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To build a well-rounded physique, it is important to incorporate leg exercises into your workout regimen. Leg exercises help develop the huge underlying potential of lower body strength and power.
Leg exercises not only increase the speed of your body but also enable you to burn a high number of calories. Here are the five best leg exercises that will help you build lower body strength and power.
Best Leg Exercises for Lower Body Strength and Power
1. Romanian Deadlift
Romanian deadlifts are an underrated leg exercise that specifically targets your glutes and hamstrings. It is quite effective in building both the strength and size of your lower body. This exercise requires you to maintain a powerful posture throughout the movement, which has been shown to benefit other exercises such as deadlifts and squats.
How to do this exercise?
- Begin this exercise in an elongated standing position with your feet apart from the shoulder distance while standing just in front of the loaded barbell.
- Grasp the barbell with both your palms in an overhand grip with your palms angled towards the body.
- Raise the barbell to the topmost position of the standard deadlift position and pause.
- Bring the bar towards your shins by slightly bending your legs and driving your hips to the back.
- Raise the weight back to its original position by pushing your hips to the front and assuming a straight standing position.
2. Leg Press
Leg presses tend to be among the best machine leg exercises that help increase the significant strength and size of your lower body. This machine exercise will enable you to safely perform advanced exercises.
How to do this exercise?
- Position yourself on the leg press machine in a seated position with your feet at the middle platform and apart at the shoulder distance.
- Start by positioning the sled in the resting position before slowly bringing it to your chest so that your knees and thighs are angled at about ninety degrees.
- Press the weight back above and repeat. Make sure not to lower your hips and back off the seat.
3. Barbell Clean and Press
Barbell cleans and presses are also amongst the great leg exercises that will help you develop serious strength and explosive power in the lower body. It will also increase strength across your upper body, including lower back and arms.
How to do this exercise?
- Begin in an elongated standing position with your feet apart at shoulder distance and a loaded barbell placed just in front of your body.
- With a flat back, squat towards the ground to clutch the weight in an overhand grip.
- Raise the loaded barbell to your shoulders and bring your body into the squatting position.
- Next, press onto your feet to extend the barbell and your hands over your head.
- Return the weight back to its original position and repeat.
4. Sumo Deadlift
Sumo deadlifts are one of the easier variations of the standard deadlift, putting less strain on your back and allowing you to maintain a more upright torso. This exercise targets your hip abductors and quads in particular.
How to do this exercise?
- Begin this exercise in a good standing position with a loaded barbell position just above your shoes and feet apart at shoulder distance as your toes are slightly angled outwards.
- Clutch the loaded barbell in both your palms by bending your knees and driving your hips to the back.
- Press onto your feet to assume a straight standing position with your torso rigid and hands completely straight. Return your body back to the initial position and repeat.
5. Box Jumps
Box jumping is an excellent exercise for developing lower-body strength through quick movements. It will target your abductors, quads, glutes, and hamstrings effectively.
How to do this exercise?
- Begin this exercise in a straight standing position with a plyo box positioned in front of your body at a comfortable position with your feet apart at shoulder distance.
- Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the movement.
- Bring your body into a quarter squat position before swinging your hands to the back and explosively jumping on the plyo box with both your feet.
- Try to land gently and with control step back on the ground.
Bottom Line
The aforementioned leg exercises are among some of the best ones that will help you build significant strength and power in the lower body. These leg exercises will enable you to effectively engage all the muscles of the lower body, including the hamstrings, glutes, and quads. The additional benefits of the leg exercises listed above are reduced fat percentage in the body and greater muscle mass.
