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Four Mistakes Made During Leg Exercises

Big Mistake # 1- Going Too Low On Romanian Deadlifts – Lifters know they should keep a flat back, bit in an effort to increase the range of motion, they often lower the bar too far on this single-joint move, causing the back to round. Frist, the plates shouldn’t touch the floor; this isn’t a conventional deadlift. Second, try this test with just the bar. Rehearse the movement facing sideways to the mirror and utrn your head to watch your back as you descend to just mid-shin level. Your spine should never, ever round! One more tip: Don’t lock out your knees.​

Big Mistake # 2 – Excessively Pointing Your Toes –

You may have heard that turning your feet inward or outward during leg exercises can help target particular areas of the leg, but that really only works on open-chain moves where your feet aren’t planted against a solid surface, such as leg extensions and lying leg curls. Pointing your toes excessively inward or outward on squats leg presses and hack squats can actually damage your knee, hip and/ ankle joints, so it’s best to use a more natural foot position. For most bodybuilders, that’s one in which the feet are turned slightly outward. Find a comfortable, balanced stance in and which allows you to press through your heels and the balls of your feet for maximal power and strength.

 

Big Mistake # 3- Lifting Your Hips Off The Pad During Leg Presses –

Shallow squats are one thing, but on the other end of the spectrum is trying to lengthen a given move’s range of motion past a safe point. If your hips lift off the pad when doing leg presses, you’ve lowered the sled too far and are putting your lower spine at risk of injury. It’s critical that you control the negative portion of the rep so that your can smoothly reverse direction. Try placing your feet a little higher and wider on the sled, and don’t allow your knees to come all the way in to your chest. Again, stretching after your workout can help.

 

Big Mistake # 4 – Doing Shallow Squats –

Whether it’s on the leg press, hack squat or doing free-weight squats, nothing is more pathetic than loading up a bar and dropping just a few inches. Trust us no one at the gym are impressed. While heavy partial rep training has a place in advanced-level bodybuilding doing all your sets this way short changes leg development, especially in the hamstrings and glutes. Drop down so that you can achieve a full 90 –degree bend in your knees. Avoid rigorous stretching before squatting because it tends to make you weaker, but stretching your legs after your workout will help you maintain flexibility so that can squat low.

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