Best leg exercises of all time

Published: July 9, 2020

You should never skip leg day – or so the saying goes! But have you ever stopped to think about how the saying originated? Or why? Strong leg muscles will provide immense help for all daily functions, not to mention the wonders they will do for your physique. It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for the best exercise to lose weight or gain muscle – we here at DubaiPT have been extra busy and careful while putting together a list of the best leg exercises that have ever existed.

Do you think that your favorite lower body exercise will make the cut? Are you worried you have spent your time on less effective exercises? Well, you’ll just have to stick around and get an answer to all of your burning questions.

You should be familiar with the majority of the best leg exercises of all time

Whether you are a fitness enthusiast or a complete beginner, there is a 90% chance you have heard about a few of the exercises we are about to mention. Why is that? Well, it’s no wonder that these exercises carry the adjective ‘the best’ – they are so effective that they are commonly used.

Are you attending the best karate classes in Dubai? Rest assured you will stumble upon these exercises. Going to the gym with your friends? You have probably already become an expert in some of these. Best case scenario, our text might uncover some new leg exercises that you still haven’t heard of. That would be the perfect addition to your already-awesome fitness routine. 

Squats

Admit it – you already knew that squats were definitely going to make the list of the best lower body exercises. How could they not, when a squat works every muscle in the lower part of the body (glutes included)? And the best part is that there are so many different variations of squats that you can activate a wide variety of different muscles every time you do a squat. Some of the squat variations include:

• Sumo squats
• Pulsing squats
• Wide-stance squats 
• Narrow-stance squats
• Pistol squats

Of course, we don’t have to tell you that the more weight you introduce into the mix, the better results will you have. Bodyweight squats are great – squats with a bar on your shoulders are even better. Take a page out of the book of our personal trainers in Dubai and start small. You can add more weight as you progress and build some muscles. 

Lunges

Another staple of the exercise routine of many professional athletes, as well as celebrities, are lunges. Just like squats, lunges also activate a large group of muscles, and they can be performed in a couple of different ways. But the one we prefer the most is called a dumbbell lunge. Take a pair of dumbbells and do a forward, backward, or a standing lunge. And if you want to kick it up a notch, we suggest you focus your attention on walking lunges. Once again, which variation you choose is completely up to you and your personal fitness level.

Deadlift

If you are looking for a great exercise for the posterior chain, then you won’t be able to find a much better option than the deadlift. That’s because a deadlift activates hamstrings, glutes, thighs, and quads to a certain degree. In fact, think about all the great bodybuilders out there. It goes without saying that all of them are known for their strong and sculpted legs. Well, while all of them might have had different exercise routines, they all had one thing in common – they deadlifted. If all those professional bodybuilders considered deadlifts as one of the most effective leg exercises, who are we to say otherwise?

Leg press

In case you are a gym fanatic, we are pretty sure you have used the leg press machine once or twice in your life. And good for you, as the leg press is a versatile exercise that can help you target different muscles in the legs. What’s so great about the leg press is that you can completely focus on lower body exercises without having to worry about your lower back. It’s already seated against the pad, so it’s safe and sound.

Once again, you can decide how you want this to play out. You can press with both of your legs, isolate one leg and then the other, or pile on weights for added complexity. Bear in mind that the leg press isn’t one of the best exercises for your glutes. So if you are looking for something that will help you tone that part of your body as well, focus on the first two entries of our list. Or the next one.

Barbell hip thrust

If you are a fan of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and you frequently follow his Instagram feed, then we are sure you have already incorporated barbell hip thrusts into your regular routine. Even though hip thrusts are more popular with women because of the effects they have on the glutes, barbell hip thrusts are a great leg exercise for both men and women. This exercise can be a great accessory movement that will help you bridge way to better squats and deadlifts. 

Incorporate all 5 of these great exercises for stronger legs

Building strong legs certainly don’t seem easy – that’s because it isn’t. It will take a lot of time and effort to achieve the desired results – but it will all be worth it down the line. In order to achieve the best and the fastest results, we suggest you plan your leg days around our list of the best leg exercises of all time and incorporate every single exercise. Trust us – the results will follow!