Exercises for the Lower Body
If you think a lower body workout using only cardio exercises on a bike or stairmaster is enough, you’ve been kidding yourself. Strength training will not only help to tighten and tone the body in conjunction with your cardio program, but it will also increase muscle mass and endurance, and help to prevent deterioration in bone density as you get older.
Exercise benefits everyone no matter what shape they are in. You may have bird legs, or heavy thighs on a pear-shaped body, or be in good condition from swimming or running, but you can still improve your health by doing weight-bearing exercises every week.
Since the large muscles of the lower body comprise over 60 percent of your muscle mass, it is necessary to include a workout to target them. In order to work these muscles properly, they require the use of heavier weights and a higher volume of work than say smaller muscles like the biceps.
Basic Exercises for The Lower Body:
The lower body, consisting of the trunk and legs, includes the major muscle groups of the gluts (buttocks); adductor (inner thigh) and abductor (hip); quadriceps and hamstrings on the upper leg; calves and soleus on the back of the lower leg; and the tibialis anterior (shin) on the front of the lower leg.
These exercises are only a sample of the workouts you can choose and they can be done with free weights, cables, or on circuit machines. Remember: variety is the key to toning muscles.
Cable Standing Calf Raise — At a cable pulley, attach a belt to your hips. Stand on the edge of a low platform or “calf block” on the balls of your feet, with your arches and heels off the block. Make sure the cable is short enough to allow full range of motion. Your knees should be straight throughout exercise or bent only slightly during the stretch. Raise up, allowing your heels to extend as high as you can, then lower the heels and bend the ankles, stretching the calves. These exercises will target the calf muscles with the synergist—i.e., a muscle that assists another muscle to accomplish a movement—being the soleus.
Reverse Calf Raise – This is similar to the (heel) calf raise described above, only now you will be positioning your heels on the front edge of the calf block and do toe raises. Begin by pulling the toes up as far as possible; then return by extending and pointing the toes downward. Repeat. This will target the tibialis anterior. Runners especially will benefit by training the shin muscles to prevent the types of muscle imbalances that cause painful shin split injuries.
Variations on the calf raise can also be preformed on a seated calf press machine, or on standing on a calf block with dumbbells or in a Smith with barbells. By doing both heel and toe raises you’ll work the lower leg and tone the V-shape that runs from your heels up the calf. Calf raises are great for both men and women who want to fully develop a nice pair of gams.
Cable Hip Adduction — A good exercise for the inner thighs. Attach a cuff to the inside ankle as you stand sideways in front of a low cable pulley. Grab the bar for support, keep your leg straight, and pull the weight by swinging your leg out, just in front of the outside leg you are balancing on. Return and repeat, then turn around and work the other leg. Adduction is moving the thigh inward with the hip straight; abduction (next) is moving the thigh outward with hip straight.
Cable Hip Abduction — Attach the cable cuff to the outside ankle while standing sideways from the low pulley. Keep your leg straight, pull the weight and allow the far leg to cross in front. Return and repeat. Then work the other leg. This exercise will work the hips and gluts.
For the next sets, move from the step-ups, to lunges, then to squats—in that order.
Step-ups with Barbells — A great exercise for the quads, and one that will be felt in the hams and calves, step-ups also serve as a warm-up for the upcoming squats and lunges. The exercise looks similar to the barbell squat since it’s done with a barbell placed on the shoulders. To perform this exercise: stand in front of a low bench or platform, and step up with the left leg, then the other. Then step down with the left leg; then the right. Repeat with the right leg stepping first. For variation, use dumbbells instead of a barbell.
The Lunge — A popular exercise with men and women bodybuilders, the lunge is good for toning the gluts, hams, and quads. To begin, stand with feet together and arms at your sides. Lunge forward with your left leg, landing heel first, then toes. Lower your body until your right knee is almost in contact with floor. Your shoulders will be over your hips. Load the front leg and use the back one for stability. Use a slow, smooth movement in order to allow tension to remain on the target muscle for a second or two. Step back up (toe/heel) and return to start position. Repeat with the right leg stepping forward. Lunges can be done with barbells or hand weights to increase intensity, and can also be preformed to the side or to the rear.
Squat with dumbbells — Stand with your feet comfortably apart, holding the dumbbells at your sides. Swing the weights forward in a controlled motion while bending at the knees and hips and lower to a sitting position. Slowly return to a standing position and lower the weights to your sides. The squat is the core exercise of any lower body training program and there are numerous variations using free weights.
Leg Press — Get in the machine and place your feet on the foot plate with knees and heels in alignment. Exhale, and push on the plate until your knees and hips are fully extended. Return to the start position where your hips should be completely flexed. Repeat. This machine targets the gluts and also hits the quads, inner thighs, and soleus. If you have knee problems, this exercise is a good alternative to the squat since you will be able to control balance and adjust the weight load. Some women also prefer the safety of the Leg Press Machine rather than performing squats with free weights and that’s fine, too. But for proper leg work, you must do one or the other.
Two important exercises that are often overlooked are the leg extension and leg curl. For best results, you should alternate these every week to allow specific muscles to recover. For example, you’ll be focusing on quads one week; hams the next. These terrific exercises will cut the upper leg muscles nicely if you do them properly.
Seated Leg Extension — Sit on the machine and slide your lower leg under the padded lever. Lift the lever, extending the knees until your legs are straight. Lower the lever to the start position and repeat. This workout targets the quads and should be done after squats or leg presses to help chisel and tone the front of the thighs.
Seated Leg Curl — Sit upright on the machine with your back against the padded support. Slide your lower legs over the padded lever, and lower the lap pad down against your thigh. Bring (curl) the lever down to full extension, then raise up to the start position until your knees are straight. Repeat. It’s a good idea to do this machine last after squats and the leg press. This machine targets the hams with the synergist being the calves.
Lying leg curls — To work the hamstrings, lie prone on the bench of the machine and position your lower legs under the lever pad. Raise the lever pad by flexing knees and bringing up (curling) the lever to the back of the thigh. Slowly lower until your knees are straight. Repeat.
The hamstrings are not fun to train but it is especially necessary to keep them limber, and a beautiful set of hams looks attractive on both men and women. Leg curl machines make the motion easier to do, but if the equipment is available at your gym, try all variations of legs curls (seated, standing, lying, kneeling, cable) for best results.
A Sample Basic Lower Body Workout :
Generally speaking, you should plan to do 2 to 4 sets of each, with reps of 8 to 20 depending on amount of weight used. Protect your joints by starting light and adding weights later as you progress in your training.
- Barbell Squat or Leg Press (3 sets of 12)
- Seated Calf Raise (3 X 12)
- Leg Extensions (4 X 12)
- Leg Curls (4 X
- Standing Calf Raise (4 X 20)
For more variation, throw in some one-legged training since you are likely to have a dominant leg and not even know it. (Snowboarders are aware of this phenomenon.) You can test yourself by training one leg at a time on most any free weight or machine exercise (for example, the seated calf raise) and see for yourself that one leg can usually do more reps than the other. Single leg training lets you isolate the muscle and promote more muscle fiber growth.
Design your workout according to your goals and be sure to change your routine every 4 to 5 weeks to keep your muscles guessing. By adding weight-bearing training to your weekly workout schedule, you’ll soon be on your way to achieving a good-looking, strong, and balanced lower body.