VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Tomasz Piotrowski, personal trainer

Leg muscles are able to generate enormous power, therefore leg training is very important for active people. During the training of the leg muscles, the most anabolic hormones are released, including testosterone, which supports the development of muscle mass and fat burning. Learn the anatomy of the leg muscles and the exercises for this part that you will do at home and at the gym.

Why areleg musclesandtrainingof this party so important? Becauselegsmake up half of our body.Leg muscleswe use every day when we walk. Thanks to them, we are able to generate enormous strength and power. Duringleg trainingthe most anabolic hormones are released, incl. testosterone to help build muscle and burn fat.

This short introduction should convince everyone that it's worth doinghome leg trainingorregularly . So let's move on to the information you will be able to learn by reading this article. The first point to discuss is the anatomy ofleg muscles . Thanks to the knowledge of your own body, you will be able to train it more effectively. The second part will focus on two training plans involvingleg muscles . Onetrainingto be performed at home, the next one adjusted to the gym.

Leg muscles - anatomy

The human lower limb is primarily used for mobility. It can be divided into two parts, based on the main bones. The first begins at the hip and ends at the knee joint. The main bone there is the femur. The second part under the knee joint is called the lower leg.

  • Leg muscles: thighs​​

The muscles of the thigh are divided into three main groups: anterior, posterior, and medial. The largest musclein the anterior groupis thequadriceps muscle . It consists of a rectus muscle whose task is to bend the thigh to an angle of 90 degrees, a large lateral, medial and intermediate muscle. Each of the four heads is primarily designed to straighten the limb in the knee joint.

Another muscle in the front part is the tailor's. Its role is to rotate the thigh and lower leg to the outside as wellbending the limb at the knee joint. The last muscle is the knee joint muscle, which prevents the knee joint capsule from collapsing.

Theof the rear groupincludes the biceps muscle of the thigh, the semimembranous muscle and the semi-tendon muscle. The biceps muscle consists of a long head and a short head. Its task is to flex and external rotation in the knee joint. Additionally, the long head straightens the thigh at the hip joint. The semimembraneous muscle flexes and rotates the knee joint internally. Additionally, it straightens and brings the thigh to the hip.

The semitendosus muscle, in turn, is responsible for supporting the work of the semimembranous muscle. The medial group, i.e. the thigh adductors, consists of the slender muscle, whose task is to flex and adduct the thigh in the hip joint, as well as the short, long and great adductors muscles. The short lead adductor is poorly introducing and bends and rotates the thigh externally. The debt leader performs the same activities but takes on most of the work.

The anterior fibers of the Great Adductor rotate outward and bend the thigh, and the posterior fibers rotate inward and straighten them.

Anatomical structure of the leg muscles

  1. Tailor's muscle (Latinsartorius )
  2. Adductor longus (Latinadductor longus )
  3. Straight thigh muscle (Latinrectus femoris )
  4. The great gluteus muscle (Latingluteus maximus )
  5. Semimembranosus (Latinsemimembranosus )
  6. Biceps femoris (Latinbiceps femoris )
  7. The gastrocnemius muscle (Latingastrocnemius )
  8. soleus (Latinspeus )
  • Leg muscles: lower leg

The muscles of the lower leg can also be divided into three groups: anterior, posterior and lateral.Back groupis arranged in two layers, superficial and deep. The most famous muscles are the gastrocnemius, soleus and plantar muscles. Their task is to bend the kpan and plantar joint of the foot with its rotation. The soleus muscle is part of the calf triceps muscle, plantar flexes the foot and rotates it.

The plantar muscle slightly bends the kpan joint and the plantar of the foot and slightly inverts it.

The deep muscles of the posterior group are the subpanic muscle, which starts flexing the kpan joint, unblocking the erect joint. Apart from him, we also have the posterior tibial muscles, the long flexor of the fingers and the long flexor of the toe, responsible for the inversion and plantar flexion of the foot.

Theside groupconsists of the long fibula muscle that turns the foot and bends it plantar, and the short sagittal muscle, which supports the work of the larger kpegi.

Anterior groupis the anterior tibia muscle, which strongly bends the foot dorsally and inverts it. The long extensor muscles of the fingers and the long extensor of the big toe.

Home leg training - exercises and training plan

At home, you can do a great workout for the leg muscles - provided that we have enough space. A free space of 2 by 2 meters is enough. Water bottles, purchased dumbbells or kettlebell ball weights can be used as a load. I especially recommend investing in the latter. It is also worth buying the TRX suspended system, thanks to which you can perform many interesting exercises.

  • Classic squats

The first and most important exercise in leg training is the squat, which can be modified depending on our needs. In the basic version, we set ourselves a bit wider than the width of our shoulder girdle. We direct our feet gently outwards. We pull the shoulder blades, tighten the abdomen and buttocks. You can keep your hands in front of you for balance. The movement begins with pushing the pelvis back and bending the knees.

We push our knees outwards, not forwards. We try to keep the weight of the body in the center of the foot or a bit more on the heels. It is important not to shift your center of gravity onto your toes. The foot should stand firmly and steadily on the floor.

Keeping your back straight, we make a movement that resembles the one we do when sitting on a chair. You should descend to at least a right angle at the knee joint, and then straighten again, with full control of the movement. The squat can be performed with jumping, pulsating, or stopping. There are also many variations of it. At home, its sumo version is enough.

  • Sumo Przysiady

It differs from the classic foot arrangement. You should stand much wider, like a sumo player, with your feet more pointed outwards. Movement and stabilization of the body remain unchanged.

  • Lunges

Another exercise that works great in training the leg muscles is lunges. Forward lunges are made by standing in the starting position and then stepping forward while kneeling down. Initially, we stand at attention. Straight back, tight shoulder blades and tight stomach. The forward step should be long enough so that the knee does not go beyond the toe line, as this will be a disadvantage in this exercise.

Aftertaking a step, we go down vertically with our body, but do not touch the ground with our knee. It should stop just above it. Then we return to the starting position by withdrawing the front leg. One rep should be counted as a lunge with the left and then the right foot.

  • Entrances to the chest (or chair)

When exiting the crates, the starting position is exactly the same. But we put the leg on the platform, and then we climb it in the same way as when we go up the stairs. We start the downward movement from the opposite leg than up.

Leg muscles training at home - a sample training plan

ExerciseRepetitionsSerie
classic squats204
sumo squats204
lunges204
entrance to the chest204

The above leg training can be supplemented with toe climbs that engage the calves very well. Any step or platform can be used for this purpose. The second supplementary exercise is to raise the hips while lying down. This training can be done twice a week.

See 8-minute leg workout

The training below engages all muscle groups in the legs and takes only 8 minutes.

Leg training in the gym - exercises and training plan

Gyms offer us much more possibilities. We can find many useful equipment on them, including machines for training the legs. Personally, I think that leg muscles are more useful than any other game.

ExerciseRepetitionsSerie
squats with a barbell on your back105
leg straightening machine154
leg bending while lying down154
adduction on the machine204
abduction on the machine204
toes using the Smith machine204

This leg training focuses on one multi-joint exercise that should be done with the utmost care, and isolated exercises to support your training. The loads should be selected individually, but the strength of the leg muscles should be taken into account. They need to feel the weight with which we train so that they canto develop.

Training at the beginning should only be done once a week, but if legs are a priority, two sessions can be done. The interval between sessions should be 3-4 days.

See how to properly do exercises to strengthen your thigh muscles

See the gallery of 9 photosImportant

Apart from training the legs, it is also very important to roll and stretch them. Thanks to this, the muscles will regenerate faster and the risk of injury will be reduced. Stretching makes the tendons and muscles more flexible. It also prevents contractures. Rolling, in turn, greatly reduces the formation of delayed muscle soreness, i.e. the so-called soreness.

About the authorTomasz Piotrowski He is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist. He gained his knowledge from the best experts in the fitness industry in Poland. He has several years of experience working as a dietitian in a private facility in Krakow and experience in working as a personal trainer. He also writes expert articles on he alth, training and supplementation, and works in the supplement industry. He is passionate about fist fencing.

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Category:

Anatomy