The leg muscles
Since leg muscle training involves movement via the hip joint and knee joint as well as the ankle joint, the number of muscles involved is correspondingly high. The hip joint allows the human being to move the thighs in all dimensions, and a training of the leg muscles must therefore be very extensive. A well-trained leg musculature also relieves the ligamentous apparatus of the lower extremities.
Definition Muscle building
This form of strength training is about targeted muscle building with various objectives. It can be for purely aesthetic reasons, but at the same time therapeutic effects can be used, which can be achieved by improving the muscles. Chronic complaints can be completely eliminated by muscle building.
Application areas
Adequate leg muscle training is applied in the field of health and fitness as well as in professional bodybuilding. However, the objectives of the individual areas of application are different. While bodybuilding is purely concerned with aesthetics and muscle building, leg muscle training is used in health sports to maintain movement possibilities.
The muscle build-up is only secondary. In game sports, leg muscle training is mostly used to improve the acceleration of movement in individual areas. Especially in basketball and handball a good bounce is of particular importance. In various athletic disciplines the leg muscles are trained by maximum strength training to achieve optimal acceleration of the body.
Exercises
The leg press is a conventional and safe way to train the leg muscles. Since the athlete is firmly fixed in a device, the coordinative requirements are very low. Since several muscles are trained simultaneously by only one exercise, the leg press is especially used in health sports and fitness.
Advanced bodybuilders usually prefer the knee bends. For more detailed information about this exercise, please visit our leg pressThe calf lifter is a targeted exercise to train the calf muscles in isolation. Since the workload is very high, the calf lifter is usually only used in bodybuilding and professional fitness sports.
For more detailed information about this exercise, please visit our topic Calf LiftingLeg Extension The leg extension is performed while sitting and trains the front thigh muscles. Especially soccer players integrate this exercise into their training plan in order to increase the acceleration of the lower legs when shooting. For more detailed information about this exercise, please visit our leg extensionThe adductor machine moves the thighs inwards against a weight.
Especially female studio visitors train this muscle group on the adductor machine. For more detailed information on this exercise, please visit our topic Adductor machineThe abduction in the hip joint is caused by a contraction of the buttocks. The abductor machine is therefore increasingly used to train the buttocks.
For more detailed information about this exercise, please visit our topic abductor machineThe leg curl is the antagonist to the leg extension, and should therefore be trained in the same way as the leg extension. In reality, this is usually not the case. Therefore, the thigh flexors often tend to atrophy and cramps under stress are the consequences.
For more detailed information on this exercise, please visit our Leg Curl topic. You can find more helpful exercises that strengthen leg muscles and other body regions at Exercises against celluliteFor many athletes, training the leg muscles is a core element of their weekly training plan. Machines that use weights are very suitable for training muscle growth, strength endurance and maximum strength.
They train the muscles in isolation and stabilize the training through the fixed frame. This allows the target muscles to perform better, the joints are protected and the risk of injury is reduced. Examples of these machines are the leg press, the leg bending and leg stretching machine, the adductor and abductor machine, and the calf stretching machine.
These exercises are also popular for beginners in fitness sports, as the risk of injury is low and the exercise is simple. Another category of leg exercises on the machine are the exercises on the cable pull . Here the degree of difficulty is already much higher.
The athlete must now not only overcome the weight but also take over a large part of the stability, because the movement is no longer guided by a mechanical frame, but the athlete must stabilize the movement. The exercises abduction and adduction can be performed on the cable just as effectively and easily. In particular, mobility and coordination are trained to a higher degree compared to the machines.
Leg bending and stretching can also be performed on the cable. Balance is also taken into account to a large extent in these exercises. Insecure athletes can use a holding device on the machine for safety.
Further exercises can be found under: Leg Muscle Training ExercisesFor athletes who do not always have time to go to the gym, it is recommended to do leg exercises at home. Usually you do not need any aids. A simple basic exercise is the knee bend.
From a hip-wide stance, the arms are stretched out in front of the chest and the buttocks are tilted backwards (similar to a “duck butt”). At the same time, squat down and try to keep your knees above your ankles. The entire sole rests on the floor the whole time and the main weight is on the heels.
Lunges are another exercise for the leg muscles. From a hip-wide stance a big step forward is made. Now move the pelvis towards the floor until the knee of the stretched leg almost touches the floor.
Now go back to the starting position and the other leg makes a big step forward. Besides the strengthening of the muscles, balance plays an important role. Another exercise is the hip stretching on the floor.
For this you need a surface that is as soft as possible. The starting position is the quadruped stance, with the wrists just below the shoulders and the knee joints just below the hip joints. Now the left and right leg are alternately stretched out backwards (in extension of the back), so that back and leg form a line.
The knee joint is a very important joint for the legs, which makes many movements of the human body possible. During most leg exercises the knee is more or less heavily loaded. Leg exercises that can be performed without loading the knee are not so easy to find.
A leg exercise that does not cause any problems for the knee is the lateral leg lifting. The starting position is lying sideways on a fitness or yoga mat. The upper leg is now spread out upwards and slowly brought down again against the force of gravity.
Since the legs are stretched, the knee is not under any load here. Another exercise is the pelvic lift. Here the starting position is lying on your back, with arms at the side of the body on the floor.
The feet are up and now the pelvis and the lower back is lifted off the floor and guided upwards until a bridge is formed from the shoulders to the knees. As there is a maximum joint angle of 9°, the load on the knee is very low. Climbing stairs is also a good leg workout. However, you should make sure that the angle in the knee joint is not less than 90°. The steps should therefore be of normal height and the athlete should only take one step at a time.
