Leg exercises are divided into groups based on muscles: front, inside and back. The largest muscles are known in the anterior (quadriceps), posterior (biceps, semitendinosus, semimembranosus) and medial (hamstring adductors, gluteus maximus, scaphoid).
The quadriceps muscle helps extend the knee joint. Especially important when walking, running, dancing, squatting. The largest and strongest muscle in the entire body. All four of its heads pass through a large tendon in the lower thigh.
- Rectus femoris
- Vastus lateralis
- Vastus medialis
- Vast intermediate
The biceps muscle helps the lower leg to turn, helps the knee to bend, participates in walking, running.
- Semitendinosus muscle (semitendinosus). The tendon makes up more than a third of the entire length of the muscle. Extends the thigh, flexes and internally rotates the calf.
- Semimembranous muscle (semimembranosus). Helps straighten the hip joint.
- Biceps femoris
A. long head – straightens the thigh, flexes and externally rotates the calf.
B. short head: straightens the thigh, bends and externally rotates the calf.
The calf muscles in the front are the tibialis anterior and the extensor digitorum longus. The largest muscles of the back are the biceps (gastrocnemius) and the soleus (calf muscle). A biceps muscle has an internal and an external part (head). The scapula muscle is flat and lies almost entirely beneath the biceps brachii muscle.
The biceps muscle (gastrocnemius) is the largest muscle in the posterior group. Both heads in the middle of the calf pass into the tendon, also joined by m. soleus tendon to form the calcaneus tendon. It is the thickest tendon in the entire body.- Anterior calf muscle (tibialis anterior): Straightens and rotates the foot outward.
The calf muscle is one of the muscles with the strongest fascia, yet it is extremely difficult to train.
Leg exercises
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Squats
Preparation
Grab a barbell positioned at chest height on racks and lower it onto your trapezius muscle.
Performance
Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stretch your legs until they are straight. Repeat the action.
Comments
Keep your head straight, back straight, and feet flat on the floor with the soles of your feet evenly distributed over the ball of your foot and heel. |
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Legs pressure (leg fangs)
Preparation
Sit on the coach. Place your feet on the platform and leave space between them. Straighten your legs. Release the brackets and grab the handles on the sides.
Performance
Lower the platform by bending your knees at a 90-degree angle. If flexibility allows, weight can be reduced. Your feet should be pressed against the platform. Come back straightening your legs. Repeat the action.
Comments
Adjust the back support securely so that there is room for your legs throughout the movement and they do not touch your torso. Keep your knees straight without letting them bend sideways or inward. Press the platform with your entire foot, i.e. heel and forefoot. |
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Hack squats
Preparation
Lie down so that your shoulders rest between the supports. Place your feet on top of the platform. Straighten your legs. Release the brackets.
Performance
Bend your legs as far as flexibility allows. Raise the platform by straightening your legs. Repeat the action.
Comments
Keep your knees in the same direction as your legs. Do not allow your knees to slide sideways. Support your entire foot. |
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Lunges with dumbbells
Preparation
Stand with dumbbells in hand.
Performance
Lunge with the first leg. Land on the heel, then on the ball of the foot. Lower your body by bending your front leg until your back leg almost touches the floor. Return to the starting position by straightening your front leg. Repeat the action with the other leg.
Comments
Keep your torso straight. Long lunges emphasize the gluteus maximus (buttocks), short lunges emphasize the quadriceps muscle. |
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Deadlift (lifting a barbell off the ground)
In addition to the rectus abdominis, the abdominals, quadriceps and biceps, glutes, trapezius and forearms also work.
Preparation
Lean onto the barbell and grip it shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
Performance
Lift the barbell as you straighten your back. Pull your shoulders back. Your legs should remain slightly bent, your back straight and your chin slightly raised throughout the movement.
Comments
Hold the barbell close to your body to improve your body’s lifting power. The execution of the “deadlift” by triathletes and powerlifters is different from the way bodybuilders perform the “death pull” and how it is performed by strengthening the dorsi rectus muscle. Athletes and powerlifters, after lifting the weight, extend their legs and lean back, thereby showing the judges that they have overcome the weight, and then fix it. It is not necessary to do this during training, as the lower part of the spine is highly stressed.
Figure 1 The attraction of death
Figure 2 Straight-legged deadlift (increased load on the back, biceps) |
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Legs flexion lying down
Preparation
Lie on your stomach. Place your ankles behind the supports, grasp the handles with your palms.
Performance
Bend your legs at the knees. Return to the starting position, straightening your legs.
Comments
Try to keep your buttocks pressed into the bench during the exercise. |
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Legs construction while he is sitting
Preparation
Sit on the machine so that your knees are on the edge of the bench. Slide your ankles into the supports.
Performance
Straighten your legs until they are fully extended, then bend them back.
Comments
Avoid the swinging effect, try to perform the exercise with maximum amplitude. |
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Seated observations
Preparation
Sit on a bench, place the ends of your toes on the edge of the support. Position the backrest on your knees so as not to feel unpleasant pressure. Keep your hands on your back to prevent them from slipping during the exercise.
Performance
Lower your heels until you feel a stretch, then raise your heels until you feel a stretch.
Comments
You can change the position of the foot: turn it more inwards or outwards, this will put more load on the internal or external part of the calf. |
