Best Exercises to Build Muscle in my Lower body
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| What are the best exercises to build up muscle mass in my lower body? Belong to a gym, so anything goes. Must be simple and easy to do. |
Anonymous
| Squats and dead lifts. You should work with a trainer or somebody who knows what they are doing at first so you get the technique right. Both are ultimately simple moves, but if done wrong can hurt your back or knees. |
Anonymous
| Squats. Dead lifts. Weighted lunges. Calf raises--be sure to stretch!!!!! Incline leg press. Those glut curls. Run. Run some more. Sprint. |
Anonymous
| Pilates too |
Anonymous
+1, especially the part about learning to do them properly. Once you learn, they're quite easy. |
Anonymous
|
Running will build muscle.
Squats and Lunges. Deadlifts. Calf Press/Calf Raises. Jumpies (*shudder) Many of the more advanced yoga moves. |
Anonymous
|
squats and deadlifts are the big ones, but first you need to nail down the form and mobility to become beneficial. Most women and some men are quad dominant so if they don't want to build up their quads they need to learn to even things out and use more hips/glutes.
I would stay away from lot of cardio if you want to build muscle, and eat in surplus of course. work the abs and core since they are critical to lower body exercise. Lift heavy where you can bust out 8-15 reps out of them. at least 2x a week, 3 times is ideal, if you're looking to put on mass it may take you at least 6 mths depending on your genetics and how you perform the exercises. |
Anonymous
| Does your gun offer Body Pump? I highly recommends it if you want to get into lifting weights. |
Anonymous
| Body pump is not weightlifting. Get a trainer and learn proper form so you don't hurt yourself. |
Anonymous
| like others have mentioned squats, deadlifts and weighted lunges with REAL weight are the way to gain muscle and get stronger. |
Anonymous
| I disagree--Body Pump is lifting weights, as well as other exercises using body weight as resistance (tricep dips, pushups, etc.) If you don't know the first thing about lifting weights, or are intimidated by the weight room, Body Pump is an easy way to get started. I went through the certification program to become a BP instructor and it is very thorough; the moves are modified to make it safe for the general population. Of course you could hire a trainer to make sure you don't blow out your knees or your lower back, but assuming the OP already has a gym membership, a group-ex class might be a good place to start. |
Anonymous
| I've done body pump and I also lift. Bp is a glorified aerobics class which leads to poor form. Get a trainer. Be safe. |
Anonymous
| Body pump is not weight training. to put on muscle you need to lift heavy weights. Doing squats for an entire song will not do this. BP is more of a cardio/endurance class than weight training. It's challenging but not the same as lifitng heavy weight for lower reps |
Anonymous
|
A good squat for beginners is to put an exercise ball against a wall and lean up against it to do the squat. It helps if your core is not super strong, to make sure you have good form.
Walking lunges are my favorite low body exercise. Start with light or no weights to get form down. Split squats are good too. They are killer. Prop one leg on a bench and squat with the other. These are tough. Jump lunges are good. Jump squats too. Also something called skater squats are good. Deadlifts are good but you need excellent form. I prefer one leg deadlifts, they are less intense on your back and force your core to stabilize. And step ups on a stable bench are hard. The only gym machines I like to supplement these are the leg press and the one where you lay down and curl your legs for a hamstring curl. Otherwise you can get a better workout using free weights IMO. |
Anonymous
| Ditto on the split squats and step ups (or step downs), in addition to squats. |