Body Banao

Most people going to the gym spend a lot of time working their arms and chest. However it is rare to see a guy who spends time squatting, which is the king of muscle building exercises. Those who do it spend a lot of time hitting their legs hard, to give their legs a well defined muscular look. This also includes the most ignored muscles, the calves and hamstrings.

Squats stimulates the whole leg, glute and back muscles to a great extent, while increasing total body growth due to the assistive association of the arms, upper back, shoulders and neck. It has been proven that squats produce an anabolic (growth inducing) result on all the muscles of the body as they speed up highest oxygen supply and nutrient delivery to the muscle. Hence squats target two regions directly: the quadriceps and the gluteals. While many would appreciate growth in the first area, not many want growth in the second area. However while there is a dislike for big butt, the back view also incorporates the hamstrings and calves.

In order to develop these muscles to the same level as the quads and glutes, you have to opt for specialization training. The hamstrings are elongated muscles that start from the lower pelvis to insertion at the back of the knee. It has 3 unique muscles, , leg biceps, sedmitendinosus and semimembranosus, and help in knee flexion and hip extension. The calves are located at the rear of the lower leg, and include 2 muscles, the gastrocenemius and soleus. They play an important part in ankle extension when lifting the toes and the gastroc assists the hamstrings in knee flexion and stability.

For complete development of these muscles, you should do various knee flexion and ankle extension activities. Targeting the muscles from various angles provide the excellent results. Hence it is advisable to do various hamstring curls and calf raises in slow, controlled and concentrated method. This will effectively stimulate muscle fibers and improve flexibility. Always remain tight in the flexed position and completely stretch the muscles in the lower position. Avoid jerking the body with any fast motions to help in lifting the weight. It can lead to injury and halt your progress. After your leg routine, spend 10 minutes for stretching these muscles to avoid any tautness that will prevent any instances of injury.

Here are the exercises to be done for killer legs:

·    Leg curls: Do 3 sets of 8-10 controlled, medium repetitions.
·    Standing Leg Curls: Do 10-12 reps for each leg and 2-3 sets per leg.
·    Standing Calf Raises: Do 3 sets of 10 -12 reps with mildly heavy weight. For great unrestrained motion, perform the exercise without putting on the shoes.
·    Seated Calf raises: Do 3 sets of 10 -12 controlled reps. Go bare feet for a nice pump.
·    Single-leg Calf Raises: Do 2 sets of 15 – 25 reps, with or without shoes and switch legs.