Workout plan for women, part #1: Legs.

This article will talk about building a training program for the development of quadriceps, hamstrings and buttocks.

In today's world, there is nothing more difficult to develop than the muscle group of the lower extremities. Women are constantly looking for new methods and principles of training to make their legs slender and their buttocks round and dense.

But the truth is that training legs is not that complicated if you know what to do and are motivated enough to do it.

Strong buttocks, wide, firm and dense thighs, toned calves are a manifestation of feminine strength and beauty. The legs are one of the largest and most complex parts of the entire body. They can be divided into two main muscle groups – the quadriceps (quadriceps) and the hamstrings (hamstrings).

But the article would not be complete if I did not include the principles of training the gluteal muscles. A complete ensemble of muscle groups of the lower part of an attractive female figure.

Quadriceps.

The quadriceps femoris muscle (quadriceps) consists of four separate muscles.

Rectus femoris muscle
Vastus lateralis (external) muscle
Vastus medialis (internal) muscle
Vastus intermedius muscle

The quadriceps muscles are involved in extension of the knee joint. The rectus femoris muscle, together with the iliopsoas muscle, lifts the thigh towards the chest.

Biceps femoris.

The biceps femoris consists of four muscle groups.

Long head of the biceps muscle
Short head of the biceps muscle
Semitendinosus muscle.
Semitransverse muscle (semimembranosus).

The function of the femoral biceps is to flex the leg at the knee joint, help the gluteus maximus muscle in straightening the body, rotate the lower leg when the knee is bent, and outwardly rotate the lower leg.

Buttocks.

The buttocks are formed by three main muscles:

The gluteus maximus is the largest and most prominent of the gluteal muscles.
The gluteus medius is a small muscle that sits laterally on top of the gluteus maximus.
The gluteus minimus is a small muscle located laterally under the gluteus maximus and is therefore not visible at all.

The glutes support the hamstrings when you need to increase your speed. When you walk slowly, they hardly work. But when you speed up and start running, your buttocks are actively involved in the work.

The gluteal muscles help the quadriceps to extend and rotate the thigh outward, and together with the muscles of the back of the thighs, they extend the torso from a tilted position.

Luckily for you ladies, you are naturally stronger in your legs than any other part of your body. In fact, you are proportionately stronger in the legs than men in relation to the rest of the muscle groups. Therefore, “lagging leg muscles” is not even an excuse!

Multi-joint exercises.

Squats.

Execution options: barbell, dumbbells, Smith machine, Hackenschmidt machine
Type of execution: split squats, wide stance, shoulder width apart, narrow stance, front squats.

Leg press.

Execution options: incline press, horizontal press, Smith machine.
Foot width: wide foot position, shoulder-width apart, narrow foot position, single leg press.
Placing your feet on the platform: top of the cart, middle part of the cart.

Lunges.

Execution options: dumbbells, barbell, Smith machine.
Type of execution: walking, reverse lunges, curtsies, Bulgarian lunges, side lunges.

Isolation exercises.

Quadriceps.

Leg extension in the simulator
Sissy squats

Biceps femoris.

Barbell and dumbbell rows on straight legs
Romanian barbell deadlift
Leg curls while lying in a machine or with dumbbells held between your legs, leg curls while standing in a machine.
Good morning

Buttocks.

Swing your leg while kneeling
Swing your leg from the lower block backwards while standing
Swing your leg from the lower block to the side while standing
Smith leg press while kneeling
Weighted gluteal bridge
Raising the pelvis while lying on your back on a bench
Leg raises in the simulator

Synergetic exercises.

By incorporating these exercises into your other workouts, you can get extra stimulation from your leg muscles.

Classic deadlift (back)
Raising the barbell from the floor and pressing overhead (shoulders)
You can also work on your leg muscles by doing cardio, sprinting, running up stairs, or cycling.

Multi-joint exercises are great because they activate the entire muscle mass of the legs. By bending your hips and extending your knees in one full movement, you can lift much more weight and also save time in the gym.

Read also: How to pump up a girl’s buttocks: the effectiveness of training.

Multilevel exercises also burn more calories, require more intensity, and are much more effective than isolation exercises. Make compound movements a staple of your leg workout and add isolation for extra polish.

Choose 2-3 compound movements and 2 isolation movements - one each for the hamstrings and quadriceps - so you can work your legs with enough intensity to stimulate muscle growth and increase strength.

Features and mechanism of action of leg exercisers

Depending on the type of load created, the mechanism of action of exercise machines for the legs and buttocks varies. Manufacturers of such sporting goods classify their products into:

strength (such exercise machines must be used to maintain overall muscle density);
aerobic (or cardio, designed to strengthen the cardiovascular system and reduce weight);
helping to increase the muscle mass of the athlete.

The main feature of exercise machines for fat burning and pumping legs is that, in addition to the target muscle group, they also use several secondary ones. This characteristic once again proves that local weight loss in one area of the body is impossible. The reduction in body fat during sports occurs evenly. For example, when walking on a stepper (one of the most effective exercise machines used for losing weight in the legs both at home and in the gym), not only the muscles of the lower body are worked out, but also the back is strengthened, the abs are tightened, and the cardiovascular system is trained.

Be sure to check out: Exercises and programs for weight loss in the gym Circular training: basic rules of training for girls Effective program for men in the gym: tips for beginners The most effective complexes for working out the hips and buttocks

Sets and reps.

The leg muscles respond well to high-repetition work. I recommend doing your heaviest sets in the 8-12 rep range for 3-4 working sets. Don't forget to also do 2-3 warm-up sets for each muscle group.

Start your workout with 20-25 repetitions and work according to the straight pyramid principle, gradually increasing the weight of the apparatus and decreasing the number of repetitions with each new approach.

Of course, everyone knows that changing the order of reps is a good way to shock the muscles, so for some exercises, especially isolation exercises, feel free to raise the rep range to 30, and for multi-joint exercises (especially squats), lowering the rep range to 4 is the best way to increase strength leg muscle indicators.

Lunges with weights

Allows you to pump up the muscles of the buttocks and the front of the thigh. Lunges are made forward, to the side or backward. Leg training for girls for weight can include all three types of lunges or one of them. Perform 12 times in 3-4 approaches. But you have to ask yourself, is it necessary to gain weight?

Lunges with dumbbells can be performed either moving forward or standing still.

Important! To maintain balance when performing lunges, keep your hands with dumbbells along your body. If the exercise is performed with a barbell, the step size should be small.

Frequency, duration and intensity of training.

Unless your legs are a weak (lagging) part of your body, train them only once a week. If it's a lagging body part, you still shouldn't train it more than once a week. Why?

Legs are the largest muscle mass in our body; training them is considered very intense in relation to other muscle groups and takes quite a lot of time to work them out in one workout. Therefore, their recovery takes longer, up to a week.

If you bomb your legs at maximum intensity twice a week, you won't give them enough time to recover from the previous workout and will end up overtraining your muscles and causing constant pain.

But, if you suddenly feel that your legs are rested after two or three days after training, and you are ready for the second round of the week, then know that you are not training with enough intensity!

Many athletes split their leg workouts into two sessions, working the quads on one day and the hamstrings on the other.

This concept also has its place, but the fact is that you cannot work one of these muscle groups in isolation with complex multi-joint movements without involving another muscle group in the work. And if you follow this type of program, you will get a leg workout twice a week.

There are certain ways to perform exercises to prioritize one muscle group over another. This is a great idea if one of the leg muscles is “lagging”; However, if you overdo it, then, as I said, you risk overtraining, developing permanent muscle pain, which in turn can lead to unpleasant consequences.

In terms of intensity, you should train fairly hard, combining strength, multi-joint exercises with isolation movements.

If after the training you want to do a couple more exercises on the machines as a “polish” (for example, abducting, spreading legs), then you did the main training poorly!

Workout for legs, buttocks and thighs No. 1

Use this leg day workout to strengthen your lower body.

With these six exercises you can test the strength of your legs, pump up your gluteal muscles and thighs, and strengthen your abs.

Not all girls like leg exercises. Of course, after the first workout your legs will hurt so much that you will have difficulty walking. But all this will pass sooner or later, and then you will begin to see the benefits of these workouts, namely, you will be able to test your abilities and burn a huge amount of calories, since it uses the largest muscle groups of the body.

The exercises shown below can be done anywhere, at the gym or at home. They train the entire lower body - quadriceps, hamstrings and especially the glutes. Don't forget to do a warm-up first to prepare for the main part of the workout, where you will work with dumbbells, barbells, and various machines.

13 home exercises for girls' legs to pump up thin legs without exercise equipment

Warm-up

Body weight squats

3 sets of 10-15 repetitions
From a standing position, lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and then push up back to the starting position, resting on your heels.

Walking lunges

3 sets of 10-15 repetitions
From a standing position, take a step forward and lower yourself until your legs are bent at the knees at an angle of 90 degrees. Then, raising the torso, we bring the other leg forward and do another lunge. Continue walking like this until you complete the set.

Hip abduction

3 sets of 10-15 repetitions on each leg
Get on all fours and tense your core muscles so that your body does not bend during the exercise. Raise one leg up, bent at the knee at an angle of 90 degrees, until the foot points up towards the ceiling. Slowly lower your leg. First we perform the exercise with one leg, and then with the other, in turn.

Dumbbell Squats

3 sets of 10-15 repetitions
To finish the warm-up, add additional weight to the last exercise. Using a light dumbbell, do three more sets of squats. After this, you will be fully prepared for the heavier loads of the main workout.

Main complex

Squats within the amplitude (Pulsating squats)

3 sets of 8-12 repetitions
From a standing position, we lower ourselves until our thighs are parallel to the floor, then we rise partially, not completely, but only a quarter or half. Then we squat again until parallel to the floor. It was one repeat. Continue, standing up fully only when all repetitions are completed.

Glute bridge with barbell

3 sets of 10-15 repetitions
Sit on the floor so that the bench is behind your back. The bar lies on the hips, located just below their line. Lean back and slightly raise your hips so that your shoulders rest on the bench. Now push your hips up to lift the barbell. At the highest position, your knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle and your body should be in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Slowly lower ourselves to the starting position.

Bulgarian lunges

3 sets of 10-12 repetitions with each leg
If desired, you can use additional weight: dumbbells or a barbell, but if you find it difficult to maintain balance, then, of course, you can do this exercise without them. We turn our backs to the bench. We put one foot on the bench. We bring the supporting leg forward. We lower ourselves until the thigh of the supporting leg is parallel to the floor, and then return to the starting position. We make sure that the knee does not go beyond the line of the toe. We perform all repetitions with one leg, and then change it.

Leg abduction in a block exercise machine

3 sets of 15-20 repetitions with each leg.
This exercise requires a special cable trainer with blocks. We attach the ring to the lower block of the simulator, and then thread the leg into the ring. Then we stand facing the machine and hold on to it with both hands. Slowly move your leg back as far as possible. Then just as slowly return it to its original position. We perform all repetitions with one leg and then the other.

Leg extension in a sitting machine

3 hikes of 12-15 repetitions
We sit on the machine and position the roller so that it is just below the calf muscles. Raise your legs until they are straight, and then lower your legs to the starting position. Hold this position down for a second and then raise your legs.

Plank

3 sets of 30-60 seconds
We stand in a plank position, that is, face down so that the body weight rests on the elbows and toes. The body from shoulders to heels should be in a straight position. Tighten your abdominal and gluteal muscles, and do not allow your hips to drop or rise.

Muscle tone - what is it?!

So many women use this word and honestly don't really know what it means! In fitness and bodybuilding there are two main goals: gaining muscle mass and burning fat (working for relief)

You either want to do one or the other, or both. You cannot “tone” any part of your body. So decide what goal you want to achieve and center your training around it.

If you have "big" legs - and when I say big, I mean bigger in comparison to your upper body. First, determine whether size depends on the amount of subcutaneous fat or the amount of muscle gained. This is not so difficult to determine. If it's muscle size, you should have good outer development in your hips, the lower quadriceps (teardrop muscle) should be visible, and there shouldn't be a lot of subcutaneous fat on your legs.

Read also: Leg training by Ashley Hoffmann.

The muscles of the back of the thighs should look round and tight. In other words, your legs may be big, but they should still be very tight. If the legs do not have enough muscle support, they will appear loose and flabby. The optimal amount of subcutaneous fat should be kept at least 11%.

How many average women do you know who maintain such a low body fat percentage all year round? The list will be insignificant. Try to look past this when identifying your weak parts of the body. Pay attention to muscle development, not fat reserves. Everything else will depend on your current nutrition plan.

Gaining muscle mass.

If your goal is to add size to your legs, you must perform heavy, deep barbell squats!

Not Smith machine squats, not leg presses, but free weight squats in a power rack. This is the basis for building beautiful, muscular legs.

Perfect the technique of this exercise until you can squat with your eyes closed. Practice, but a Smith machine is perfect for this, and a good trainer who will teach you safe movement techniques.

Perform heavy squats every week, supplement them with multi-joint exercises such as leg presses, lunges, and hack squats.

Again, make sure your technique is perfect. Begin the movement with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, chest up, shoulders back, abs and lower back tight, and knees slightly bent.

As you inhale, slowly begin to squat, keeping your back straight. Move your pelvis back as if you want to sit in a chair. Try to shift your center of gravity to your heels and midfoot.

Don't lean forward. When your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly lower, pause for a second.

As you exhale, begin to stand up, pushing the weight up. Look ahead or slightly up. Remember, even though you are squatting with a fairly heavy weight, do not violate the movement technique, do not let the weight on the bar crush you and tip you forward or force you to round your back. The weight of the projectile should be increased taking into account the same conditions - strict adherence to technique.

Symmetry.

Good leg symmetry is very important for competitive women and is still very important for amateurs. You should have firm, round buttocks, good splayed quads and hamstrings, with firm calves tapering to the ankles.

From the side, your quads and hamstrings should look equal, and both muscle groups should be full and round.

In relation to your upper body, your shoulders should be wider than your hips.

To generally work out the leg muscles, choose a position with your feet shoulder-width apart. To emphasize the outer quadriceps, place your legs close together with your feet pointing forward. Finally, to shift the load to your inner thighs, choose a wider stance (wider than your shoulders), with your feet turned out to the sides at a 45-degree angle.

Insulation.

For general quadriceps work, focus on the feeling that it is the quadriceps muscle that is doing all the work throughout the entire range of motion.

Remember to adhere to strict technique for performing the exercise. Make sure that when doing leg extensions on the machine, your hamstring is firmly attached to the bench and your knee is not hanging over the seat.

You can also influence how much stress is placed on the desired muscle during isolation movements. To stimulate your quadriceps, be sure to fully straighten your knees when doing leg extensions.

At the top of the amplitude, you can hold the peak contraction for as long as you can. This technique in an isolation movement will give you an incredible pump!

Read also: Leg and butt training from Erin Stern: 6 basic exercises in the Smith machine.

To target the hamstrings in isolation during leg curls, maintain strict form and don't let your hips lift off the bench to help lift the weight.

Standing leg curls are more technically advantageous for working the hamstrings because they force you to hold your pelvis in place, placing more emphasis on your hamstrings.

TOP best exercise equipment for pumping and tightening legs

For high-quality pumping and tightening of the lower body, girls should include in their training program exercises on the most effective machines for such purposes, according to professional athletes and fitness instructors.

In the hall

In the gym, the top equipment designed to improve the appearance of women's legs is:

Training apparatus	Operating principle
Squat setup	The athlete, having previously selected the working weight and set the required angle of inclination of the base of the structure, stands facing the main part of the simulator. There are shoulder pads on the shoulders, with the help of which additional load will be created when squatting.
Hack squat machine	The girl sits in the exercise machine, leaning her back on the supporting surface, pressing her lower back tightly against the pillow. The angle of inclination of the body is standard and is optimal for an athlete of any height and build. There are special handles on the shoulders that create additional pressure on the legs during squats.
Angled leg press design	A woman sits in the exercise machine, leaning her back tightly against the supporting part of the structure. The legs are installed on a moving part, the movement of which is accompanied by the raising and lowering of the selected working weight. Changing the position of the feet while bending the legs allows you to work all muscle groups of the lower extremities.

Important! The working weight for performing exercises in simulators should be selected for each woman individually, taking into account her initial parameters, her goal, physical fitness and contraindications.

At home

To reduce leg size at home, experts recommend that girls exercise on:

Training apparatus	Principle of operation
Miniature stepper	A woman places her feet on movable plates, the movement of which imitates the movement of her legs while walking. To increase the effectiveness of training, the resistance of the mechanism can be increased.
Butterfly shaped leg expander	The legs must be placed in the holes of the sports equipment so that the spring mechanism is between the limbs. When spreading your legs to the sides, the maximum load will fall on the muscles of the inner thigh.
Exercise machines with a “sliding” mechanism	The athlete’s feet are placed on the pedals, tightly secured with straps. Hands must be placed on the handle, but not leaning on it. Due to natural efforts, the girl moves her lower limbs apart and closes them, thereby alternately using the inner and outer surfaces of her thighs.

Important! Despite the fact that equipment for home training has a simple design, when performing exercises using it, you must strictly follow the standard algorithm, while observing safety precautions.

Priority.

If your legs are a weaker part of your body, train them on the first day of your training split so you can work them with a higher energy level.

Focus on doing each set with perfect form, don't chase the weights, feel every movement and muscle contraction, and train intensely - so you can get the most out of your gym sessions.

Alternate your workouts every week. In the first, you perform strength exercises (squats, Romanian deadlifts) in the low rep range. In the second week - traditional multi-joint and isolation movements in a higher repetition range. This will give you the best of both worlds—stimulating maximum strength in one workout and high-intensity movements for hypertrophy and conditioning in the next.

Where is it better to exercise: at home or in the gym?

Exercises for losing weight in your legs can be performed at home or in the gym, or you can combine two types of training, choosing the right load. A girl should choose the most suitable option for herself only after studying the positive aspects of each method of transforming the lower part of her body.

Benefits of working out at the gym	Benefits of homeschooling
The need to pay money for a subscription is an additional motivation for the athlete.	The ability to work out a specific part of the body with a minimum set of sports equipment (dumbbells, barbells, weights, expanders, fitness bands, tourniquets).
The presence of a variety of equipment that can be used not only for weight loss, but also for subsequent tightening and stretching of muscles.	Save money on purchasing a subscription every month.
The ability to contact the on-duty fitness instructor located in the gym at any time for help in performing a specific exercise.	Save time on getting to the gym.
Option for personal training with a trainer.	No need to adjust to the opening hours of the gym and the fitness trainer conducting personal training.
Having other people exercising also provides additional motivation to lose weight.	No queues for exercise equipment, showers, sauna, and so on.

Based on the comparison table above, we can conclude that home exercises are suitable for those who want to improve their figure, but do not have the financial or time resources to visit the gym. In all other cases, to achieve visible results in the shortest possible time, girls should give preference to training in the gym.

Train hard enough.

Once again I want to emphasize how important it is to train hard enough. Many women who work with iron know this and naturally observe muscle growth.

The key to this is a large number of sets with increasingly heavier weights.

Let's take squats as an example. The first 3 sets are more than a warm-up; they allow you to go deep into the exercise, feel and prepare your muscles for heavier sets as the weight increases.

Then, as always, you will reach your final set, and if you try to increase the weight beyond your limit, you will only get half reps! So you count your strength. But it's also important not to lift lower weights to complete the set number of reps.

Who cares if you do all six reps with the same weight you've been using for the last 3 weeks?! It is much better to increase it by 5 kg, perform 4 repetitions and progress with this weight and try to bring the repetitions to 6. This stimulation activates the growth of your muscles.

If you decide to train your calf muscles in one workout, simply add two different exercises for this muscle group for a total of 5-6 sets. In addition, you can train the lower leg on a separate day with other muscle groups.

Workout No. 1 (Week - 1)

Warm up: 5-10 minutes of moderate cardio and full body dynamic stretching.

1. Squats

Set #1 – 20 reps.
Set #2 – 15 reps.
Set #3 – 10 reps.
Set #4 – 8 reps.
Set #5 – 6 reps.
Set #6 – 4 reps.

2. Romanian deadlift

Set #1 – 15 reps.
Set #2 – 12 reps.
Set #3 – 10 reps.
Set #4 – 8 reps.
Set #5 – 6 reps.
Set #6 – 4 reps.

Workout No. 2 (Week - 2)

Warm up: 5-10 minutes of moderate cardio and full body dynamic stretching.

1. Leg press

Set #1 – 20 reps.
Set #2 – 15 reps.
Set #3 – 10 reps.
Set #4 – 8 reps.
Set #5 – 6 reps.

2. Hack - squats

Set #1 – 15 reps.
Set #2 – 12 reps.
Set #3 – 10 reps.
Set #4 – 8 reps.

3. Leg extension in the simulator

Set #1 – 15 reps.
Set #2 – 12 reps.
Set #3 – 10 reps.
Set #4 – 8 reps.

4. Standing leg curls

Set #1 – 12 reps.
Set #2 – 10 reps.
Set #3 – 8 reps.
Set #4 – 6 reps.

The training is carried out according to the principle of a straight pyramid with a gradual increase in weight. The first 2 approaches are by default warm-up. The last 2 sets should be completed to failure.

Rest between sets is 1 - 1.5 minutes, between exercises 2-3 minutes.

LEGS|BACK|CHEST|SHOULDERS|ARMS|ABS, SHINS|

Examples of complexes for thighs, buttocks and calves

Beginners can conduct training to develop leg muscles 1-2 times a week with breaks. The muscles of the legs are quite large, so it takes longer to recover after a heavy load.

Important! Beginner athletes should separate their workouts to develop their leg muscles in the gym at the beginning and end of the week. In this case, one training will be the main one, and the second will be additional.

More experienced girls with muscular legs can train twice a week. In this case, both classes can be basic, but with a large number of repetitions and not heavy equipment.

For those who are starting to practice

Even very busy girls can find a few minutes to pump up their legs in the gym. To do this, you need to perform each exercise one set without a break or take a shorter break between sets.

Training program for legs and buttocks in the gym for girls:

Squat the barbell 10 times for 5 sets.
Perform forward lunges - 12 times for each leg, four times.
Step onto a bench or step platform with dumbbells - 12 times for each limb.
Perform Romanian deadlifts 10 times three times.
Do leg presses 12 times three times.
Raise your toes with dumbbells to an elevated position – 12 times for 3 sets.

Be sure to do a warm-up before performing the complex, and a short stretch after it. This will prepare the muscles for stress, avoid injury and speed up their recovery.

For those who can devote several weeks to training, this complex for legs and buttocks has been created:

Perform barbell squats 10 times for 6 sets.
Do Romanian deadlifts – 8 to 10 times for 6 sets.
Perform any suitable leg press variation 12 times four times.
Do lunges with weights forward - 12 times on each limb for 4 sets.
Raise yourself on your toes in the simulator - 12 times three times.
Perform one leg press - 12 times on each limb three times.

This complex will accelerate muscle growth and make your legs more prominent.

For experienced

Women in good physical shape can do the following program:

Squat with a barbell – 5 times for 5 sets.
Perform any variation of the leg press – 5 reps for 5 sets.
Squat with a barbell on your chest - 4 to 6 times three times.
Perform deadlifts with dumbbells - 4 to 6 times three times.
Bring your legs together in the simulator - 10 to 12 times three times.
Spread your legs in the simulator - 10 times for 3 sets.
Do calf raises with a barbell while sitting – 12 times three times.

This complex will help increase muscle mass, make your legs and buttocks more prominent in just 4 weeks. If desired, a woman can create her own training program or supplement an existing one.