Legs

You hate doing leg exercises. It''s okay to admit it. The plain truth of it is that most men resent doing any leg work, whether it''s on the job or in the gym. Oh, running or stair-climbing is all well and good, but when it comes time to do the lifts and curls so necessary to toning your thighs and calves . . . well, let''s just say it''s not as much fun as a good bench press or biceps curl.

"Guys hate it, hate it, hate it—they always leave leg exercises until the end of the workout—and then conveniently forget to do them. Their excuse is that they get a good leg workout from playing sports or using the treadmill," says Doug Lentz, Pennsylvania state director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and owner of the Chambersburg Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania. "That stuff is fun. Leg exercises feel too much like work."

How to Be a Leg Man

Don''t kid yourself—leg exercises are hard work. But if you want to beat your opponents and succeed in your goal of total-body fitness, you can''t cut off your legs.

"It almost goes without saying that your legs are the key to almost every sport you play. They''re vital for your speed, your jumping power, your stamina—the list goes on and on," says Tom Jackson, P.T., a physical therapist at ARC Physical Therapy in Anaheim Hills, California.

Some of the most powerful muscles in our bodies reside in the space between the hips and the ankles. On the front of your thighs, you have the quadriceps, the workhorses of the legs. Whether you''re running, jumping or pushing, your quads are right in the thick of it, channeling the power of your lower body.

On the inside and outside of your thighs, you have adductor and abductor muscles, respectively. These muscles run all the way up to the hip and help you close your legs or move them out to the side.

Meanwhile, on the back side of your thighs are the hamstrings, the cords of muscle that work opposite the quadriceps. Everything the quads get you into, the hams get you out of. When you coil for a leap, the hamstrings help spring you forward; when you swing your leg back for a kick, the quads help you put that extra snap on the ball. Working together, your hams and quads also serve another vital function—they stabilize and protect your knees.

Moving down to the lower part of your legs, you have the calves. Your stability and balance absolutely depend on these muscles, since your calves help you maneuver and position your feet. They also stabilize your ankles. Finally, on the front of your lower leg, there lie the tibialis and other shin muscles. You''ve noticed these muscles if you''ve ever had a case of shinsplints. But they do more than make you feel stiff after a hard run; they support your arches and also help you raise your foot.

As Lentz points out, the advantages to a consistent leg regimen are manifest in two important ways. "These muscles are a large part of what makes you fast and powerful. To put it simply, the more you do leg lifts and similar exercises, the better your speed and explosiveness will be." So stop pulling your own leg and start getting serious about shaping the muscles that will enable you to run faster and jump higher. Here''s how.

Put your legs first. If you''re constantly rationalizing your way out of legwork, Lentz says to make leg exercises the first stop on your exercise circuit. "It''s like doing chores on a Saturday—get the hardest ones done first and enjoy the rest of the day. Also, most exercise specialists suggest doing your large muscle, multi-joint exercises first." In the case of fitness training, shift your workout routine so you save the routines you enjoy—like chest exercises—until the very end. "Now you have something to work toward," says Lentz.

Warm up without wearing out. The other problem with letting stair-climbing, cycling and running serve as your warm-up exercises is that men have a tendency to overdo these warm-ups and end up wearing their legs out. "Do that, and you won''t feel like doing any specific weight training with your legs, which is bad," says Lentz. Remember, a warm-up is light exercise intended to get your blood pumping, not the first leg of an Ironman competition. Keep your warm-up time to ten minutes, and if you warm up on a machine, put it at a moderate setting. If you run to warm up, keep your running to a light jog, not a hard sprint.

Stretch your legs a bit. Few muscles are tighter than the ones in our legs. The hips, thighs and calves are all in the constant business of keeping us the upright men we are, which means they can get pretty tightly wound from the constant stress of carrying us around. You can make exercising easier on your leg muscles by taking a few minutes to stretch them before and after your workout. "Make it part of your warm-up—after you''ve done the initial warming up part. You never want to stretch a cold muscle," says Jackson. Be sure to do stretches for the hamstrings and quads. And when you do a modified hurdler stretch, pull your foot and toes toward you, which will stretch the calf, too.

Don''t lock yourself out. When you do your leg lifts, make them slow and smooth. "And don''t lock your knees when you''re pushing out or lifting up. You want your knees to be slightly flexed, just shy of full extension," says Lentz. Never mind that locking your knees out while lifting weights can cause serious knee injuries—it''s also cheating your leg muscles out of a workout because the knees are holding the weight your muscles were supposed to be handling.

Upper Legs

Leg Press

"This is one of the best all-around leg exercises," says Jackson, and with good reason, since the leg press works most of the upper-leg muscles, especially the quadriceps, the muscles on top of the thighs, which help you leap and sprint.

To do this exercise, you''ll need a leg press machine—sit in it with your feet on the foot plate in front of you (make sure the seat is adjusted so your knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle or slightly less). Grasp the handlebars at your sides and hold your upper body upright, but relaxed.

Now push forward on the foot plates and straighten your legs until they''re almost fully extended in front of you. Keep your knees slightly flexed—not locked. Your upper body should remain upright and relaxed, and your hands should hold the handlebars for support.

Dumbbell Lunges

A great hip and leg exercise. Start by standing upright with a dumbbell in each hand. Your arms should be fully extended at your sides, and your palms should be facing in. Your feet should be about hip-width apart, torso upright.

Step forward with your left leg farther than you would in a normal step. Your upper body should remain upright and slightly forward. Your left leg should be bent at a 90-degree angle; your knee shouldn''t be out beyond your toes. Your back leg should be bent at the knee. Your rear foot should remain in the same position—it''s okay if the heel is raised slightly, though. Once you''ve done 10 to 12 reps, switch legs, or you can alternate feet if you prefer. If you are a beginner and want to be particularly careful, you can start off without using weights. Make sure that you are comfortable moving through the full range of motion before you pick up the dumbbells.

Squats

This barbell exercise works not only the quads but also the hamstrings, the muscles on the backsides of your thighs. Hold the barbell with your palms facing forward and place it behind your neck—it should be even across your upper shoulder muscles. Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart, toes forward and slightly out. Bend your knees slightly, and lean slightly forward.

Now squat down as though you''re about to sit in a chair. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor. Keep your feet flat. Rise to the starting position.

Dumbbell Step-Ups and Step-Downs

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body, arms extended down at your sides. Stand upright, with your shoulders back and chest out. You should be standing about one step away from a sturdy box that''s roughly 12 to 18 inches high. It''s best to do this on a nonslip floor so the box doesn''t shift.

Step forward with your left foot, placing it in the center of the box as you step. Keep the dumbbells at your sides; your upper body should still be straight and upright.

Complete the step so that you''re standing on top of the box, feet together in the center. The dumbbells should be hanging at your sides, and your body should be upright.

Step backward so the foot of your right leg is at about the starting position. The step will be slightly longer than an average step. Bring the other foot back to the starting position. Repeat, this time leading off with your right leg. Do up to three sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Front Squats

Do this squat with the same technique as a traditional squat, except grasp the bar palms-up, hands shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointing forward as the barbell rests across your upper chest.

Leg Extensions

For the leg extension, sit in an extension machine, with your legs behind the padded lifting bars and your hands grasping the bench or, if available, the machine''s handles at the sides of your body. Your knees should be bent at 90 degrees or slightly more, with your toes pointing in front of you.

Straighten your legs by lifting with your ankles and contracting your quads. Don''t lock your knees at full extension. Your toes should be pointing up and slightly out. To work out the muscles even more, do the lift using only one leg at a time.

Leg Curls

Curls burn your hamstrings and your calves. Lie on a leg curl machine, with your ankles hooked behind the lifting pads and your knees just over the bench''s edge. Hold onto the bench or the machine''s handlebars, if available, for support. Your legs should be fully extended with some flex at the knee. Your toes should be pointing down.

Keep your pelvis pressed against the bench and raise your heels up toward your butt so that your legs bend to about a 90-degree angle. Keep your feet pointing out away from your body.

Lower Legs

Standing Heel Raises

If you want to raise prize calves, stand with a dumbbell in each hand. Your feet should be hip-width apart, with your toes on a platform, weight or block a couple of inches off the ground. Your heels should be on the floor, with your arms extended at your sides. Put your weight on the balls of your feet so you''re leaning forward slightly.

Rise all the way up onto your toes. Feel the contraction in your calves and pause briefly at the top. Your arms should remain in position, though your body will probably be more upright. Lower. Do one to three sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Seated Toe Raises

Another calf-carver, this raise is begun by sitting down, with the balls of your feet on a raised platform or footstool about a foot away from your seat. Your heels should be off the platform. Hold a barbell on your upper legs, a few inches away from your knees.

Now slowly and deliberately raise up your toes as high as possible. Hold for a moment, then relax and repeat. Your hands should only be steadying the barbell in your lap—don''t let them carry any of the weight. Do two to three sets of 20 to 30 reps.

Note: If you have dumbbells, you can do these exercises one leg at a time. Use your hands to rest the dumbbell on your thigh a few inches away from the knee and repeat the lift as above. Switch legs when you''ve completed your set.

Toe Raises with Seated Leg Press Machine

Sit in a leg press machine and push against the plate with your feet until your legs are fully extended.

Press forward with your toes and the balls of your feet, pushing the foot pad forward a few inches. Feel your calf muscles contract. Hold the press a moment, then relax. To work your main calf muscles, keep your feet straight. To work your outer calves, point your toes in, with your heels out. To work your inner calves, change that position to toes out and heels in. When you are done, carefully return the plate to its original position.

An important note: Leg press machines vary considerably in design. If the plates on your machine permit, do this exercise with your heels extending below the bottom edge of the plate so that just the balls of your feet are touching. This will permit you to move your foot through its full range of motion as you do the exercise. However, many machines have large plates that prohibit hanging your heels; in this case, your foot extension will be less.