This installment of Back To Basics is near and dear to me, because it’s all about LEGS. As a kid I had really skinny, knock-knee looking legs. I remember looking down and hating how they looked so much that I never wore shorts, and always had sweatpants on!

Luckily for me at my first training job, my manager was also a competitive bodybuilder and weightlifter. His legs were simply amazing and completely developed. From him I was very fortunate to learn the correct form and technique for my first ‘must have’ leg exercise… THE ALMIGHTY SQUAT!

You’ve heard me mention the term “scissor” before, which is a reference to guys that have huge upper bodies and little pencil stick legs. You don’t want to be one of those guys and performing the squat the right way and with intensity is exactly how to avoid it. The squat is a complete leg, and actually full body, movement. That’s why it’s known as the king of all exercises and it’s been proven that your upper body won’t reach true potential unless you train your legs – and hard. Your legs, low back, upper back, shoulders, even your arms get taxed a bit in this mass-producing movement. Don’t skip it…

Remember also to only lift weights that you can handle with proper form. Too many people go too heavy and hurt their low backs, or perform squats with terrible inefficiency. See my Top 10 Exercises You’re Probably Doing Wrong for more details on form. If for some reason you have an issue that prevents you from squatting, the Incline Leg Press is a good second choice.

My next selection for great leg musculature is Step Ups. This exercise really hits the glutes and hamstrings in the bottom position when performed correctly. And because they’re performed one at a time you also train some knee stability muscles called the glute medius. The key with this exercise is to not bounce out of the bottom position and use your back leg as an aid to step up. You should simply lean slightly forward and be able to press your body up to the top using only the leg on the bench, and return back down in the same fashion. If you can’t do that, use less weight or none at all till you master the form.

Another very useful exercise for the legs are Jump Squats. All of your muscles are comprised of two basic fiber types – fast (for power), and slow (endurance) twitch. Jumping and performing plyometric type exercises demand explosiveness from your muscles. Jump Squats are a great way to train those power fibers. I saw huge improvements in my legs when I started incorporating jumping movements into my routine.

Finally I can’t have a leg posting without mentioning Leg Extensions. While all of the other movements I’ve spoken of are compound exercises, meaning they train various muscles in synchronicity, this bad boy that burns like a mother is all about isolation. BUT, don’t go crazy with the amount of weight used. I used to have my cousin sit on the arm of the machine while I fought the resistance – not a good idea. The last thing you need is a knee injury, and truthfully you don’t need heavy loads to achieve the desired effect.  A trick I’ve learned is that by changing my foot position, either toes pointed in or out, you can change where in your legs you feel the emphasis. Of course your whole quad is always working, this just changes the leverage a bit and how the muscles function.

I actually sometimes use this machine twice, once to warm up my knee joint and loosen it up, and then again after my workout to just isolate the joint a little bit more. I’ve found performing extensions slow and controlled is the best way to really feel them working, while minimizing injury.

Now to the bad stuff!

A popular exercise amongst bodybuilders that is an injury just waiting to happen are Sissy Squats. There’s a few different versions, but almost all place a ridiculous amount of strain and bad forces across the knee joint. I won’t lie and say they aren’t effective, or that in my knucklehead years I didn’t do them. But in my opinion they are just too dangerous for most to try and the benefits certainly aren’t worth the risk. I’d recommend you stay away.

I do a lot of work for my legs. I may perform up to 10 working sets of squats for twenty reps, or as low as 3 sets if I’m in the 6 rep range. Your legs are workhorses, and require a lot of stimulus to really see amazing growth and strength. But it’s up to your personal goals, as bodybuilders should be performing lots of sets, while people seeking general health and fitness can perform their exercises in circuits, or for just a few sets.

Remember nothing is written in stone. We all know variety is great stimulus for your body, so experiment with different routines and see how it goes. But these are the staples of leg training, so be sure to fit them in somewhere.

By the way, my legs aren’t so skinny anymore.

What do you think of my suggestions? DO you have a different exercise to suggest? I’d love to hear your thoughts…