Leg Workouts for Men

After finishing your daily workout routine, do you feel drained or dizzy? Do you get the annoying nauseous feeling after an intense weight training program? Well, this is exactly how you should feel every time you give your legs a proper workout. While training your leg muscles, half your body is working out in the session. Besides training the lower half of your body, the entire body gains the advantages from it. You increase your heartbeat and get the blood flowing, which in turn helps you burn fat and work your cardiovascular system. Specific or targeted exercises for you legs are crucial, because it helps maintain proper balance between all the muscle groups. But achieving these benefits doesn't necessarily mean hitting the gym every evening after work.

Leg Workouts Without Weights

To start off, you need to know which muscles you should be working on, for a complete leg workout session. These muscles consist of the hip flexors (muscles that help lift your knees), quadriceps (front of the thighs), abductors (muscles of outer thighs), glutenous (buttocks), hamstrings (back of the thighs), and abductors (muscles of inner thighs). To ensure you're performing the best leg workouts for men, do the exercises that recruit maximum muscle mass in each workout, which in turn will be beneficial for the body.

Elbow Squats

• Before you begin the leg exercise, jump vertically three times and see where your feet land. This is the place where your feet should be every time you do the squats.
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees and hips, and lower your body as far as possible.
• Once you reach a comfortable squatting position, push your knees and elbows out.
• Keep your feet flat on the ground and let your buttocks go below the height of the knees.
• Hold this position for about 3-5 seconds and then go down a bit deeper with your knees and elbows.
• Your torso will come between your thighs without folding it at the waist. Go back to your starting position and begin again. Do 4 sets of 10 repetitions.

Doorknob Squat

• Stand in front of a doorknob with your feet hip-width apart.
• Keep your chest up and straighten your arms. Now bend from your hips and knees to lower your body.
• Lean backwards, hold the position for about 5 seconds, and stand up again.
• As you keep your body tight and doing the squats, you distribute your weight throughout the body.
• This workout minimizes your risk of injury when handling heavy loads. Do 4 sets of 15 repetitions.

Gluteus

• To tone and firm your buttocks, lie on an exercise mat, facing up.
• Keep your left leg straight ahead, lifted in the air, at a 45º angle of your torso. The right leg will be bent at the knee and your left foot is flat on the floor.
• Lift your buttocks off the mat as you push it slightly with your right leg and squeeze the muscles for 2 seconds.
• Release and bring your buttocks back on the floor. Repeat on the other leg. Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions on each leg.

Lunges

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and take a step forward with your right leg.
• Glide your foot parallel to the floor and touch it with your heel few feet in front of you.
• Place your right toe on the floor and bend both the legs from the knees.
• Halt when you are about an inch above the floor. The right heel will be exactly below the right knee and both your legs will be bent at 90º angle.
• Hold for few seconds and go back to starting position. Repeat on the other leg. Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions on each leg.

Functional leg workouts are exercises which involve many muscle groups. In order to tone your legs and make them stronger, you need to keep exercising as often as you can. Keeping yourself stable and in balance is what helps provide results. Consult your doctor and/or personal trainer for more effective workouts.