Looking for a good leg workout!
nicolealamode
Posts: 12 Member
Hey everyone! I'm working on toning and building muscle from home. I've got free weights for my arms/shoulders and have been working on them for a while now and they look great! But I haven't done anything for my lower body and it shows! I'm clueless on where to start! I'd like to work out all the muscles in my legs, but I only know of squats... don't know how many reps/sets I should be doing, duration, etc. Does anyone have a solid leg regime they'd be willing to share? Thanks so much!
I have a stationary bike I use and my work is fairly active, so I don't need a 'beginner's workout,' per se as I'm in decent shape, so feel free to throw something 'intermediate' my way.
I have a stationary bike I use and my work is fairly active, so I don't need a 'beginner's workout,' per se as I'm in decent shape, so feel free to throw something 'intermediate' my way.
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Replies
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- Stronglifts
- New Rules of Lifting
- Starting Strength
- or a personal trainer's program
Post your results in 6 months
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^ info.dat0
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Deadlifts are a standby. Single leg Romanian deadlifts are awesome. They work the hamstrings really well, where as squats hit the quadriceps on the opposite side. Goblet squats are a great beginner squat. Calf hyper extentions are great too. Stand on a curb or a step with just the ball of the foot, use a hand hold for balance. Raise and lower your body up and down. Try it single legged or with a weight in a hand. Step ups work your whole leg. Use a fairly tall step stool and hold weights.
Use a weight that is hard enough so 8 to 12 reps is a challenge. Do 3 to 5 sets. Rest a day. Do more.0 -
a standby?
More like a standard.0 -
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How do you have free weights for your arms and shoulders, but not for your lower half?0
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Squats, deadlifts, weighted lunges.
Youtube some form/technique vids for squats and deads, start with light/no weight to get the feel for the movement, the gradually increase weight. Once they start to get heavy, aim for 3-5 sets of 5-10 reps, depending on preference. Squats you can probably get away with a bit more volume, deads should probably err on the side of caution and keep the set/rep count a bit lower.
Also, there a lots of variations for these lifts, most are worthwhile. Let your preference and equipment dictate what you do.0 -
Not everyone lifts... lol.yopeeps025 wrote: »
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Stairs, spend a half hour every second day running up and down stairs, you'll see how fast they tone up!0
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yopeeps025 wrote: »
No. We need the weak to feed the ambitions of the strong.0 -
yopeeps025 wrote: »
No. We need the weak to feed the ambitions of the strong.
The weak can be like "I'm so weak I can only bench press my body weight."
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nicolealamode wrote: »Hey everyone! I'm working on toning and building muscle from home. I've got free weights for my arms/shoulders and have been working on them for a while now and they look great! But I haven't done anything for my lower body and it shows! I'm clueless on where to start! I'd like to work out all the muscles in my legs, but I only know of squats... don't know how many reps/sets I should be doing, duration, etc. Does anyone have a solid leg regime they'd be willing to share? Thanks so much!
I have a stationary bike I use and my work is fairly active, so I don't need a 'beginner's workout,' per se as I'm in decent shape, so feel free to throw something 'intermediate' my way.
OP, are you working strictly with just what you have in your house, listed above? I see people telling you to do the big compound lifts (which are the most effective use of your time) but if you don't have the equipment for it obviously that is not possible.0 -
yopeeps025 wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »
No. We need the weak to feed the ambitions of the strong.
The weak can be like "I'm so weak I can only bench press my body weight."
What I wanna know is why I'm so weak my squat is 1/2 my deadlift. wtf.0 -
yopeeps025 wrote: »
I meant standby in the sense of the expression "an ole standby" implying it's always there. I believe that deadlifts are universal to everyone's fitness goals. Strengthening my posterior chain has cured 8 years of back pain. I wish someone told me that was possible 7.5 years ago. I would have started my fitness journey in my early 20s.
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Agree with Cherimoose Read Starting Strength, can't go wrong with that one. Explains it all. Great information that you just can't get from U tube. StrongLifts also has a excellent program that will get you going. You can also check out PHAT training on the internet.0
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bmanlatour wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »
I meant standby in the sense of the expression "an ole standby" implying it's always there. I believe that deadlifts are universal to everyone's fitness goals. Strengthening my posterior chain has cured 8 years of back pain. I wish someone told me that was possible 7.5 years ago. I would have started my fitness journey in my early 20s.
Another benefit of weight training.
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yopeeps025 wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »
No. We need the weak to feed the ambitions of the strong.
The weak can be like "I'm so weak I can only bench press my body weight."
What I wanna know is why I'm so weak my squat is 1/2 my deadlift. wtf.
That too. That can be new future debates not "Do you even exercise?"
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Wow everyone, thank you so much for all the response!
But yes, as Brolympus caught, I am working from home and the heaviest weights I have are 10lbs. I wasn't sure if that was suitable for any of the muscle groups concerning the lower half of my body.
I'm looking for a good routine I can do from home with what I have and maxing myself out before hitting a gym or investing in some equipment, and seeing how serious about this I'm going to get (although I think I will, I prefer weight training over cardio any day).
Also, I have no idea what kind of regime I should be making for myself... three exercises a day? Five? Seven? And what exercises target what muscle groups. I've done some googling, but I thought it would be nice to find a routine that someone in my situation or who has been in my situation used and found results.
It's nice discovering names of different exercises though, more to read up on and learn!0 -
Get a bicycle....then every day is leg day 0
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10 pounds? Just looking around my house, a sack of laundry weighs more than 10 pounds. As does a 5 gallon bucket filled with water.0
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Not just for your legs, but very soon for your arms too, you need to either figure out a different type of routine, or upgrade your dumbbells. 10 lbs weight will not get you far. You either need heavier dumbbells, or to look into bodyweight exercises. Or a combination of course. You can do bodyweight squats, lunches, calf raises and steps ups and you can for sure use the dumbbells you have for now for some added resistance.0
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Maybe so, but I can take a picture and show you what 10lbs has done. I'm definitely not upset with my arms.0
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Hornsby, I do have a stationary bike! And I hop on it all the time, but it's not giving me the muscle definition I'm looking for.0
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My personal advice would be to start doing jump squats, step up lunges and good mornings, all of which will strengthen and tighten your hamstrings, calves, quads and glutes.
Jump squats are where you would have a dumbbell in each hand, squat as deep as comfortable slowly, then jump hard enough for your feet to leave the ground, when you return to the ground go back in to a deep squat all in one move...slowly. Do 5 sets of 20.
Step-up Lunges you'll basically step up on to a bench, chair or up a few stairs with one foot, stand tall flexing your calves and glutes and return to the starting point. Do each leg for 5 sets of 20, one side at a time.
Good mornings you'll need a barbell, but you can hold dumbells by your side. Keeping your knees with a slight bend, bend down just barely past parallel to the ground while pushing your rear out, then return to standing straight, back straight. 5 sets of 20 on this.0 -
nicolealamode wrote: »Hornsby, I do have a stationary bike! And I hop on it all the time, but it's not giving me the muscle definition I'm looking for.
SO you want to increase muscle mass or lose more fat?
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Kettle bell swings are AMAZING for working your hamstrings with not that much weight at home. squats should already be working your quads really well. The only issue is staying challenged because typical home free weights are so light they won't be challenging for long and you won't get the results you're looking for unless you're consistently challenging your body.0
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marcolbmp-- Thanks, that looks great! Thanks for taking the time to explain each exercise, much appreciated! I'm going to try it out after work today and see how I feel tomorrow!
aggelikik-- I agree with you, I've maxed out the 10lbs. However, I'm not going into this to compete or anything of that nature, I'm doing it to tone/for the aesthetic/for the metabolic improvement/for general health improvement. My arms and legs look like they don't belong to the same person! Hence why I'm so keen on lower body at the moment. I'm happy with my arms at present, so I think I'll stick with the 10lb free weights for now.
yopeeps025-- I'm 10lbs away from my weight goal. However, not close to my fitness goal. I'm looking to lose fat AND gain muscle-- in fact, losing 10lbs of fat and gaining it back in 10lbs of muscle would be ideal!
lauRoxx-- I've heard amazing things about kettle bells! That might be the next thing I invest in. What weight would you recommend?0 -
OP, you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Pick and choose which one you want first. I'm guessing, by how you describe you want to look, you just need to lose fat.
ETA: In which case, maybe you should give the stationary bike more of a chance.0 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »OP, you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Pick and choose which one you want first. I'm guessing, by how you describe you want to look, you just need to lose fat.
Look above in her comment and read the reply to me.
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