How to pump up your legs fast? 11 most effective exercises and trainer’s recommendations

On the way to a perfect figure, there are many questions about how to improve this or that part of the body. They do not bypass the leg area, and the interest is increased by the complexity of its training. There are those who do not like training on the lower part of the body, because they are difficult and can lead to exhaustion.

But the effort put into the exercises is then so well seen that it overrides all the disadvantages. To have a better result, you need to approach the training process with all the attention and understanding. Today, together with the trainer, we will tell you how to quickly pump up your legs.

Pasaules klases fitnesa treneris

“To pump up beautiful relief legs, you need to exercise in a strength format, starting with a hypertrophy cycle and ending with a strength cycle with linear or wave-like periodization. It all depends on your training. Separation is necessary both within a single workout and within cycles. The purpose of periodization is to create a new stressor after your body has adapted to the load. This can be drop sets, adding pauses in certain phases of movement, a slow negative phase (it occurs when the projectile is lowered down) or unilateral loading (i.e. working the left or right side of the body separately).”

How do I structure my workout?

In order to benefit and avoid injuries, the body should be prepared, namely do a warm-up. It warms up the muscles, bringing them into an active phase. First make sure that the whole body is ready, and only after that start working.

It is best to do two or three basic, multi-set exercises and two or three auxiliary, single-set exercises during the workout, with the ideal addition of a one-legged movement. In this way, all vectors and muscle groups, the anterior and posterior chain, are engaged. Basic exercises should be performed in three to five approaches, possible with a strength progression of 15 to 8 repetitions, and sub-assisted exercises – three approaches of 12 to 20 repetitions.

Workout: variation 1

1. Squats
2. Straight leg pulls
3. Tibial extension and flexion (can be performed in two sets)
4. Extension.

Workout: variant 2

1. Bench Pull
2. Lunges
3. Kāju prese
4. Hip extension
5. Hip flexion.

Boris Ilyin: The difficulty of training this muscle group lies in its vastness and in the demand for more energy resources compared to training the upper limb girdle. This means higher heart rate, higher blood pressure, more sweating, deeper breathing and longer recovery. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to follow the methodological instructions and monitor the technique of the exercises. Then there will be no mistakes.

What exercises to do and how to perform them correctly?

Squats with a barbell or empty barbell

Gluteal muscles, muscles of the back, inner and anterior surface of the thigh – everything is involved here. Squats will not only make the body slimmer and tighter, but also form relief.

Tehnika

• Stand with your feet at pelvic width, feet may be wider, toes slightly apart.
• Keep your back straight, forearms parallel to each other, shoulder blades are brought and lowered.
• Slightly tilt the body forward, pulling the pelvis back.
• Place the barbell on top of the trapezius muscles so that its projection falls on the center of the foot. Wrap your arms around it slightly wider than your shoulders.
• On the inhale, perform a squat, at the bottom point the legs are bent at the knees at an angle of 90 °.
• Izelpojot atgriezieties sākuma pozīcijā.
• Note that the movement is performed by moving the pelvis backwards, and the knee joint moves in the direction of the foot, but does not go beyond its edge.

Lunges

They are ideal for strengthening the hips and buttocks, the load is evenly distributed between the muscles. Also, the exercise allows you to improve coordination and balance.

Tehnika

• Stand up, feet parallel to each other, fix them at the width of the pelvis. The back is straight, the shoulder blades are brought and lowered.
• As you inhale, take a wide step, bend your legs at the knees and slightly tilt the body forward.
• The movement is performed until the knee of the front leg reaches a 90° angle.
• As you exhale, come back and then repeat on the other leg.
• As you perform, most of the weight shifts to the front support leg. Make sure that the knee moves in the same plane as the foot, avoid deviating to the side or going beyond the toe.

Bench Pull

This exercise will help you work out local tissues and gain muscle mass. It also promotes qualitative strengthening of joints and tendons. It is important to control each muscle, the movement should be performed synchronously.

Tehnika

• Stand up, straighten your back, the shoulder blades are brought and lowered. Legs at shoulder width. Take a barbell in your hands.
• Perform a slight incline of 5-10° by pulling the pelvis back.
• Fix the bar in straight hands, its projection should fall on the middle of the arch of the foot.
• On an inhalation, move the bar to the level of the middle of the shin, while it moves as close to the feet as possible.
• Control the correct curves of the spine.
• On the exhale, return to the starting position.

Kāju prese

It allows not only to increase muscle mass, but also develop the organs of the small and large pelvis. The work is aimed at the quadriceps and gluteal muscles, while the load on the spine is minimized.

Tehnika

• Lie down in the simulator, feet fixed on the platform at the width of the pelvis. The back is straight, the shoulder blades are brought and lowered.
• As you inhale, move the platform down until your knees are bent to an angle of 90°.
• As you exhale, push the trainer upwards.
• Note that the knee joint moves in the direction of the foot, centering on the middle toe. At the end point, make sure that the legs are not fully extended, they should be slightly bent.

Straight leg pull

It strengthens the stabilizer muscles, which not only increases muscle mass, but also improves the condition of the spine and posture.

Tehnika

• Stand up, straighten your back, bring your shoulder blades and lower them. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
• The body is tilted forward by about 10°.
• Hold the bar in your hands, straighten your elbows, the projection of the bar should fall on the middle of the arch of the foot.
• As you inhale, lower the bar to the level of the knee joint, and as you exhale, raise it back up.
• The movement starts by moving the pelvis backwards, the barbell should pass along the hips. The amplitude of the movement of the knees is small, it is necessary to maintain an angle of 160-170°.

Boris Ilyin: For general tone, when choosing the weight you should take weights with 6-7 points out of 10, where 1 is “very easy” and 10 is “can’t perform a single repetition”. At this level of difficulty, the last two to four repetitions will be done with difficulty, but with technique preservation.

Paplašinājums

This exercise will help work the back of the thigh and gluteal muscles. It also engages the lower back, strengthening the lower back.

Execution technique

• Stand on the simulator, legs and body form one line, feet on the width of the pelvis.
• Hips are fixed on a support, the upper edge of which is 15-20 cm below the level of the iliac bone of the pelvis.
• The back maintains a straight position and the shoulder blades are brought and lowered.
• As you inhale, bend at the hip joint in the 90° range.
• As you approach the end point, retract the lower abdomen, which will activate the lower third of the transverse muscle.
• As you exhale, return back to a straight line position.

Hip flexion in forearm rest

This exercise engages the flexor muscles, the muscles of the anterior and inner thigh. The exercise does not load the spine, so you can transfer all the attention to the performance.

Tehnika

• Take a hanging position in a forearm rest, feet should be together. Throughout the execution, the legs are slightly bent, the lower back and pelvis are pressed against the support.
• As you inhale, bend your hips to a 90° angle with your torso.
• As you inhale, return back to the starting position.
• Try to keep your shoulder blades in a maximized position, control each movement.

Hip extension in a seated trainer

It involves the drive muscles, which are strengthened and toned. It works the inner part of the thigh, which is usually not so actively engaged.

Tehnika

• Sit in the simulator, fix your feet on the footrests, keep your back straight, shoulder blades brought and lowered.
• As you exhale, perform a hip extension, and as you inhale, return to the starting position.
• Watch the movement, it should not be sharp and jagged.

Hip extension in the trainer

The inner surface of the thigh is an area that is not affected by all exercises, but here it is worked in isolation, which allows you to focus on the desired muscle group.

Execution technique

• Sit in the simulator, with your feet placed on the footrests.
• The back is straight and the shoulder blades are brought and lowered.
• As you exhale, perform a hip extension. Do it slowly without breaking the movement.
• As you inhale, spread your legs back.

Shin curls in a trainer

This exercise engages stabilizer muscles and works the quadriceps muscles of the thighs. Another advantage will be the strengthening of knee joint ligaments.

Execution technique

• Sit in the simulator, place your feet parallel at the width of the pelvis.
• Fix the support roll close to the foot, it should not move, the axis of movement of the simulator is identical to the movement of the knee joint.
• The back is straight, shoulder blades are aligned and lowered.
• As you exhale, maximally open your knees, and as you inhale, bend your legs back. Perform smoothly, without sharp resets.

Bending the shins in a lying trainer

Allows you to form a beautiful rear surface of the thigh.

Tehnika

• Lie on your stomach in the simulator, feet parallel to each other and positioned at the width of the pelvis.
• The support roller should be fixed as close to the foot as possible. It should not move during the movement.
• The axis of rotation of the simulator coincides with the knee joint.
• Straighten the back, bringing and lowering the shoulder blades.
• On exhalation, perform the maximum possible flexion of the lower leg.
• As you inhale, lower your legs back down.

It is worth paying attention to the iliac crests of the pelvis, they should be pressed against the support. It is necessary to fully control the execution, avoiding inertia and abrupt movements.

How to adapt the training for home?

If you want to pump up your legs at home, you can work with your own weight or use dumbbells, barbells, sports elastic bands, any improvised means in the form of books or bottles.

Extension at home is performed standing, as a bend on straight legs, you can also take weights on the back or an expander. Hip flexion can be done hanging on a bar or lying down. Hip extension and adduction can be done standing, sitting, lying down with a rubber band or a disk. Flexion and flexion of the lower leg – sitting or lying down can also be performed with fitness elastic bands.

Do not forget about the warm-up, be sure to include stretching, it will help restore joints and muscles, increase their elasticity. It will also improve blood circulation, which will reduce pain the next day.

Train properly and thoughtfully, because only full control over your body and a clear understanding of how to control it and which muscles to use will help you achieve the desired result. As you treat your body, so it will treat you.