In this lesson, you will find information and exercise recommendations for the leg muscles. Even though the exact definition of the leg is only the part between the knee and the ankle, in common usage we refer to the entire lower extremity, including the gluteus, thighs, calves, and foot. Find leg exercises, training methods, and information about other muscle groups at Weight Training Main.
Description
Front Side – Quadriceps Femoris (Quads)
The quadriceps is located at the front side of your thigh, and its function is to extend the knee.
- Vastus Lateralis
The Vastus Lateralis is the largest and strongest part of the quadriceps. It's located on the outside of the thigh. - Vastus Medialis
The Vastus Medialis is the innermost quadriceps muscle. To work your Vastus Medialis properly, you should always go through the full range of motion when doing leg exercises. - Rectus Femoris
The Rectus Femoris is the muscle between Vastus Medialis and Vastus Lateralis. Its function is to help extend the knee, but the Rectus Femoris also acts as a hip flexor (lifting the knee in front of your stomach). - Sartorius
The Sartorius is the long, thin muscle that goes from the outside of the hip to the inside of the knee. It is the longest muscle in your body, and its function is to assist in knee and hip flexion as well as hip rotation.
Back Side – Hamstrings (Hams)
The hamstrings are the muscles at the back of the upper leg, and their function is to bend the leg.
- Biceps Femoris & Semitendinosus Muscle
These two muscles bend the leg at the knee. When you do a front stretch kick, you basically stretch these muscles.
Gluteus Muscles (Glutes)
Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus. The gluteus muscles form your buttocks and are used when you stand up from a very low squat or when you kick your leg back or to the side (butterfly kick or side kick). The Gluteus Maximus is the uppermost and largest gluteus muscle.
Lower Legs – Calves
- Gastrocnemius
The Gastrocnemius is the powerful superficial muscle on the back of the lower leg and has two heads. It extends the ankle (most effective from half bent to fully extended). - Soleus
The Soleus is the flat muscle underneath the Gastrocnemius. It also extends the ankle (most effective from flexed to half bent). - Calcaneal (Achilles Tendon)
The word Calcaneal comes from Calcaneus, which is the heel bone (in Latin). It carries the force from the calf muscles to the heel bone when you extend your ankle or jump on the balls of your feet. The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the human body. - Tibialis Anterior
The thin muscle at the front (outside) of the shin. It bends the ankle when you pull your toes upward.
Advice
- The best exercise for overall strength is the barbell squat. The barbell squat works not only your legs but the entire body, encouraging testosterone production more than any other exercise. This leads to stronger arms, chest, and back muscles as well.
- Weak leg muscles are often the cause of knee problems.
- Start with the heaviest leg exercise. You can warm up with leg extensions or another exercise, but the first exercise where you go to muscle failure should be the barbell squat or a leg press variation.
- For strength, I recommend 5 sets of 5 repetitions. For volume, do 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. For endurance, do 15 to 30 repetitions.
- Stretch your leg muscles between sets and exercises. Even if you don't care about flexibility, you should stretch for 12 to 15 seconds after every set. For more information on leg stretches and stretching in general, please visit Stretching Main.
Exercises
- Barbell Squat
- Leg Press
- Leg Extension
- Lying Leg Curl
- Barbell Deadlift with Stiff Legs
- One-Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise
- Donkey Calf Raise
- Seated Calf Raise
Suggestions
- Skeletal Muscle System
- Chest Muscles
- Back Muscles
- Shoulder Muscles
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Forearm Muscles
- Abdominal Muscles
