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Leg Press:
Sets: 3 Reps:
10-15
Sit in a leg-press machine with your feet on the foot plates in front
of you (make sure your seat is adjusted so that your knees are bent
at a 90-degree angle or sligtly less, positioning your feet so they
are turned slightly outward. NEVER place your feet pointing toward
each other!). Grasp the handlebars at your sides and hold your upper
body upright but relaxed.
Push forward on the foot plates and straighten your legs until they're
almost fully extended in front of you. Keep your knees slightly fixed,
not locked. Your upper body should remain upright and relaxed, and
your hands should hold the handlebars for support.
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Hamstring Curl:
Sets: 3 Reps:
10-15
Using a leg-curl machine, lie with your stomach on the bench and your
legs extended out. Hook your ankles behind the lifting pads; your
knees should be just over the bench's edge. Hold on to the front of
the bench for support. Your toes should be pointed down and there
should be some flex in your knees.
Keeping your pelvis pressed against the bench (don't let your hips
rise up), slowly and evenly pull both heels toward your butt until
your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle, then slowly lower them to
the neutral starting position. Avoid jerking your legs up and down
or performing these exercises too fast, or you will just be using
momentum, not your muscles, to swing through the exercises.
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Leg Extension:
Sets: 3 Reps:
10-15
Sit in an extension machine with your legs behind the padded lifting
bard and your hands grasping the bench or the machine's handles at
the sides of your body. Your knees should be bent at 90 degrees or
slightly more, with your toes pointing in front of you.
Straighten your legs by lifting with your ankles and contracting your
quads. Don't lock your knees at full extension. Your toes should be
pointing up and slightly out (point them in to work the inner thighs).
To concentrate on the muscle even more, work one leg at a time.
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No photo available
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Stiff-Legged
Deadlift: Sets:
3 Reps: 10-15
Stand erect holding a straight bar with an overhand grip, so that
the bar rests across your upper thighs. This exercise can also be
performed with dumbbells. With your legs locked in a straight-knee
position and your posture slightly back--shoulders back, spine slightly
arched, head forward--begin bending forward at your hips, which will
cause your torso to move down in an arc toward your thighs. For your
torso to move towars the floor, your glutes should simultanously move
back, with your body weight centered on your heels.
Continue bending forward at the hips, allowing your arms to descend
in a plane perpendicular to the floor until you feel a stretch in
your hamstrings. Don't overdo the descent, or you risk injury, such
as a muscle tear. Inhale as you descend. Hold the bottom position
momentarily then return to the start position by forcefully squeezing
your hamstrings and glutes to draw your hips forward, exhaling as
you pass through the most difficult portion of the lift. |
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Traditional Squat: Sets:
3 Reps: 10-15
Stand erect at a Smith machine (machine that is on a track) while
gripping the bar with your feet shoulder width apart and pointed out
slightly. Your feet should be positioned in front of you slightly
so you feel like you're leaning back. Bend your knees until your legs
are roughly 55 degrees ( do not squat beyond 45 degrees) and push
back up fairly hard. Repeate movement, making sure your abs are tight,
back is straight, and chin is up. |
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Forward Lunge: Sets:
3 Reps: 10-15
Stand with your feet and knees together with barbells to your sides.
Step forward with one foot and squat down until your knee is bent
nearly 45 degrees. Never lunge forwar until your knee is over your
toes. Bend straight down then push back up with the heel of your foot.
Change foot and repeat movement.
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Standing Calf Raise: Sets:
3 Reps: 10-15
If you have access to a standing calf machine, stand so your knees
are slightly bend and your legs are a little less than shoulder width
apart. The heels of your foot should be off of the platform. Raise
with the balls of your feet while contracting your calve muscle and
then lower beyond the platform level. Repeat. (To work the outer and
inner portion of your calve, point your toes inward or outward.)
<< Yes that is me in the picture. :-)
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Seated Calf Raise: Sets:
3 Reps: 10-15
Similar to the standing calf raise. Sit with your feet less than shoulder
width apart and knees slightly bent. Lift upward with the balls of
your feet and then lower. Try to push and contract as hard as you
can while holding the movement for a second before releasing.
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Strength
Training Exercises: Legs
