A Leg Workout For Mass To Make Your Leg Day Count

There is little doubt that most everyone who is breaking a leg while working out wants a well-defined or toned body. That said, the problem is that many people assume that getting this physique means working on the upper body only. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all. You have to also work on your lower body, specifically your legs. It is for this reason that your instructor will schedule a leg day. You must never skip leg day if you want to build mass and get strong legs. It is on this day that you get to perform the leg workouts for mass that pave the way for you to get strong legs.

Many people forget to train their legs. The few that don’t forget make the mistake of doing the wrong exercises. Because of this, most people end up exercising other body muscles, not the ones in the legs. It would help if you exercised the leg muscles as they are significant, especially with movement. With that in mind, we will get into a discussion about an effective leg workout for mass. Follow this workout plan to the latter for increased leg mass and strength. As a reminder, consult with your trainer before giving this regime a try. Safety is the key here.

The Best Workout Routine For Increased Leg Mass

The first and most fundamental rule of any effective leg workout plan for mass is to incorporate the right exercises. Such a regime must contain effective leg exercises that give your leg muscles a thorough workout. Even if they do not include weights, these exercises must target your leg muscles, including your hamstrings, quads, thighs, and calves.

The second aspect that denotes the best leg workout plan is its safety. The problem with most leg regimes today is that they overlook the safety aspect. Most leg programs will ask you to go beyond your limits, further stating that no pain results in no gain. 

With this in mind, it would help if you did not over train, and especially using weights. Forget what your favorite fitness guru or bodybuilder is saying about challenging yourself for increased leg mass. Always start slow and with comfortable weights. With time, you can increase your weights or workload to help with maximizing your leg muscle building capacity.

The bottom line is that an effective leg workout will address all these aspects to increase the leg mass building capacity. With that said, let us evaluate one effective leg workout plan for mass that incorporates all these elements.

Read More: Leg Workouts With Dumbbells: Shred Your Leg Muscles Through A Mix Of Dynamic Moves

An Effective Home Leg Workout For Mass

You do not have to risk going to the gym in this pandemic just to tone your legs. You can always opt to perform a calisthenics leg workout plan for mass. Such a regime should contain these killer leg exercises:

Bodyweight Squats

The traditional bodyweight squat has been deemed the king of all lower body exercises. This stems from its numerous benefits, especially in sculpting your lower body. Medicine Net acknowledges that doing bodyweight squats can help you lose leg fat and develop slimmer legs and stronger knees (5). Similarly, the site reveals that these exercises can increase your leg mass, which then helps in the following ways (5):

• Enhancing your athletic performance
• Improving your mobility
• Improving your balance to help perform daily activities

How To Do Bodyweight Squats

Understanding the technique is vital because performing this squat in the wrong form increases your risk of injuries. Here is a step-by-step guide detailing how you should do a traditional bodyweight squat to build leg mass (2):

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your spine and back straight throughout this movement.
2. Engage your core, glutes, and leg muscles and lower your body to a sitting position. You can always go lower than this, but only to the point of comfort. 
3. Hold for some seconds and then stand to return to the starting position. Clench your glutes as you stand to engage your glutes further. 

Reps: 5 to 15 (it will depend on your fitness level)

Sets: 2 to 3

Lunges

Lunges are other effective leg workouts to do at home because they require little to no equipment. You can always do bodyweight lunges, especially if you have never done lunges before. Below are the steps to help you complete one rep of a lunge (6):

1. Start in a standing position with your feet placed in a neutral position.
2. Place your hands on your hips and step your right foot in front. Bend the knee to a 90-degree angle.
3. Your left knee will also bend towards the floor. Make sure it does not touch the floor.
4. Pause for seconds before returning to the standing position. You must use the heel of your right foot to help you push back to the upright position.
5. Repeat three or five times on each side before switching legs. Do 2 to 3 sets.

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Squat Jumps

Squat jumps are other excellent leg exercises. As the name suggests, this exercise entails doing both a squat and a jump. It has more cardiovascular benefits than the traditional squat due to the explosive jump (4). Here is how you perform squat jumps (4):

1. Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your back straight and slowly lower into a sitting position. 
2. At the bottom of the squat, push up to jump out of the squat with force. Aim at landing with your feet hip-width apart so that you immediately get into another squat. Again, make sure you land softly and gently to avoid straining your knees or getting a sprain or strain.
3. Repeat.

Leg Workout for Mass Using Weights

You can always add weights to your leg regime, especially if you want to upgrade from a leg workout without weights for mass. Such a leg workout for mass and strength can be very effective because the weights give your leg muscles a more challenging workout. Below are some of the best leg exercises incorporating weights to try for increased leg mass and strength:

The Leg Press

This is one of the best exercises to do using a weight machine to work your leg muscles. According to Mayo Clinic, this exercise will target your quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes (3). Here is how you do it (3):

1. Start by adjusting the weight machine such that your legs comfortably bend to a 90-degree angle on the platform. Do not bend your knees too much, as this may overly stress your knees.
2. Place both feet on the platform and distance them at least shoulder-width apart. Grasp the handles of the machine using both hands.
3. Start to straighten your knees slowly. Ensure that you do not arch your back or allow your knees to cave inward as you do this. Again, keep a steady and controlled pace while straightening the knees.
4. As you lift, you will feel some tension in your legs and butt.
5. Slowly bend your knees to return them to the starting position.
6. Repeat.

Read More: Benefits Of Leg Workouts, Or Why You Shouldn’t Skip Your Leg Day

The Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is an effective strength-training exercise that helps increase leg mass and strength. According to Medicine Net, this exercise targets majority of your leg muscles. These include your quads (front part of the thigh), hamstrings (back part of the thigh), adductors, and glutes (7). Below is a guide detailing how you perform a Romanian deadlift (7):

1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
2. Slowly lower into a squatting position. Remember not to arch your back but instead slightly bend the knees and keep your shoulders back.
3. Hold onto the bar using both hands. Your palms should be facing down. 
4. Slowly lift it off the ground to your hip level.
5. Hold for some seconds, and then lower the bar to your knee level. Make sure you move your butt back as far as you can when lowering the bar. 
6. Repeat.

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The Barbell Squat

Doing the barbell squat exercise can also help increase your leg mass and strength. More so, it can help tone your butt or glutes (1). Follow these steps to do a barbell squat (1):

1. Start by placing a barbell in a squat rack just beneath your shoulder height. Make sure you use comfortable loads to avoid injuring yourself.
2. Duck under the barbell and mount in behind your shoulders and neck. Grasp it using your hands, both of which should be slightly wider than your shoulder distance.
3. Stand up, which will make the bar lift off the rack. 
4. Make sure you step back to give yourself some squatting space.
5. Place your feet in a hip-width stance.
6. Slowly lower your butt towards the floor until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Remember to exhale as you squat. 
7. Press through your heels to return to the standing position. Remember to inhale as you do this.
8. Clench your glutes when you stand. 
9. Repeat to complete another rep. 
10. When done, carefully walk forward and place the barbell back on the rack. Do this slowly to avoid placing it wrongly, which can injure you upon release.

Tips When Doing Leg Workouts For Mass

Below is some advice you can benefit from when using the suggested leg workout plan for increased mass and strength:

• Warm-up before doing these exercises. It will help avoid injuring yourself from the forceful movement of the tight leg muscles.
• Always use light and comfortable weights when starting. Eventually, you can gradually increase the weight or intensity as advised by your trainer.
• Maintain the correct form of the exercise to avoid injuring yourself.
• Have some rest days to give your body enough time to recover and repair the damaged muscles.

The Bottom Line

The best leg workout for mass must include practical leg exercises and guarantee the safety of the trainee. Some of the best leg exercises you can do at home to gain leg mass include bodyweight squats, lunges, and squat jumps. If you want exercises that incorporate weights, consider doing the Romanian deadlift, leg press, and barbell squat. As always, consult with your doctor before embarking on any new exercise routine.

DISCLAIMER:

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on for decision-making. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

SOURCES:

1. Best Exercises for Butt (2020, webmd.com)
2. Progressive calisthenics workout plans for all fitness levels (2021, medicalnewstoday.com)
3. Slide show: Weight training exercises (2020, mayoclinic.org)
4. What are the benefits of performing squats? (2021, medicalnewstoday.com)
5. What Are the Benefits of Squats? (2021, medicinenet.com)
6. What is calisthenics? (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
7. What is the difference between Romanian deadlift and deadlift? (2021, medicinenet.com)