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FACT CHECKEDIs there any better accessory than strong, well-defined leg muscles?
I'm talking about the kind of well-built muscles that look amazing in your workout shorts while indicating you can squat heavy weights with the best of them.
Sounds good, right?
And if you're thinking that sounds like your #gymgoals, but you just don't know how to achieve it with your training, you have come to the right place! This article not only features two leg workouts geared toward women, but it is also going to discuss how to do each exercise, along with the key components all ladies' leg workouts should have.
If your next leg day workout is coming up and you're tired of not getting results, things are about to change.
Table of Contents:
Let's get into the best leg workouts right away! I've included two sessions here, which you should do in the same week, with a few days in between so you can effectively rest your leg muscles.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Back Squat |
4 |
6 |
Barbell Hip Thrust |
4 |
8 |
Romanian Deadlift |
3 |
8-10 |
Goblet Squat/Plie Squat |
3 |
10-15 |
Leg Press |
3 |
12-15 |
Glute Kickback |
3 |
12-15 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Back Squat |
4 |
6 |
Barbell Hip Thrust |
3 |
10 |
Bulgarian Split Squat |
3 |
10-12 |
Single Leg Deadlift |
3 |
10-12 |
Walking Lunges |
1 |
50 |
Leg Abduction |
3 |
12-15 |
Calf Raise |
3 |
12-15 |
If muscle hypertrophy is your goal, run these leg workouts twice a week, each session once per week. Remember that the farther you get into your workout, simply training to failure becomes more important than being specific with what weight you use.
All you need to do is be persistent, focusing on progressive overload and adding weight as you go. It's crucial to really concentrate on the first exercises of your workout. As long as you do this, you will improve.
Further, this can act as a template for further leg workouts for women. All you need to do is swap some exercises around once in a while. For example, after you run this program for 8-12 weeks, swap the walking lunge for a reverse lunge to keep things fresh.
Let's briefly go over the biggest muscle groups that you'll be targeting in your leg workouts.
It's time to go over step-by-step directions for each of the best leg exercises for women. This will include all of the lower-body exercises I believe are required to meet all the needs of a woman's leg workout.
The back squat is the foundation of your lower body workouts. It's the king of leg exercises, hitting all major muscle groups. In addition, you can also place a heavy load on the muscles.
Combined, this means the squat exercise targets the leg muscles so efficiently that if you were going to pick just one exercise for your lower body, it should be this.
Although the squat is technically a lower-body exercise, you will feel it in your entire body. This is especially true for the back and core as it must brace hard to support the weight.
How to do the Back Squat:
Barbell hip thrusts are almost universally agreed upon as the best leg exercise for your glutes¹.
It's a bit of a unique movement as it's technically a single-joint exercise (the hips), but it allows a considerable amount of weight. This makes it the only single-joint exercise that acts as a main exercise, as that usually goes to compound exercises.
Regardless, if you want a shapely rear end, you must regularly put barbell hip thrusts in your leg workout.
How to do Barbell Hip Thrusts:
I love the leg press machine, and it's basically the only machine-based exercise I utilize consistently. One of the reasons I use it so much is because of its versatility. While it's a single machine, you can alter the muscle activation by altering your foot position.
Further, you can place your feet closer together and low for more quadriceps activation or put your feet wider than hip-width and high for more posterior work.
A few feet placement options include: hip-width apart with toes slightly bent out, feet high and wider than shoulder width with toes slightly bent out, and feet narrow and high.
How to do the Leg Press:
While I love doing traditional deadlifts, if I could only pick one for version, my pick is the Romanian deadlift. This is primarily because the Romanian deadlift can elicit muscle activation in the glutes and hamstrings².
Further, because of the biomechanics of the Romanian deadlift, you do not need to use as heavy a load, which can be a huge plus, particularly if your weight selection is limited.
However, don't let this fool you into thinking the exercise is easy. As they isolate the hamstrings and glutes more, they will evoke a much stronger burn. Further, they're going to train the entire posterior chain.
Pro Tip: When performing Romanian deadlifts, I like to use a mind-muscle connection and focus on muscle contraction.
How to do the Romanian Deadlift:
I love walking lunges as they provide a unique stimulus unlike other exercises. That is, they require more activation from your lower body stabilizer muscles.
Further, the lunge is one of the few leg exercises that occur with motion. Get ready to feel the burn!
How to do Walking Lunges:
Ouch. Ladies, your quads have never hurt so good.
The Bulgarian split squat is a split squat that's performed with the rear leg raised. This not only places all of your body weight on the front leg but the body is also pushed farther forward.
Unless you've already been using these in your training program, perform these unweighted first.
How to do the Bulgarian Split Squat:
The goblet squat is a great leg finisher. I like to use high reps toward the end of a session to burn my legs out. It's simple to do yet highly effective. The reason it's called a "goblet" squat is because you hold a dumbbell with your hands cupped, which looks like a goblet.
Apart from being an effective leg finisher, it hits the core hard. As you're holding the weight high on your chest, the weight will want to pull you forward, similar to a front squat.
How to do the Goblet Squat:
This is a squat variation that's very similar to the goblet squat. It's also very similar to a sumo squat, except you use dumbbells. As you train your legs two times a week, you will alternate the goblet squat and plie squat.
The primary difference is that you will use a stance with feet wider than shoulder length. In fact, you will stand about 1.5-2 times the distance of a regular squat position.
You then turn your toes out and externally rotate your thighs, which will nail the inner thighs.
How to do the Plie Squat:
The leg abduction exercise targets the glutes, specifically the gluteus medius. The outer muscle on the glutes creates that rounding effect you're searching for.
When you perform these, your primary concern is getting in reps and training to or near failure. You can either use a cable machine for this move or a leg abduction machine.
How to do Leg Abduction:
The glute kickback is another cable exercise that isolates the hamstrings and glutes. This will simply use hip extension to kick the leg back.
Again, it's a simple exercise that's very effective. Like leg abduction, focus on getting high reps and training to or near failure.
How to do the Glute Kickback:
The great thing about the calf raise is you can play with different foot positions, including pointing forward or feet turned out or turned in.
You can also alternate between using a standing calf raise and a seated calf raise in your workouts.
How to do the Calf Raise:
So, what exactly makes a good leg workout for women? These 4 features.
I believe everyone needs to have some training with heavier loads. More and more research has shown that heavier loads provide benefits not seen with lighter weights³.
Some of these benefits include:
Further, in strength training, "heavy" has a specific meaning. The word is often thrown around a lot to mean anything challenging. In reality, "heavy" refers to using loads equal to or greater than 85% 1RM.
I'm making a broad assumption here, but a women's workout should have more emphasis on the glutes and upper thighs. This is solely because these areas are of particular interest to most women.
As long as you're including your primary leg exercises and big compound lifts, I think giving certain areas special attention is perfectly acceptable.
As mentioned above, heavy loads can strengthen bones.
The excessive weight causes a slight bend in the bone that causes tiny holes. When you go home and eat the proper nutrients (vitamin D and calcium!), these holes are filled with bone cellular material known as osteoblasts. Once repaired, you have a thicker, stronger bone.
This is vital for women as they are more prone to osteoporosis as they age.
Free weights create greater activation in the stabilizer muscles due to a greater need to support the limbs. When talking about leg exercises, this means your outer and inner thighs, such as the gluteus medius.
This muscle sits on your outer thigh, which means you would have greater activation in the trouble area. In addition, free weights create a greater demand on the abdominal muscles and the entire core.
For more great tips, check out out guide explaining How To Build Muscle For Women.
Don't make your training more confusing than it needs to be. A great leg workout for women is one that includes the best leg exercises there are and focuses on progressive overload.
A few final pieces of advice: Don't be afraid to lift heavy as this is what is going to build your major leg muscle groups. Also, consistency is key.
Think of weight training as something you're in for the long haul. Gains and muscle definition will happen, but in order for them to occur, you need to hit the weights hard every single training session.
Ladies, looking for more great workouts? Check out our articles on the Best Workout Programs For Women, The Ultimate Full Body Workout For Women, and the Best Workout Splits For Women!
References:
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