hi there, i am needing someone who really knows about weight lifting to please tell me if there's a way to work your butt and thighes just as good as the barbell squats but not as bad on the knees, or if the barbell squat is really the best excersise you can do for your butt. and also please give me a list of excercises to do that really targets your butt. and, also, i am really bored with my current leg routine, can you also give me some different routines to follow? thanks sooo much!!!!
I have to admit leg work is not the most fun part of my workout and I’m not expert on it.
Form is a very important part of making sure you are not damaging your knees. One possibility if you want to use lighter weights is to pre-exhaust. Not normally advisable with leg workouts but doable if instead of using barbell you do dumbbell squats, which for a woman I think should be fine. One option is to do 2 sets of lunges then go straight on to one set of dumbbell squats without resting. If you train close to failure at around 10 to 15 reps then that would probably be enough to start building muscle. I assuming here that your training with free weights and don’t have access to gym machines.
Another option is to do 3 sets of dumbbell squats non-stop without rest with various weights. Do the first set with the most weight where you can lift aprox 15 reps. Then drop the next set by 20% and the third by 20%. But don’t stop between sets, do each one continuously, this will really blast your legs. Again I advise with these kinds of High intensity workouts you use dumbbells not barbells and only do them once a week.
I have to admit leg work is not the most fun part of my workout and I’m not expert on it.
Form is a very important part of making sure you are not damaging your knees. One possibility if you want to use lighter weights is to pre-exhaust. Not normally advisable with leg workouts but doable if instead of using barbell you do dumbbell squats, which for a woman I think should be fine. One option is to do 2 sets of lunges then go straight on to one set of dumbbell squats without resting. If you train close to failure at around 10 to 15 reps then that would probably be enough to start building muscle. I assuming here that your training with free weights and don’t have access to gym machines.
Another option is to do 3 sets of dumbbell squats non-stop without rest with various weights. Do the first set with the most weight where you can lift aprox 15 reps. Then drop the next set by 20% and the third by 20%. But don’t stop between sets, do each one continuously, this will really blast your legs. Again I advise with these kinds of High intensity workouts you use dumbbells not barbells and only do them once a week.
thanks for the suggestions!
i do have access to gym machines as i am a member of a gym, but i do like free weights better than machines. i personally think you get better results using free weights. how do you perform dumbell squats??? my guess would be putting one of those big balls up against the wall and holding dumbbells in each hand???
Hi Camille,
We are not allowed to post links here but if you put in dumbbell squats in any search engine you should be able to find how to do them. I would recommend wearing a support belt. Also one of the limiting factors is the strength of your grip, however I find that strengthen your grip is a plus. Dumbbells squats are not very common however I feel they have their place and can really enhance your routine.
I also agree with you that some exercises are better with free weights than machines but I wouldn’t say all. For leg work I think there are some great machines for building the quads and strengthen the legs overall. The good thing about machines compared to free weights is they are generally a lot safer, especially an exercise like the squat. It wouldn’t hurt to mix and match and try some of the machines. See which once are most effective for you and add them into your workout along with free weights.
I highly recomend walking lunges as mentioned by Moxie - and changing the length of the stride can vary the emphasis between the quads and glutes.
I also do a one legged squat/lunge with one foot behind me on a bench. With one foot out in front of you, next to a wall or piece of equipment that you can use with one hand for balance, place the toes of the other foot on a bench behind you. Keeping your front shin at 90 degrees to the ground, squat down untill your back knee is near the ground and come up again. Do a set of 12 and change legs, repeat 3 times. This is a killer on the quads and as you progress, start holding a dumbell in the other hand.
