Sculpting your legs

The Fifa 2010 World Cup is underway and even though some players are better than others, there is one thing every player has in common – strong legs! Have you seen how powerful and sculpted the players’ legs are?! They all have immaculate bottom halves. But you too can have soccer legs. It’s simple, just perform these 5 leg exercises (3 sets per exercise for 10 – 15 reps) once a week and you’ll attain Cannavaro-like legs.

1. Squats: Before you sculpt your quads, calves and butt, you need to pack on some muscle. And the best way to pack on leg muscle is to perform squats. Rest a weighted barbell on your shoulders and back of your neck, look forward, keep your back straight and slowly squat the bar. Lower the bar down so that your legs are at a 90 degree angle and then stand back up. Hold the position for 1 second at the bottom of the squat and then 1 second at the top.

2. Dead-lifts: To get strong legs, you need to have a strong lower back. The dead-lift is the perfect exercise to strengthen your lower back and legs. Stand over a weighted barbell, bend down, grip the bar with an over-handed or hockey style grip at shoulder width apart, keep your back straight and bring the bar up to your waist as you stand back up. Hold for 2 seconds and then slowly lower the bar back down to the ground. When you lower the bar, keep it as close to your legs as possible – follow your leg line. Rest for a second and then lift the bar again.

3. Weighted lunges: This exercise targets every part of your legs. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, step forward with one leg and then lower your other leg down to the ground. Once your knee touches the ground, pull your front leg back to the initial position and stand. Then, step forward with the other leg and continue the movement. Continue rotating legs until you get at least 10 steps per leg.

4. Weighted stand-ups: This exercise not only targets every part of your legs, but it also targets your core as you need to engage your abs for balance. Stand in front of a bench or 24 inch platform with a dumbbell in each hand. Put one foot on the platform or bench and then stand up, bringing your other leg up to the platform. Stand on top of the platform for a second then jump back down. Rotate legs and continue the movement until you reach 10 reps per leg.

5. Interval sprints: This exercise works your legs and gives you a great cardio workout. It’s a simple exercise and it can be done anywhere. Go to a park, field, or even your backyard (if it’s big enough) and just sprint! Sprint hard for 10-15 seconds, then walk or lightly jog back to your starting point. Wait a few seconds and then sprint again. Sprinting is an explosive movement that targets all those little muscles in your legs that are hard to engage in the gym. Soccer players do sprints at all their practices and it’s the reason why they are all so fit.

There you have it, 5 leg exercises that will help you sculpt perfect legs. Skip the leg machines (leg press, quad extensions, etc.) and just focus on these compound movements. You’ll be sore for a few days but you’ve heard it before, “no pain, no gain.”

Leave a comment if you have any questions.