Know your workouts.

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Before proceeding to any path, we must know where we will head to. Its very important for a bodybuilder to know what they are up to and where they will reach. Many guys have ruined their structure with wrong workouts or routines. Many guys don't even know their workouts. They simply walk their ways with eyes closed. Its truly important for all of us to know which workouts are for which muscles.

Thigh and Calf :-
One of the most important muscle in human body is thigh muscle. Its important because, it gives us the ability to keep a hold to our structure even when age catches up. Our legs acts the same as roots acts for a big tree. Even for bodybuilding, it holds a major role, since it holds half of the points combined with calf.

Workout for good Thigh are as follows:-

• Squats (Free)
  
• Weight Squats
  
• Leg Press
• Front Squats
• Hack Squats
• Leg Curl
• Leg Extensions
• Lunges (Weight)
• Dead Lift

Squat
Note:- Always take care that you have sufficient safety precautions before beginning Weight Squat.(e.g., Waist Belts, Knee Tie ups, etc)

“I don’t squat because it makes my legs and butt too big.” “I don’t squat because squatting is bad for your knees.” I’ve got a bad back so I can’t squat.” If you think that these statements are true, then you don’t know squat about the squat. One could write an entire book with all of the excuses people give for not performing the squat exercise.

The most important workout and the base of building a good thigh is Squat. Its a kind of workout which acts as the base of your thigh muscles. For beginners, free squats acts as one of the most important workout, which builds the basic thigh structure and increases your strength incredibly. Free squats with maximum repeatation increases Strength, Stamina and provides the structure for future. The point that should be kept in mind for someone who is beginning workout with a sense of bodybuilding, is that free squat only provides you with strength and structure, but it doesn't provide you the mass. Squatting works the largest muscles in your body--the quadriceps (front of thigh), adductors (inside of thigh), gluteals (buttocks), hamstrings (back of thigh ), gastrocnemius and soleus complex (calf), and erector spinae (back). Squats can also help you develop flexibility around your hips and calves, when you follow proper form and gradually increase your range of motion. Squats have the added benefit of being a free-weight and weight-bearing exercise.
The workout that provides you with size or mass is , Weight Squat. Weight Squat is the workout which provides you with the Mass you need. Its the workout which increases the potential of your muscle along with addition of new cells to your muscles. Its the most important workout for a bodybuilder to build good thigh muscles. One should not forget that Squatting is the most tiring workout in a gym and hence many of the guys avoid squatting. Hence one should always be mentally prepared for it , since the best is achieved only after struggles.



Never avoid squatting, since a tree can never stand withou t strong roots.



LEG PRESS :-

Another very major workout for Thigh is Leg Press. This workout is basically performed with heavy weight. Leg Press truly provides an immense effect on your inner and outer thigh.

The leg press works the following muscle groups:

• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings (partially)
• Gluteus maximus
• Calfs (Partially)

Varying the angle between the sled and the backrest and/or the position of the feet on the plate puts more emphasis on one or the other muscle group. The leg press is a compound exercise, meaning that it involves movement around more than one joint.

As for all exercises, don’t lift too heavy to begin with and stop if pain is felt. Remember to breathe during the effort phase; don’t hold the breath.

Muscles worked: quadriceps and hamstrings of the thigh, gluteus (butt).

Body Position

• Sit on the machine with your back and head against the padded support.
  
  
• Place feet on the foot plate about hip width apart, ensuring the heels are flat. The legs should form an angle of about 90 degrees at the knee with a little variation either way as long as the heels sit flat on the plate.
  
  
• The knees should be in line with the feet and neither bowed inward nor outward.
  
  
• Your bottom should not be raised from the seat platform. If it is, and the legs are at too sharp an angle, then you need to adjust the seat back until the correct position is enabled. You can recognize this poor position when the knees seem to be in front of your eyes and you feel cramped.
  
  
• Grasp the assist handles.

Movement

• Brace the abdominal muscles and push the platform away with heels and forefoot by extending the knees and hips and pushi ng the back into the seat pad.
  
  
• The heels should remain flat on the foot plate and the front of the foot or toes should not be used exclusively to move the pad forward.
  
  
• Do keep the head steady and back against the seat.
  
  
• Don’t lock out the knees in an explosive fashion but do express a full range of motion.
  
  
• Return the foot plate to the starting position by allowing the knees to bend under control while maintaining the feet flat on the surface. Repeat the exercise.

• Ensure a full range of motion is possible without raising the hips from the seat. Take time to adjust the seat for best position.
  
  
• Don’t allow the knees to bow outward or inward. Keep them in line with the feet.
  
  
• Maintain heel contact with the plate and ensure you push with heels and forefoot.
  
  
• Keep the head steady and against the seat pad; don’t jerk the head forward with the effort.
  
  
• As usual, start with a modest weight and progress as it suits your training and requirements. Try three sets of ten leg pr esses.

Magnitude of Leg Press Lifts

Since the leg press stabilizes the lifter and moves weights in a direction that is not vertical, it is possible for strength trainers to press very heavy weights (compared to the weight used for other exercises). Bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman is featured in videos wherein he leg presses 2300 pounds (1 043 kg). To compare, the world record for the squat is 1213 pounds (550.5 kg geared), according to Monster Muscle Online

FRONT SQUAT :-

What’s a Front Squat? The Front Squat is a Squat done with the barbell on your front shoulders instead of on your upper-back. Put the barbell on your front shoulders, bend through your knees & come back up.

The Front Squat is a variation of the Squat with the barbell resting on your front shoulders rather than on your back. Front Squats are the best replacement for Squats when you can’t do these for whatever reason.

Like every other strength training exercise, proper Front Squat technique will help you achieve bigger weights while minimizing risks of injuries. Here’s how to Front Squat with Proper technique.

Front Squat Setup. Your shoulders support the weight, not your hands. Always keep your chest big & elbows up. Else the weight will get on your hands and stretch your wrists & elbows which will hurt. Big chest, elbows up.

• Foot Stance. Slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. You can go deep without your arms touching your legs & use your hip muscles better.
• Toes Out. Your toes must always follow your knees. Point your toes out at about 30 degrees.
• Chest Up. Put your chest forward & lift it up. This gives the bar a solid base to sit on & makes it impossible to round your upper-back.
• Tighten Lats. You can’t tighten your upper-back on Front Squats like on Squats. However you can tighten your lats: spread them.
• Look Forward. Up is bad for your neck, down will make your lower back round. Look forward, fix a point in front of you.
• Grip Width. A narrow grip pushes the bar against your throat, making breathing difficult. Wide grip is harder to keep your elbows up. Use a grip width of about 55cm/21″.
• Bar Position. Put the bar on top of your front shoulders. Behind your clavicles & close to your throat. Coughing is possible, clavicles might hurt. Front Squat more, you’ll adapt.
• Hands Open. Your shoulders support the weight, not your hands. Open your hands, relax them. Three fingers under the bar is ok (pink up).
• Elbows Up. Put your elbows up – upper-arms almost parallel to the floor – so the weight doesn’t end on your hands.
• Elbow In. Push your elbows toward each other during the Front Squat. It’s easier on your wrists.

The Front Squat. Your hip muscles are stretched when you break parallel. Use that stretch to bounce from the bottom. DO NOT relax your hip muscles & DO NOT bounce off your knees. Keep your hip muscles tensed.

• Push From The Heels. Heels off the floor impairs stability & power and is bad for your knees. Push from the heels & curl your toes up.
• Sit Back. Squat between your legs while pushing your hips back. You’ll stretch your hip muscles when breaking parallel. Bounce from it.
• Break Parallel. Should be easy because of the upright position. Squat down until your hip joint is at least lower than your knee joint.
• Knees Out. Never let your knees go in during the Front Squat. You risk knee injuries & won’t train your groin. Push your knees out.

Front Squat Benefits. The Front Squat has a more upright position than the Back Squat because of the front bar placement. Implications:

• Lower Back Friendly. Less forward lean on the Front Squat. You can’t squeeze the bar or tighten your upper-back. Meaning less total weight & thus less spinal compression. Try Front Squats if you have lower back issues. Chances are you can do them without problems.
• Builds Muscle. The front bar loading will pull you forward. Abs will work hard to keep your torso upright. Front Squats will work your whole legs, but your quads more than your hips.
• More Strength. Clean grip Front Squats will help your Power Clean & Overhead Press which have similar racking/starting positions.
• Enforce Good Technique. Do Front Squats wrong & you’ll lose the bar. Try Front Squats for a while if your Squat technique is not the best.

The Clean Grip. Front Squats using the Clean Grip will feel uncomfortable at first. Many switch to the Cross-armed Grip for that reason. Don’t be one of them. Front Squat with a Clean grip. Benefits:

• Safer. It’s easier to keep your elbows up so the bar doesn’t roll of your shoulders using the Clean Grip.
• Carry-over. Power Cleans & Overhead Presses become easier because you’re using bigger weights in a similar position on the Front Squat.

If the Clean Grip hurts your wrists, you have tight wrists and/or triceps. Stretch your wrists & triceps 3-4x/week, flexibility will improve.

HACK SQUAT

The "Hack" Squat is one of the oldest, yet still a very valuable assistance exercise, in Iron Game circles. Long before the invention and use of squat stands and machines, this exercise gained notoriety over 100 years ago, when old time wrestler and strongman, George Hackenschmidt introduced it into his training.

HACK SQUAT is a great exercise for your Quadriceps.

Instructions

Preparation

Lie supine on back pad with shoulders under shoulder pad. Place feet on platform slightly higher than base of sled. Extend hips and knees. Release dock levers.

Execution

Flex hips and knees to descend until knees are just short of complete flexion. Raise sled by extending knees and hips. Repeat.

Exercise Advice: Position yourself in a hack squat machine with your back pressed firmly against the pad. Your feet should be just beyond shoulder width apart. Begin this exercise by squatting as though you are going to sit down in a chair. Squat to a point to where your thighs become parallel to the floor and then return to the start position. It is very important that you keep your back as straight as possible throughout this movement (one way to help do this is to focus your eyes on a spot high on the wall in front of you throughout the entire exercise).

Hack Squat can also be performed with Barbells.

Also called the Hack Lift, or at times the Behind The Back Deadlift, this exercise is an excellent assistance exercise for both the squat and deadlift. However, body leverage and flexibility does play a key role in the proper execution of this movement!

To perform a Hack properly, you first stand with your feet about shoulder width apart with a barbell behind you. Stand as close as possible with your achilles tendon (heels) of each leg touching the bar. Then squat down looking up at a spot on the wall about eye level across from you when you were standing up. Try to keep your back as straight as possible.

Now, push off with your legs while concentrating on bearing the weight down on your heels. Don't push off with the weight forward over the balls of your feet. As the weights leave the floor, concentrate on keeping the bar close to your calves.

When the bar reaches the height behind your knees, you then pull your hips forward while simultaneously pulling your shoulders backward. This will be impossible to do if the weight is not over your heels, and if your back is rounded forward, because the rounding of one's back forward puts the center of gravity of the bar forward. Thus the bar will run into the hamstring area preventing the upward travel of the bar.

LEG CURL EXERCISE (FOR HAMSTRINGS)

The Leg Curl exercise is the most common hamstring (the muscles along the rear of your thighs) exercise you will see in the gym, though the hamstrings are actually one of the most neglected parts on the body (this may be because you can't see them in the mirror).

How to do it:

Lie face down on a Leg Curl machine, chest flat on it and hands gripping on the handgrips. The back of your ankles should be against the pads and your knees should be in line with the rotating cam of the machine. Curl your legs up, keeping your hips down against the bench. Squeeze at the top then lower slowly back down. Do not use momentum to swing the weight up as this will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise

Do not allow your hips to come up off the bench as you curl up. This takes tension off the hamstrings and can place it on the lower back and glutes. A good Leg Curl machine will not have a flat bench but will be angled slightly. You can accomplish this on a flat-benched machine by placing a towel under your hips.

Tricks:

• If you notice that you frequently lift your hips up off the bench as you tire, try having a training partner press down on your lower back while you are doing the exercise. This pressure will keep your hips from rising up and will keep tension on the hamstrings better.
  

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Common Errors:

The glutes come up during the exercise - this takes some of the tension off the hamstrings, using the glutes to assist the movement. This can place undue pressure on the lower back and reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. Using too much weight can force you to have to lift your glutes. If this is the case, reduce the weight and concentrate on keeping your hips down.

Leg Extension Exercise

This exercise develops the Quadriceps muscle group. It should not be done with heavy weights and if you have any knee problems, should not be done at all. Go for isolation and squeeze the muscles hard.

How to do it:

Sit in a Leg Extension machine with the pads over the top of your ankles and your back against the back pad. Your upper calves should be about half an inch from the seat pad and your knees even with the pivoting cam of the machine.		Extend your legs up (straightening them), and squeeze at the top. As you bring the weight back down, do not allow your knees to go past 90 degrees. This will minimize knee stress.

This exercise should be done slowly and deliberately, allowing no momentum or explosive force to come into play. Using explosive force or momentum may lead to injury.

Tricks:

• To hit the outer quads (Vastus Lateralis), lean back, turn your toes out slightly and point them. As your come up, exert outward pressure. Try to rotate your legs outward at the hip joint. Don't turn your feet excessively. Only turn them about half the range of motion they will go.
  
  
• To hit the teardrop or inner quads (Vastus Medialis), lean over forward, curl your toes back and turn them slightly in. Exert inward pressure as you come up, making an attempt to inwardly rotate your legs at the hip joint. Keeping your legs straight will give you activation of all the quad muscles.
  

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Common error:

• Not squeezing at the top - the best part of this exercise occurs at the contraction when your legs are straight. To get the most out of it, hold the contraction at the top for a few seconds then lower the weight.

Lunges

The Lunge is a simple but very effective exercise for the legs. It involves balance and coordination, which is very useful for sports as well as muscle development. The dumbell version of the Lunge is the easiest to start with though it can also be done with a barbell.

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How to do it:

Hold two dumbells in your hands by your sides. Step forward with one leg and lower your upper body down, bending your leg (don't step out too far). You should have about two to two and a half feet between your feet. Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, keeping your front shin perpendicular to the ground. Push up and back and repeat with the other leg or do all the reps with one leg then switch.		The farther forward you step, the more the glutes and hamstrings you will use (closer works the quads more, just don't go too close). It is very important to keep your upper body vertical. Go down until your bottom knee almost touches the ground. Think about sitting back when doing these. This will prevent you from leaning too far forward. It is best to do this exercise all on one leg without standing up each time. Stepping forward can overstress your knee. Simply do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all your reps on the other leg.

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Tricks:

• Don't have both your legs in a straight line. Keep them horizontally separated by about six inches to keep your balance. Doing this increases your base of support and makes your body more stable.
  

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Common Error:

• Leaning forward on the way down - this can cause you to lose your balance and can place unnecessary stress on your back. Always strive to keep your upper body vertical. Do these in a mirror or in front of a horizontal bar or table (so that your abdomen will hit the bar or table if you lean forward) and be sure to focus on sitting back during the descent.

Deadlift (Barbell)

The deadlift is a compound movement that works grip strength, and the primary muscles used in the deadlift are the erector spinae, the gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, hamstrings, quadriceps, and the soleus. The remaining muscles are involved in stability control. It is, in a sense, the purest single event test of strength because it is one of the few lifts of dead weight (weight lying on the ground). In most other lifts the weight changes direction or starts in the air and several other athletic skills such as balance, coordination are emphasized. For example, both Olympic weightlifting events require a great deal of athletic skill in addition to strength. In addition, it is commonly believed to be the oldest test of strength dating back to cultures who competed at lifting the heaviest stones.

Instructions

Preparation

With feet flat beneath bar, squat down and grasp bar with a shoulder width or slightly wider over hand or mixed grip.

Execution

Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension. Pull shoulders back at top of lift if rounded. Return and repeat.

Comments

Target muscle is exercised isometrically. Throughout lift keep hips low, shoulders high, arms and back straight. Knees should point same direction as feet throughout movement. Keep bar close to body to improve mechanical leverage. Also see Deadlift under Gluteus Maximus and Deadlift Strength Standards.