• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Chicken Legs Don’t Suit You: It’s Leg Day

If you're embarrassed to wear shorts to the gym, it's time to do something about it.

Written by Brad Borland Last updated on Oct 25, 2022

Do you ever wonder why so many lifters that train in commercial gyms wear pants? I’d be willing to bet that it’s because those pants are hiding something embarrassing. What good is it to spend all those hours pumping up your upper body without proportionate legs to match?

Do you ever wonder why so many lifters that train in commercial gyms wear pants? I’d be willing to bet that it’s because those pants are hiding something embarrassing. What good is it to spend all those hours pumping up your upper body without proportionate legs to match?

Aside from the aesthetic reasons to build a good set of lower limbs, an effective lower body program will also contribute to an overall increase in strength. The bottom line is that there really is no reason to avoid intense leg training. Don’t neglect the entire lower half of your body and be stuck in pants the rest of your life.

The Challenge of Hypertrophy for Legs

Training for strength is quantifiable: you simply have to drive up the numbers. There’s a lot more to it than that, of course; there are techniques, and programs, and a big heaping scoop of intensity that goes along with it. But strength is tangible—you can see on paper the results of your work.

Hypertrophy training, on the other hand, is a different kind of animal. A more aesthetic goal requires more abstract principles, like specific volumes and shorter rest periods to increase muscle fatigue. Combine these principles with leg training, and you have one tough mountain to climb. If you want significant results, leg training is going to be very, very tough. And that is exactly why so many apply only minimal intensity, or skip leg day altogether.

If you find that you are guilty of minimal leg training and intensity, then you will need to adopt a new mindset; one that will enable you to take on the challenge and reap the spoils of your efforts.

Keep a few of these things in mind when shifting your perspective about leg training:

  • Perfect your form. Trying to increase the weight on the bar while sacrificing form is a recipe for disaster. Allowing the ego to take over on a set of heavy squats is a one-way ticket to injury, and often results in the lifter swearing off the squat for good. Work on your form and perfect it, no matter how “light” you have to go.
  • Think small. With your new emphasis on form, make only small increases in weight. Too big of a leap will affect your technique and leave you with less than favorable results. Small increases with perfect form are far more sustainable.
  • Don’t force anything. Performing a movement to impress others has no place in an effective routine. Don’t force anything out of ego, especially when it comes to machines. Natural movements will always be superior to leg presses and hamstring curls.
  • Challenge yourself. If you’ve relied mostly on machines for leg training over the years, challenge yourself with the more difficult but natural moves. Try front squats, goblet squats, overhead squats, or any other exercise you might be curious about.
  • Go unilateral. One trend that has serious merit is the practice of unilateral exercises. Single limb movements have a powerful impact on your overall performance, as they require less load to be effective, and have a huge benefit in shoring up weak areas.

Laws for Leg Day

As with the upper body, you’ll want to train your entire lower body instead of splitting it up into separate parts. Training quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves all on different days is counterproductive, since all of the muscles in the lower body work together for every exercise. For example, squats stimulate the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes without isolating any one muscle.

Stimulating the entire lower body will also stoke your metabolism, burn massive amounts of calories, and generate superior growth. Isolating smaller areas over several days can’t compare to the massive amount of work from training the entire area at once.

Before I give you some ideas of how to structure your lower body training, let’s lay out a few ground rules. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will give you a good starting point when constructing your own program.

  • Go compound. The leg extension machine is tempting because it’s easy. Stick with mostly compound movements that work the most total muscle at once.
  • Isolate light. If you do decide you need a few isolation exercises, go for higher reps and light weight. The leg extension, for example, puts sheer force (stress) on the knee, so tread lightly.
  • Go unilateral. Don’t shy away from unilateral exercises. Bulgarian split squats and lunges don’t only challenge your balance and coordination; they will also help shore up any strength imbalances.
  • Skip the machines. It may be tempting to use a variety of machines to avoid the effort and complication of free weight movements. Yes, some machines are useful, but a program without the challenge of free weights will do little in the way of overall lower body size development.
  • Stay consistent. If you’re the type who program hops, then you aren’t really on the road to progress. Consistency is the hallmark of any program, and your success will live or die by that one principle alone.
  • Increase frequency. Training your lower body shouldn’t be a once a week affair. Your legs are resilient, and can learn to recover at a quicker rate than you’re used to. Plan to train the lower body at least twice per week.

Sample Leg Workouts

Below are two examples of lower body plans. Use either one twice per week, or both once per week. Either way, you will want a weekly training frequency of two lower body workouts.

Leg Day Plan 2

Hard Work Isn’t Complicated

It isn’t complicated to formulate a successful lower body program, but the basic principles laid out above are needed to optimize anyone’s results. A few half-rep squats and attempting to lift the entire weight stack on the leg extension machine isn’t even close to adequate. Challenge yourself, stay consistent, and stick with it. In no time, will you want to toss the pants and break out those shorts for good.

The secret to success isn’t what your bros tell you: Prioritize Results, Not Popular Advice

About Brad Borland

Starting out as a scrawny 125lb kid at 6’2,” Brad took up weight training at the tender age of fourteen and ended up a 220lb competitive, drug-free, natural bodybuilder several years later.

He now publishes through his blog, and armed with both knowledge and muscle, he has helped countless individuals domestically and abroad.

Brad is a University Lecturer with a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and he is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Brad is a veteran of the Air National Guard and proudly served on several deployments including Afghanistan in 2003. He served a total of 21 years. However, upon coming home from Afghanistan, Brad was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (2004), an immune system cancer which both his brother and father were survivors of prior. He went through nine months of chemotherapy before a full recovery and eventually found his way back to the bodybuilding stage.

Brad writes for several publications on the subjects of training, nutrition, supplementation, motivation, and everything cool. With a “keep it simple” mindset, drug-free approach, and ability to help people go from scrawny to brawny, Brad’s experience, education, and know-how have influenced people from all walks of life.

Brad has a son with his wife Courtney.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Fergus Crawley 5K Run Tips Photo
Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K
Actor Chris Hemsworth in gym performing dumbbell row
Chris Hemsworth Diagrams a Killer Upper Body Workout Fit For an Action Star
Hugh Jackman Deadpool 3 Workouts Spring:Winter 2023
Hugh Jackman Returns to Wolverine Condition in Workouts for “Deadpool 3”
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

The Best Smith Machine for Your Home Gym in 2025

The Strongest Pre-Workout Powders to Fuel Your Training in 2025

The Best Creatine Supplements for Men for Muscle Growth and Enhanced Recovery

The Best Elliptical Machines for a Low-Impact Cardio Workout at Home

Latest Reviews

Three different power racks on a red background

The Best Power Racks of 2025: Our Top Picks for Strength Training

A collage of saunas on a red background

The 5 Best Outdoor Saunas for Getting Your Sweat On in 2025

Three rowing machines featured in the best compact rowing machines.

The Best Compact Rowing Machines for Small Spaces in 2025

Three of the best whey protein powders next to each other.

The Best Whey Protein Powders of 2025, According to a Certified Sports Nutrition Coach

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About