Bigger Legs Workout

Most people do not understand the importance of working out the lower body. People generally emphasize more on the chest, the abs and the biceps and ignore the importance of quadriceps strengthening exercises and hamstring strengthening exercises. But a heavy and bulky upper body needs an equally strong lower body to balance it. If the legs aren't worked out as well as the upper body, not only will your entire body look asymmetrical, but it will also put undue pressure on your legs and knees.

Building Stronger Legs

Quadriceps Exercises
The quadriceps muscle is the muscle in the anterior part of your thigh. Here are some good bodybuilding exercises for the quadriceps.

Squats
Simple and straightforward, squats is one of the most basic exercises for legs. It is a workout without weights and can be performed as a warm-up. You can also hold a barbell or a dumbbell in each hand and then do your squats for more intensity. Perform the squats in 2 sets of 12 reps.

Lunges
Lunges is another effective workout without weights. Lunges are more difficult as compared to squats and I would not advise beginners to take weights while doing lunges. Lunges can be done in 2 sets of 12 reps.

Leg Extensions
Leg Extensions are a very simple exercise. You do it on the machine and it has a large range of weights so any person with any amount of strength can do it. Leg extensions can be done in 2 sets of 12 reps.

Hamstrings Exercises
Hamstrings are the muscles on the posterior side of the thigh. Here are some good exercises for building the hamstring muscle.

Leg Curls
Leg curls is an exercise which is done on the leg curl machine. It is a basic hamstring exercise and can be done by all, whether you're a beginner or a professional. A leg curl machine has a large weight range and hence it is a good exercise for everyone. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Standing Barbell Deadlifts
This is also an exercise for the lower back and should not be tried by beginners. If you are doing it make sure that a physical instructor is monitoring you, because if this exercise isn't done properly, it might cause lasting damage to your back. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Calf Exercises
The calf is the muscle that runs from behind your knee down to the ankle. Here are some calf muscle exercises.

Calf Raises Machine
Machine calf raises are one of the most common exercises for the calves. If you are not comfortable taking weights on the machine you can even do it on an elevated surface from the floor, like a step, without any weights. Do this exercise in 2 sets of 12 reps.

Leg Press
The leg press exercise actually works out the entire leg. It is a very simple exercise where you just have to push a weight, with the legs. You can do this exercise in 2 sets of 12 reps.

Apart from these, one of the best leg exercises without weights is running and hiking. That's right! You can indeed get bigger legs from running! It is important to stretch your leg muscles at the beginning and the end of the workout as stretching helps warm-up and warm-down the muscle and reduce the chances of injuries.