Leg Workouts for Women | Squats and Deadlifts for a Tight Butt
"I put more girls through college than the United Negro College Fund" - Chris Rock
I might not have put numerous women through college but throughout my career I've helped dozens of women obtain their best legs ever. I've also assisted many of them with earning their pro cards in bikini, figure, and physique.
I know leg training. I know what works. I've spent years training myself and working with females at all levels - from the housewife trying to tighten and return to her pre-pregnancy shape, to the professional level physique athlete.
Regardless of the level of development, the bottom line is that women need to train like men. They need to hit legs hard and with more than just a high number of thoughtless reps. Women need heavy and hard training with a lot of volume done multiple times per week.
If you are a female who is tired of spinning your wheels (pun DEFINITELY intended) and seeing little to no results, this article is for you.
2 Leg Workouts for Women
The first caveat is that you need to train legs twice per week. This article isn't a full workout routine, but your split could look something like this:
Day 1: Quad-Dominant Legs
Day 2: Chest and Triceps
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back and Biceps
Day 5: Hamstring-Dominant Legs
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Off
We will focus on the two leg days here. The bottom line is that you need to hit it, and hit it hard. Since since legs are over 50% of your total body mass, they truly deserve more than one training day per week.
Day one is focused on squats. Squats are considered a quad-dominant leg movement. They also target glutes and hit a good amount of hamstrings and the rest of the body is used in stabilizing. Thus, they are a true full-body movement.
Here is a video on how to perform squats featuring Dr. Stu:
Basically, torso tight, push out with your knees and drop until you hit a 90 degree leg bend, or just below that.
Leg presses are hard on the hips because they have a fixed range of motion. If the back rounds, it may cause some potential issues. For this movement, lower the weight down until the back wants to round and then push it back up.
The rest of the exercises will compliment these two main movements. We will finish with a hamstring curl to give the hamstrings just a little bit of love on this wonderful day. These leg workouts for women are topped off with calf movements. Day one looks like this:
Day 1: Quad-Dominant
Leg Workouts for Women
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squats
4
15, 12, 10, 8
Leg Press
5
15 to 6
Hack Squat
3
8-12
Leg Extension
3
15
Calf Raise of Choice
3
15
Squats: Pyramid up in weight. Start with a lighter weight for 15 reps and work up to a heavier weight at 8 reps for 4 sets. For example:
75 x 15
95 x 12
115 x 10
135 x 8
Leg Press: Pyramid up in weight like:
90 x 15
135 x 12
180 x 10
225 x 8
270 x 6
Day two is built around deadlifts. While deadlifts do work your back in a very efficient manner, it is actually a hip-dominant leg movement. And since we like to start out with the most difficult compound movement possible on leg day, deadlifts lead the way for this glute-tightening torture session!
For more information on the perfect deadlift, see this:
We then do lunges which hit the entire leg, especially the glutes, and fill in the rest with some hamstring-focused movements.
Day two looks like this:
Day 2: Hamstring-Dominant
Leg Workouts for Women
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlifts
4
15, 12, 10, 8
Walking Lunges
3
10
Lying Leg Curl
4
15
Seated or Single Leg Curl
4
15
Straight Leg Deadlift
3
10-15
Calf Raise of Choice
3
15
Deadlifts: Pyramid up in weight. Start with a lighter weight for 15 reps and work up to a heavier weight at 6 reps for 4 sets. For example:
45 x 15
75 x 12
95 x 10
135 x 8
You are training the entire leg on both days yet focusing on one area more than the other. Heck, this hits the ENTIRE body!
Benefits of Leg Workouts for Women
These leg workouts aren't just about being sexy, they are also about health! Here are some benefits:
Bone Density - Resistance training has been proven to improve bone density in women as they age.
Metabolism - The more compound the movements, the more calories burned, the more your metabolism is ignited, the more FAT LOSS you achieve!
Core Strength - Squats and deadlifts especially engage your core like no other movements, helping to achieve a tight, strong midsection along with a powerful and pain free lower back!
Sexy Butt - Training lower body in this fashion will lead to improved lean mass and less fat in your lower body. This includes your butt. If a tight, firm and shapely butt is what you?re after, this is how you get it.
Prepping for Leg Day Workouts
These leg workouts are hard. Very hard. But you need to get out of that Jane Fonda mindset and stop just going through the motions.
You need to step into the gym with reckless abandon, ready to crush it. To get your mind right, I recommend a good pre-workout that isn't too heavy or overloaded with stimulants but will have your body ready with ample muscle building and fat loss promoting ingredients, as well as mental focus agents to get you in the zone. MTS Nutrition CLASH® is the best choice for this.
During training, you will really need to get your nutrients in. This will keep you going as well as help to ignite the recovery process as you break down your muscles. For this, a good BCAA-based formula is proven to do just that. I recommend MTS Nutrition Machine Fuel.
Post-workout, you want to get back in the zone right away with a carb source that will replenish your depleted legs without spiking insulin that might lead to fat gain. MTS Nutrition Machine Carb 10? is the only carb on the market that can do this.
You also need protein to prevent muscle loss and to facilitate recovery. Mixing MTS Nutrition Machine ISO? into your Carb 10 is the way to do this! So here is the supplement prescription for around training:
Pre-workout: MTS Nutrition CLASH: 1-2 scoops depending on tolerance.
Post-workout: 1 scoop of MTS Nutrition Machine ISO? and 1 Scoop of MTS Nutrition Carb 10?. Chocolate Machine ISO? and Cookies and Cream Carb 10? is DELICIOUS!
The Perfect Diet for Shapely Legs
To get shapely legs, you need to lose fat. We have the PERFECT diet for you: The Fat Loss Factor. It has a Just for Women section that will help you reach your goals.
The program is here. All you need to tighten up your lower body, from diet to cardio to supplements?.I got you covered! Start this leg workout routine immediately and you'll be well on your way to the lower body of your dreams. Sexy butt included!