Most people who go to the gym have lagging muscle groups, maybe you too. In this article we will look at the main reasons why your leg muscles lag behind.
Surely you have seen a lot of people who have well-developed muscle mass from the waist up, but forgot to train the legs. Or they train them, but not as seriously as other muscle groups. This type of physique is not symmetrical and does not look beautiful. However, the leg muscles are 50% of the total muscle mass, which means that to build large and dense leg muscles, you will have to work hard.
Most people who work out in the gym do not understand why heavy leg training is so important. They think it’s enough to just do cardio. Others only do machine exercises without free weights and think they will build big and thick thighs. In this article you can read why it is so important to train your thighs.
There are people with good genetics who have big and well-formed leg muscles, but there are also those who have to put in an awful lot of effort to achieve something. If you have been training for a long time and you have not yet found a solution on how to develop your leg muscles, read the reasons below and you will achieve your goal.
1. The training program
The training program is extremely important when talking about the legs. Most trainees do not put much effort into training their thighs. The number of exercises, sets and repetitions is very important. To have big and well-shaped thighs, you need to do more repetitions, especially with machine exercises. We recommend that you do heavy sets of basic exercises such as squats, push-ups and even leg presses, but for the rest of the exercises, try not to fall below 15 reps per set.
Pay attention to the number of exercises. I guess you know that exercisers basically divide the thigh muscles into front and back thighs. Depending on your level of development, purpose and experience in the gym, a different number of exercises is recommended. But in general, for front thighs we recommend doing 3 to 4 exercises, and for back from 2 to 3. Examples of exercises for front thighs are squats with a barbell, leg press, hacken squat, hip extension, and for back thighs thigh. folding sitting, hip folding lying down, Roman traction and others.
If you are advanced, have the desire and good recovery, you can train your thighs twice a week . Otherwise, you risk having the opposite effect, because these workouts are quite stressful. The first part focuses on the front thigh and calves, and the second on the back thigh, gluteus and calves. One may be on Tuesday and the other on Friday.
2. Number of workouts per week
Leg workouts are very long and exhausting. Many trainees even miss some exercises because they get very tired and can’t finish the workout or don’t do their best. Therefore, we recommend that you split your leg workout in half . As mentioned above, one workout should focus on the front thigh and calves and the other on the back thigh, gluteus and calves.
Dividing your leg workout twice a week, but with less exercise, will help you build more muscle mass in the long run. This way you will not be overwhelmed by the heavy leg workout and you will recover faster. If you overtrain and cannot recover, you will have the opposite effect.
Which sounds more reasonable to you? Do less exercise, but at 90%, or do the first at 100%, the second at 80%, the third at 60%, etc., while you think you are doing your best until the end of the workout. Giving 100% of yourself when you are tired is not the same as giving 100% of yourself when you are fresh.
3. Excess calories
When it comes to gaining muscle mass, calorie intake is extremely important. To build muscle, you need to create a calorie surplus – you eat more calories than your body burns through daily activities, exercise and normal physiological processes. How to eat to gain muscle mass, you can read here .
A good way to determine how many calories you need is to multiply your body weight by 40. So, a 90-pound man needs about 3,600 calories a day (on training days) to build muscle mass. On the weekends, you will eliminate before and after training meals (respectively, you will reduce the calories consumed) and you will take exactly as many calories as you need.
You need to know that there is a big difference from calories to calories. You need to get your calories from quality foods rich in protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Also, don’t overdo the excess calories because you run the risk of this excess being stored as subcutaneous fat. Try to consume no more than 10% of your caloric needs during the day. What this means? If you need 3,000 calories a day to keep fit to gain weight, you will need to increase them to 3,300.
4. The amount of protein
For those of you who are now entering bodybuilding, you should know that protein is the most important macronutrient you should take. You can afford not to eat fat and carbohydrates for a while, but without protein the path to big big muscles is impossible.
For people who are active in sports, it is recommended to take 2.2 grams of protein per 1 kg of active body weight. If you take less than indicated and at the same time do very heavy training, this would have the opposite effect. If you have difficulty consuming so much protein, protein shakes will make it much easier for you. They are the perfect addition to your main meal or breakfast.
5. Execution technique
Many beginners in gyms fall in love with heavy weights. This is a big mistake. The first thing to pay attention to is the correct technique of performing the movement itself, not the big pounds. If you do the exercises wrong from the beginning, it will stay that way. On the other hand, you run the risk of injury.
You are likely to end fitness and sports in general quickly if you are injured in the beginning. Therefore, on our site you can find videos of each exercise. How to do it, performance technique, when to include it in your workout and a lot of other information.
6. Proper rest
Train hard when you are in the gym, but do not overtrain, eat right and get enough rest. If you can’t regain strength, energy, and intensity from workout to workout, you may need a better rest. Try to sleep at least 8 hours a night. If you have the opportunity for an afternoon nap – do it.
If your muscles do not rest enough, you cannot achieve the muscles you dream of. Build your body with enough food and sleep. Without enough rest, you just won’t get fat. I guess you’ve heard that during training you just pump up and grow during sleep. Therefore, as important as training is, so important is rest and recovery in general.