements, rotating your head, moving your torso and hips. Do not turn your feet out or in – let your toes be straight.