The Squat
In my opinion, the squat is quite possibly the best leg exercise you can do for your body. The efficacy of this exercise is unparalleled and puts everything else to shame. The squat replaces almost every exercise out there (leg press, leg extension, calf raises, etc.) and targets your quads, hamstrings, calves, lower back and glutes. Reading a book strength training, a professional coach devotes a whole chapter on this marvelous exercise and even goes to say that whoever signs up to his gym must at least squat once and even states it as gym policy.
I find that a lot of people out there disregard training their legs and opt for more upper body strength and bodybuilding. My gym (the Monster Gym) has the lower and upper body exercises and machines placed in two different sides of the gym. Guess which side is always packed and which one is always empty? I see a lot of guys with huge chests, biceps and killer traps, but their legs are nothing short of ordinary: they’re small and weak! I’m pretty sure that these guys could be tipped over easily since their lower body strength isn’t up to par with the rest of their body. Remember, the body needs to be balanced: you cannot simply train your upper body and forget about the legs. Eventually, all the weight you put on your upper body needs to be supported by the lower. Imagine all the pressure you’ll be putting on your knees when you go up in mass!
Following this strength training routine, going up in weight on the squats is quite rapid. Almost every novice trainer will be able to increase his or her squat weight by 5 lbs (total) every workout (that is, if one is consistent, eating well and following proper form). If you aren’t setting personal records every workout, you must be doing something wrong.