The great thing about leg training is that because it is so intense, you’ll be giving yourself a cardiovascular workout with each set you do and on top of that, you’ll be stimulating a greater release of the primary muscle building hormones, testosterone and growth hormone.
Simply put, leg training should not be skipped. If you want to take your leg training up a notch, here are four techniques that you can use for superior growth and development.
Love The Leg Press
Leg presses can also emphasize the quads, but you'll want to follow the same rationale about keeping your feet low on the sled. Sure, it's harder than using a higher foot position, but if you're looking to zero-in on the quads, keep it low.
You can use a closer foot position to target the outer quads to a greater degree. Use a wider stance to work the inner thigh and more thoroughly exhaust all areas of your quads.
Switch Up Your Foot Position
Another quick way to bring on superior results is to simply adjust your foot placement while doing your major exercises.
If you use a narrow stance squat when doing the hack squat or leg press for instance, you’ll work your outer quad sweep to a greater degree. On the other hand, place the legs up towards the top of the foot platform and you’ll be feeling it in your glutes as the set progresses onward.
Reverse that and place them low on the platform and you can rest assured your quads will be in for a workout.
One small change like this can make a big difference on the results you see and give the body the shock it may need to see superior results.
The Meat & Spuds
Nothing compares to squats for leg size. While other exercises certainly have merit, squats will form the core of your workouts.
However, while I was certainly born to squat – wide hips and short femurs – it isn't necessary to go completely rock bottom on every set of squats you do. My preferred approach is to vary squatting depth – some weeks squatting just to parallel, others well below.
Variation is a good thing – just ask Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell. When I trained there, we'd move the height of the box down an inch every week to help build flexibility. We would also vary our stances, as wider squats help develop hip and groin flexibility.
I also like to vary the bar used with squats. Different bars recruit the quads and hamstrings to varying degrees. (If you're lucky enough to have a safety squat bar, get it ready for action!)
Split Up Your Leg Day
Finally, last but not least, you might want to consider splitting your leg day up for superior growth and progression. If you are really training legs seriously, it can be hard to devote enough focus to the posterior chain when hitting your squats and all the other quad predominant movements.
Schedule a day where you do front or high bar squats along with your lunges, split squats, and leg extensions and then a second leg day of the week where you do low bar back squats, stiff legged deadlifts, hamstring curls, and glute bridges.
This will help ensure that you are fresh for each major muscle group and one group never suffers due to lack of focus.
Keep these four techniques in mind next time you step into the gym for leg day. By implementing these, you can ensure that you see maximum growth and strength progression.