TOP TIPS ON LEG TRAINING AND 10 EXERCISES TO TRY.
Following a fantastic response to my leg progress pictures, and so many of you asking for tips on how I got there, I thought I would right some top tips for legs and glutes and include a couple more progress pics, as we all love a good progress picture! Ready for the bum girls....(and boys!)
When I returned to competitive bodybuilding in 2012, I could see from the pictures of my first returning show I had a lot of work to do on my glutes and legs. I have always trained by myself as due to the nature of my job, I travel all over the country and can’t stick to a regular time or place to work out. So each day I train when I can and where I can, making it difficult to have a training partner as I can’t stick to a times routine. And I have come to like and prefer training by myself.
BUT...I needed to grow my legs...and I needed help.
I hated training legs and triceps...funny how these were my worse body parts? You push yourself in areas you enjoy naturally, and though your least favourite parts just about get through workouts ...while swinging your fringe in a Kevin and Perry fashion...if you turn up at all.
I started to search for a PT. I wanted someone who was good. Someone who had good references, experience, looks fit themselves so has the ability to practice what they preach, someone I didn’t fancy and vice versa (these things matter!) a good communicator, patient, passion and imagination. And someone confident enough to work with a woman with 20+ years of experience, but still able to teach me a thing or two. I didn’t ask for much.
I stumbled across Adam Howkins from The PT Centre at a photo shoot at his gym in Milton Keynes. I felt we clicked. I liked his training style, location and confidence, and he was very well recommended, and I already knew of him from a previous gym I trained at and he worked at. He was booked. Just to train my legs every week. And I said if he didn’t make them ache...badly ...every week...I wouldn’t pay him. This fired him up and he accepted the challenge. And I never regretted my choice, and he always got paid.
He was relentless. I ached every week. I turned up to train bang on time every single week, never cancelling a session to this day. We were on a mission. He taught me so many new exercises for legs and glutes. He recognised my glutes had simply stopped working through years of marathon running. So no matter how I much I had been training them, they actually weren’t getting worked out, and stronger areas like hamstrings were taking over. He took me through slow movements to try and engage and get them firing every week. It took months for me to be able to feel and control them. But we did it. Then the work began on growing them.
I remember saying...’I can’t do squats because of a running knee, hip and back injury’...’I can’t lunge because I have no eardrum in my right ear and have bad balance’...he ignored me. He just worked round them. Changed my techniques, took things slow and light...until I was squatting and lunging like a pro. And ended up strengthening my IT band and quads ad glutes so much it fixed my injuries. I don’t have them anymore.
Getting the right PT, is so important. Getting the wrong one could mean a lot of wasted money, and at worst ending up injured, or seeing no results.
My top 10 Leg and Glute exercises –
1 . The Squat – All types of squat..they all are good. But always get the bar on your traps, good old fashion arse to grass. I don’t care much about weight. The heaviest I think I got was 130kg..once. Most of the time I keep it light and focus on technique, making sure my back isn’t stressed, and my legs/glutes are being hit. If you can’t handle the weight, or start to tire...stop. No point in hurting yourself. You want to be able to train tomorrow! Rep wise..sometimes I do slow 5 x 8 reps...sometimes I do 100 rep sets...trying to reach 100 nonstop. I do this on all exercises. I rarely do the same repetitions each week.
2. The Lunge – Again all types, single leg lunge, walking lunge, with weights in hands, bar over back...shake them up to vary them.
BUT...I needed to grow my legs...and I needed help.
I hated training legs and triceps...funny how these were my worse body parts? You push yourself in areas you enjoy naturally, and though your least favourite parts just about get through workouts ...while swinging your fringe in a Kevin and Perry fashion...if you turn up at all.
I started to search for a PT. I wanted someone who was good. Someone who had good references, experience, looks fit themselves so has the ability to practice what they preach, someone I didn’t fancy and vice versa (these things matter!) a good communicator, patient, passion and imagination. And someone confident enough to work with a woman with 20+ years of experience, but still able to teach me a thing or two. I didn’t ask for much.
I stumbled across Adam Howkins from The PT Centre at a photo shoot at his gym in Milton Keynes. I felt we clicked. I liked his training style, location and confidence, and he was very well recommended, and I already knew of him from a previous gym I trained at and he worked at. He was booked. Just to train my legs every week. And I said if he didn’t make them ache...badly ...every week...I wouldn’t pay him. This fired him up and he accepted the challenge. And I never regretted my choice, and he always got paid.
He was relentless. I ached every week. I turned up to train bang on time every single week, never cancelling a session to this day. We were on a mission. He taught me so many new exercises for legs and glutes. He recognised my glutes had simply stopped working through years of marathon running. So no matter how I much I had been training them, they actually weren’t getting worked out, and stronger areas like hamstrings were taking over. He took me through slow movements to try and engage and get them firing every week. It took months for me to be able to feel and control them. But we did it. Then the work began on growing them.
I remember saying...’I can’t do squats because of a running knee, hip and back injury’...’I can’t lunge because I have no eardrum in my right ear and have bad balance’...he ignored me. He just worked round them. Changed my techniques, took things slow and light...until I was squatting and lunging like a pro. And ended up strengthening my IT band and quads ad glutes so much it fixed my injuries. I don’t have them anymore.
Getting the right PT, is so important. Getting the wrong one could mean a lot of wasted money, and at worst ending up injured, or seeing no results.
My top 10 Leg and Glute exercises –
1 . The Squat – All types of squat..they all are good. But always get the bar on your traps, good old fashion arse to grass. I don’t care much about weight. The heaviest I think I got was 130kg..once. Most of the time I keep it light and focus on technique, making sure my back isn’t stressed, and my legs/glutes are being hit. If you can’t handle the weight, or start to tire...stop. No point in hurting yourself. You want to be able to train tomorrow! Rep wise..sometimes I do slow 5 x 8 reps...sometimes I do 100 rep sets...trying to reach 100 nonstop. I do this on all exercises. I rarely do the same repetitions each week.
2. The Lunge – Again all types, single leg lunge, walking lunge, with weights in hands, bar over back...shake them up to vary them.
3. Leg Extensions – My favourite, keep then strict, vary your leg width and don’t swing. And try to keep full range...unless doing half reps for extra pump at an end of a set.
4. Leg Press – Good old leg press, heavy/light, slow reps/high reps, wide stance, close stance...shake them up and do them all.
5. Good Mornings – Glute and hamstring buster. Stick your butt out and bend forward, keep that back straight like a table top, as this exercise is easy to get wrong and we don’t want no sore lower backs. Light weights too, concentrate on technique
6. Glute kick back – On all fours in from of a hamstring curl machine, foot under pad and push back...great finisher for a fired up and ready glute!
7. Laying glute press – Laying on floor under a smith machine. Wide stance. Wear a pair of shoes with a thin base as you need to be able to control the movement of the bar with your feet. Push up, and bring your legs low down, stretching those glutes.
8. Front squat – Head high and back straight, and squat. No weight always necessary, but get low..arse to the grass. I like high repping these.
9. Deep weighted wide leg squat – Two benches, and a foot on each, holding a weight in between your legs and squat low, allowing the weight to hang between the benches. Same as usual, high reps or slow reps whatever you fancy on the day.
10. Box steps – Good cardio as well, weighted or not, hanging hand weights or bar on neck..step up and step down on alternate legs, or just keep hitting one at a time then swap...you’ll build up a sweat!
I normally do 5 exercises per session normally 5 sets. But as always, this I may change, depending on where I am on prep and how energetic I feel. These are all based around quads and glutes, the two areas I needed work on the most. There are a whole host of calf and hamstring exercises too.
4. Leg Press – Good old leg press, heavy/light, slow reps/high reps, wide stance, close stance...shake them up and do them all.
5. Good Mornings – Glute and hamstring buster. Stick your butt out and bend forward, keep that back straight like a table top, as this exercise is easy to get wrong and we don’t want no sore lower backs. Light weights too, concentrate on technique
6. Glute kick back – On all fours in from of a hamstring curl machine, foot under pad and push back...great finisher for a fired up and ready glute!
7. Laying glute press – Laying on floor under a smith machine. Wide stance. Wear a pair of shoes with a thin base as you need to be able to control the movement of the bar with your feet. Push up, and bring your legs low down, stretching those glutes.
8. Front squat – Head high and back straight, and squat. No weight always necessary, but get low..arse to the grass. I like high repping these.
9. Deep weighted wide leg squat – Two benches, and a foot on each, holding a weight in between your legs and squat low, allowing the weight to hang between the benches. Same as usual, high reps or slow reps whatever you fancy on the day.
10. Box steps – Good cardio as well, weighted or not, hanging hand weights or bar on neck..step up and step down on alternate legs, or just keep hitting one at a time then swap...you’ll build up a sweat!
I normally do 5 exercises per session normally 5 sets. But as always, this I may change, depending on where I am on prep and how energetic I feel. These are all based around quads and glutes, the two areas I needed work on the most. There are a whole host of calf and hamstring exercises too.
TRY SUPER-SETTING - 2, 3, 4 or even all 5! Which I often do on run up to shows, with a minute break between, great HIIT workout too.
PUSH YOURSELF – don’t let your head say when you’ve finished..make sure its your legs telling you.
GET A TRAINING PARTNER/PT – Get him/her to push you till you fail. And make sure you get those DOMS the next day...
REST – I always have my rest day after my leg session. As it was these that I wanted to grow the most, so they got extra TLC the day after the workout.
I hope this helps you get a better leg and glute workout. Let me know how you get on. Enjoy!
Terri x
PUSH YOURSELF – don’t let your head say when you’ve finished..make sure its your legs telling you.
GET A TRAINING PARTNER/PT – Get him/her to push you till you fail. And make sure you get those DOMS the next day...
REST – I always have my rest day after my leg session. As it was these that I wanted to grow the most, so they got extra TLC the day after the workout.
I hope this helps you get a better leg and glute workout. Let me know how you get on. Enjoy!
Terri x
