Here you will find a listing of leg exercises to use in your leg workout. Each of the leg exercises listed should be performed with proper form to not only avoid injury, but to also allow the muscle to go through a full range of motion and get the most out of the exercise. To learn how to incorporate these leg exercises into your leg workout and set up a full workout routine and split, go here: workout routines and programs

Squats

1. In a squat rack, take a barbell off of the rack by placing it squarely on your traps and shoulders (not the neck) and grip the bar comfortably with your hands a little wider than your shoulders.
2. Carefully take a step or 2 back from the rack and get in a comfortable upright stance with your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Your toes should be pointed slightly outward. They should NEVER be pointed inward.
3. Focus your vision on something straight ahead and slightly above you. Do not tilt your head backwards, downwards or to the sides as this will disrupt your balance.
4. Keeping your heels planted firmly on the floor and your back straight at all times, move your butt back and downward as though you were sitting in a chair behind you.
5. When your thighs reach parallel to the floor, return to the starting position by extending your knees and hips and pushing through your heels.

- Your knees should never extend out further than your toes.
- When pushing back up, always push through the heels, not the toes.
- The movement is up and down. There should be no sideways movement of any kind during the squat.
- Keep your back straight and chest up at all times.
- Squats can also be performed using dumbbells.

Stiff Leg Deadlift

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Pick up a barbell (off the floor or out of a rack) and hold it with your hands about shoulder width apart. Most people (myself included) perform this exercise with a mixed grip, which means one hand has an overhand grip, and the other hand has an underhand grip.
3. With your arms and back straight at all times and your knees just slightly bent, lower the bar towards your feet by bending over at the hips.
4. Once your upper body is either parallel to the floor or you feel a comfortable stretch in the hamstrings, lift the barbell back up and return to the standing position by extending your hips.

- While the stiff leg deadlift is primarily a hamstring exercise, it also recruits the use of the lower back secondarily.
- Be sure to keep your back straight at all times. Do NOT round your back. Also keep your shoulders pulled back and your chest out.
- How far down you go greatly depends on flexibility. Most people (myself included) don't go any lower than parallel to the floor.

One other thing that some people don't realize (I know because I get 100's of e-mails like this) is that leg exercises like squats and the stiff leg deadlift, or any other leg exercise for that matter, will only help build muscle and increase strength in your legs. Leg exercises DO NOT target any of the fat that is specifically located on your legs. If there is any fat, muscle will be built underneath this fat. You must then work on getting rid of that fat in order to see more "tone and definition" or look more "ripped and cut up" or whatever other fancy words you can think of. The ONLY way to lose fat from ANY part of the body is through either a proper diet, cardio or a combination of both.

Questions, comments or feedback? Feel free to e-mail me at:
IntenseWorkout@gmail.com

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