Focus on perfecting your barbell back squat form before you start piling the pounds on your barbell, once form is sorted it's time to start going heavy.
Barbell Back Squat Form
Unrack the barbell from your squat rack, maintain a position with your chest up, head looking forward and a slightly wider than shoulder width stance with feet pointing outward.
Lower yourself down while maintaining a straight back and continue looking forward by flexing your knees and dropping your hips back.
Once you've reached your lowest point pause for a second before driving back up through the heels.
Common Mistakes
Skipping Squats
If I had to choose only 3 exercises to perform for the rest of my days in the gym, the squat would be one of them. Needless to say the traditional barbell squat is the best lower body exercise in existence. The barbell back squat when performed correctly will hit your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calfs, and unlike machine based exercises such as the leg extension the barbell squat can safely be performed with heavy weight – allowing us to continually apply progressive overload and build up strong, functional legs.
The leg press, leg curls, leg extensions, dumbbell lunges… all of these exercises come second to the squat.
The squat has stood the test of time and should be included in every leg workout, with many different variations (based on foot placement and bar placement).
When training legs, strict form and a full range of motion must be utilized to activate and overload the muscles being targeted.
Squat half reps, a minuscule leg press range of motion, not dropping your knee low enough on dumbbell lunges… if you’re constantly limiting your range of motion you’re not going to be able to build either the size or strength you’re chasing.
A limited range of motion is usually due to one of the following three reasons:
Lifting Too Heavy
When squatting or using the leg press ‘getting out of the hole’ aka. the bottom portion of the movement is without a doubt the hardest. If you’re performing half reps because you’re unable to get the weight out of the hole it’s a clear sign you’re lifting too heavy. Stacking more and more weight on the bar or the machine may make you feel good… but you won’t see that weight translate into size or strength gains. Check your ego at the door and lift weight which you’re able to manage (while still being a challenge in the prescribed rep range) utilizing a full range of motion.
Lack Of Mobility
If you’re new to the gym and you’ve spent the last decade working in an office day in day out chances are your mobility isn’t the greatest. Constant practise combined with stretching, foam rolling and a mobility routine will have you getting low on those squats in no time, tight hip flexors (from sitting all day) are notorious for this.
Being Lazy!
There’s nothing pretty about dropping your ass to the grass with 350lbs on your back, multiple times at 5am in the morning. But the feeling of accomplishment, constant progression, mental fortitude and discipline it builds is worth it.
Squatting heavy with a full range of motion sucks, but if you’re using the right weight and you’ve developed the mobility to work a full range of motion you have no excuse.
Relying On The Smith Machine
The smith machine is no substitute or replacement for the squat rack.
From my experience I’ve found squatting in the smith machine to feel extremely unnatural, as the bar is locked in place you’ll often be placing your knees compromised positions to stay in line with the machine. As the barbell in the smith machine is locked in place no core stability is developed either.
You may be able to lift heavier in the smith machine (for the above reason) however this strength does not seem to transfer over to other exercises, such as the barbell squat.
On the other hand, building up a beastly barbell squat will translate to stronger lifts on other leg exercises.
Avoid the smith machine, the safety feature of the smith machine can be replicated with rails in the power rack/squat rack or by having a spotter on hand.
2 - Romanian Deadlift
Struggling to stack on size and strength to your hamstrings? Looking for another killer exercise to add to your leg day regime after your barbell squats? The Romanian deadlift is your answer.
Romanian Deadlift Form
Grasp a barbell with an overhand grip and arms locked out (the bar will be in front of your hips).
Maintain a slight bend in your knee and pull your shoulders back as you begin to lower the barbell down the front of your legs by driving your glutes backward, continue to look forward for the duration of the repetition.
As you reach the bottom of your hamstrings flexibility bend your knee slightly further to touch the barbell on the ground before driving through the hamstrings and glutes to return the barbell back up to your hips while maintaining a straight back.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Common Mistakes
Poor Mobility
If you’re new to the gym and you’ve spent the last decade working in an office day in day out chances are your mobility isn’t the greatest. Constant practise combined with stretching, foam rolling and a mobility routine will have you getting low on those squats in no time, tight hip flexors (from sitting all day) are notorious for this.
3 - Bulgarian Split Squat
The Bulgarian split squat is an often forgotten leg exercise you can use to increase both size and functional strength in your legs.
When I was starting out in the gym I spent far too long focusing on isolation exercises such as the leg extension, lying leg curl and light weight compounds such as the dumbbell goblet squat.
Bulgarian Split Squat Form
Stagger your stance, with one foot elevated behind you on a bench or box while maintaining a forward position with your front foot.
Grasp a dumbbell in each hand or opt for a barbell across your back.
Flex at the knee and hip to lower yourself while maintaining an upright posture. Your front knee should track in line with your front foot for the duration of the repetition.
Drive through the heel of your front foot to return to power your leg back up until it's extended.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4 - Seated Leg Curl
The leg curl is an easy to perform exercise to isolate the hamstrings.
Looking to develop size and strength in your hamstrings? If so you cannot afford to overlook the leg curl.
Seated Leg Curl Form
Assume position on a leg curl machine with your legs placed under the pad, feet forward and hands on the side bars.
Using only your hamstrings proceed to curl your legs down as you push against the pad, your torso should not move at all (hold yourself in place with the side bars).
Hold the contracted bottom position position for 1 second (legs curled underneath you).
Slowly allow your legs to come back up to the starting position.
Continue for the desired number of repetitions.
Common Mistakes
Failing To Hold The Contraction
Ensure at the bottom of each repetition you're pausing for the count of one while you squeeze your hamstrings.
Performing the leg curl with excessive speed and no contraction is a waste of time as you're barely placing any tension on the muscle.
5 - Walking Lunges
The dumbbell walking lunge is an excellent exercise to obliterate the legs and build both functional size and strength.
Why don't more guys do dumbbell walking lunges? The answer is plain and simple - they suck, they're painful and the amount of effort required to lunge from one side of the gym to the other is immense.
If you're serious about building a strong lower body you'll opt to add the dumbbell walking lunge to your leg workout regime.
Walking Lunges Form
Grasp a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides with extended arms.
Step forward with your left leg (3 feet) before lowering your upper body by bending the front knee down.
Drive through the heel to raise your body back up to the upright position, bringing your rear leg forward at the same time.
Proceed to step forward with your right leg this time, repeating the above steps.
Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.
Common Mistakes
Dropping Your Knee Onto The Ground
Your knee should come just shy of the ground on each repetition, if you're constantly dropping your back knee on the floor I recommend lowering the weight you're holding to make the exercise more manageable.
How To Foam Roll Your Hamstrings Correctly
For improving recovery time, working knots out of sore muscles and improving your mobility foam rolling is hard to beat!
The vast majority of gym-goers don't step anywhere near a foam roller because they simply don't know how to use one correctly.
Sit down on the floor with both legs extended in front of you.
Position a foam roller under the hamstring of one of your legs.
Use your hands to lift yourself up as you begin to roll up and down the hamstring from the back of the knee to the hip.
Pause on any outstanding sore spots for 10~ seconds as a means of trigger point therapy.
Repeat utilizing the same technique for the other leg.