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It’s absolutely necessary to be aware of the best leg exercises for adding mass and strength in the muscles. However, the exercises you pick must focus on all parts of the muscle group - quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves.
It’s important that you do not skip leg days at the gym. You don't want a physique where there’s a visible imbalance between the upper and lower body. Moreover, lower body strength is essential for balance and joints, and having a broad and strong upper body requires support from the legs too.
Best Leg Exercises for Men for Mass and Strength
Usually, the calves get worked quite a bit with all leg exercises. Nevertheless, you should add calf isolation exercises to your workout routine. The following are five best leg exercises to help men grow their quadriceps and hamstrings:
1) Barbell Squat
Barbell squats are one of the top picks in any leg workout routine. These squats focus on the quadriceps, but the best way to maximize the impact is to push through with the heels.
Additionally, as you place the barbell on your neck, it’s best to begin with a light weight. Once you’ve understood the form, you can indulge in progressive overload to work on strength and mass.
You can find the guide for doing squats here.
2) Leg Press
There are compound exercises that work on the hamstrings and quadriceps; the leg press is one of them. It’s the position of the feet that determines which muscle part gets worked on.
For example, placing your foot towards the top of the platform allows you to work the hamstrings and glutes. Meanwhile, if you place your feet lower, the quadriceps get worked on.
If you keep only your toes on the platform, and extend your legs completely before pushing the platform, you can work on the calf muscles.
3) Hack Squat
Hack squats are another top leg exercises for men. They focus on mass and growth.
You can do normal hack squats or front hack squats, which would burn the quadriceps. Moreover, the volume and intensity helps with ensuring the fibers grow back thicker and stronger with each session.
You can find the guide to doing hack squats here.
4) Deadlift
If you want to work on lower body strength, deadlifts are one of the best leg exercises for men. Deadlifts come with several benefits, such as conditioning, growth, improving mobility and flexibility, and working the entire lower body.
There are various kinds of deadlifts, such as conventional, sumo, stiff-legged, and others. Among them, the stiff-legged deadlift specifically focuses on the hamstrings.
When you’re doing deadlifts, you must not lift with your back; only use your legs. It’s imperative to keep your back straight and core engaged during the exercise.
You can find the guide to doing deadlifts here.
5) Lunge
You can choose to do dumbbell lunges or barbell lunges, but either way, they're an excellent leg exercise for men.
One of its biggest benefits is that you can work your legs unilaterally with lunges, i.e., one leg at a time. That allows you to fix any imbalance in strength or muscles.
Here’s the step-by-step guide to doing lunges.
Bottom Line
It’s important to be in a calorie surplus to gain mass and growth. Moreover, progressive overload and use of burnout sets can help add volume to your workout routine.
Finally, you need to allow your muscles to recover by giving them enough rest and hydrating yourself throughout the day.
