Barbell Lunges

Legs are clearly my favorite body part to workout; thus, I wish to offer up another leg exercise to perform - Barbell Lunges. This is a very easy exercise to perform and will compliment the other lifts you are performing for your legs.

The Muscles it Works: The main target of this exercise is your quads. Its also works your glutes and hamstrings to a lesser extent.

How to Perform: Begin with the bar mounted on a rack. Use a wide grip (same one used for squats) to hold the bar and get underneath it so the middle of the bar rest on your shoulders behind your neck. Dismount the bar and step several steps back.

To actually perform the exercise, lunge forward with your first leg so your foot lands (heal to toe) a couple feet in front of your body. Lower your body (in a similar fashion to squats) by bending your back knee and hips until your back knee is about an inch from the floor. The return to the starting position by pushing back and up with your front leg. Then repeat with the opposite leg in an alternating fashion until the desired number of reps is achieved.

Tips:
1. If you have a long area accessible to you (like a track), you can lunge forward (in the same manner as walking forward) instead of pushing back into the starting position and performing them stationary as written here.

Conclusion: This isn't the most effective exercise to perform for increasing leg strength and mass, but it will certainly compliment any routine and lead to small gains in strength and mass. Every little bit helps, so don't cut yourself short by not including this exercise at least somewhere in your workout plan.