Variations for Your Leg Routine
By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE
After the positive response from last week's Arsenal of Arm Exercises I figured it would be appropriate to give equal attention to the legs.
Like the arms, there are a number of variations that can be performed for lower body exercises to tweak the results you get. It’s all based on how the muscles are stimulated. A flex of the ankle or repositioning of the feet can make all the difference in what part of a muscle group is emphasized.
For a more balanced and effective leg workout, here are a few ways to maximize your lower body routines.
Barbell Squat -- We’ll start with the squat which is the number one body building movement because it involves a large part of the muscular system and has so many variations. Squats are a compound exercise and work the quadriceps, gluteals, adductors, spinal erectors, abdominals and hamstrings. One variation on the squat includes lifting the heels on a block of wood to place more stress on the quadriceps. Be cautious not to let your knees ride over your feet when using this variation.
Another variation includes repositioning the bar lower on your back rather than across your shoulders. This helps your balance and improves the lifting power of your back.
Hack squats performed on a machine put more stress on the quads. Placing your feet closer together gives you more emphasis on the gluteals. Taking a wide stance places emphasis on the inner thighs. You may want to try one set of each.
The full squat, which brings your thighs just below parallel to the floor and your knees less than 90 degrees, places more focus on the gluteals. Be sure to try this without weight first to make sure you don’t experience any pain in your knees or back.
You can also experiment with different foot stances. For example, a wider stance (power squat) incorporates the adductors (inner thighs).
The front squat (placing the barbell across the front of the shoulders) places more emphasis on the quadriceps. Some like to wedge their legs in to help keep their back straight and keep from bending forward.
Keep in mind that the squat can be a dangerous exercise if not executed properly. Start with the basics and, as you want to experiment with different variations, try several reps without resistance before adding weight. The squat is more challenging for those with back injuries, inflexible ankles and long thigh bones. Proceed with caution.
Angled Leg Press -- This machine exercise works the quadriceps, gluteus maximus and long head of the hamstrings. If you place your feet high on the plate, the emphasis is on the gluteals and hamstrings. Placing feet low on the plate puts primary emphasis on the quadriceps. Positioning feet apart stresses the inner thighs; whereas, keeping your feet together focuses on the quads.
Leg Extensions -- This exercise isolates the four muscles of the quadriceps. While it is not a functional exercise, this is the best quadriceps isolation strengthening movement. Putting the back of the seat all the way up works the quadriceps more intensely than when it’s tilted back.
You can squeeze a medicine ball or towel between your thighs as you lift and lower your legs to emphasize the vastus medialis, which inserts on the inside of the knee. If you do nothing else, give that one a try. You most likely will use less weight and feel the contraction a whole lot more. You can also extend your toes out at the top of the range of motion to focus on the vatus medialis (inner most quad muscle). This exercise can be performed one leg at a time for variety.
Lying Leg Curls -- This exercise involves the entire hamstring group as well as the calf. As you curl your feet upward you can place more emphasis on the inner muscles of the hamstrings by angling your toes inward. You can place more stress on the muscles on the outside of the hamstrings by angling your toes outward. If your feet are extended, it puts more stress on the hamstrings. And, if they are flexed, it puts more stress on the calves. You can also perform this exercise one leg at a time.
Good mornings -- There are two methods of performing this exercise: with straight legs and with bent legs. The bent knee position is the easier of the two. This exercise involves the gluteals, spinal erectors and the hamstrings (with the exception of the biceps femoris -- short head).
Never do this movement with heavy weight. The objective is to get a good stretch of the hamstrings. Flexible hamstrings will help reduce injuries -- especially when performing heavy squats.
Warning: this exercise does pose a high risk to the lumber spine, so perform it with caution.
Now that you have new combinations of quadriceps and hamstring exercise variations, begin incorporating them into your leg routines. You'll notice subtle differences in how you feel your muscles being stimulated and can expect more definition when you incorporate these variations into other programs.