5 Basic Leg Exercises for Beginners

To build massive legs, one must be aware of the basic leg exercises. While these workouts may not be too appealing or fancy,it’s the movements they involve that make them effective.

In fact, regardless of which muscle group you wish to train, keep in mind that basic movements allow the muscles to engage, develop, and tone properly. Basic leg exercises do not require only isolation or compound movements. You can do a combination of both to ensure that the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves get worked on effectively.

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Basic Leg Exercises for Beginners

Here are five of the best basic leg exercises for beginners you can incorporate in your workout routine for proper muscle definition as you add mass:

1) Dumbbell Squat

One of the first leg exercises in any routine is squats. They primarily work on the quadriceps but also works the hamstrings and calves.

The advanced version of dumbbell squats is barbell back squats and hack squats. However, before starting with dumbbell squats, focus on bodyweight squats to warm up your muscles.

You can find the guide to doing dumbbell squats.

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2) Leg Extension

While focusing on quadriceps, another top leg exercise is the leg extension. Most fitness establishments have the leg extension machine. You can use the machine unilaterally (one leg at a time) or both legs at the same time.

If you don’t want to begin with an extension using a machine, move to lunges from squats before beginning to use the leg extension machine.

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3) Leg Curl

Moving on from quadriceps, the next muscle group to focus on are the hamstrings. The leg curls are a top basic exercise for them.

You can find leg curl machines in most gyms. Otherwise, you can use cables to do this exercise. In this variation, attach the D-bar to the anchor, and adjust it at the bottom.

Put your ankle through, and rest your body on a bench while lying on your chest. Once you’ve attained this position, begin doing curls to engage your hamstrings.

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4) Leg Press

The leg press machine allows you to work on the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, and calves. All you need to do is adjust your foot placement on the leg press platform to work on your desired muscle group.

You can find the guide to using the leg press machine.

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5) Calf Raise

Calves are an important part of the legs, so it’s important to focus on them with the same intensity as you would for any other part. Usually, there are standing calf raises or seated calf raise machines at gyms. However, if you don’t have access to one, you can do a free weight calf raise.

To do that, hold a dumbbell in your right hand, and use your left hand to balance yourself. Place the dumbbell on your side, and raise your left leg backwards from the knee.

Keep only your right toes on the edge of the box/support, and lower your right heel till you feel a stretch on your calf muscles. When you feel that stretch, use your calf muscles to pull yourself upwards.

Do at least 10-15 reps on your right leg before shifting to the left.

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Bottom Line

Basic leg exercises for beginners work on the desired muscles, but only nutrition and proper rest can help you grow them.

You need to have enough protein, and give yourself enough rest to help the muscles become thicker and stronger.