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Pull Exercises for Legs

Top 10 Pull Exercises for Legs: Build Lower Body Strength

Introduction: Do your glutes disappear when you view your physique from behind in the mirror? If you want legs that can power you through any athletic endeavor and fill out a pair of jeans, it’s time to start incorporating pull exercises into your training knowing about top pull exercises for legs. Pull exercises target the neglected muscles of the posterior chain – primarily the hamstrings and glutes. These movements train your legs through horizontal hip extension, developing strength and muscle that will increase performance, prevent injury, and sculpt a rounder, more balanced lower body. In this article, the top 10 best pull exercises for legs will be discussed. From deadlifts to hip thrusts to Nordic curls, these movements will light your hamstrings and glutes on fire. Master these exercises and you’ll build lower body muscle and power you never thought possible. Let’s dive in! Benefits of Best Pull Exercises for Legs Pull exercises are movements where the weight is pulled towards the body, rather than pushed away from it like in a press or squat. For the lower body, this involves hip extension and knee flexion to target the glutes, hamstrings, and other posterior chain muscles. Here are some of the key benefits to training your legs with pull exercises: Increased athletic performance – Stronger glutes and hamstrings translate to more power, speed, and injury resilience on the field or court. Pull exercises mimic common athletic motions like sprinting, jumping, and changing direction. Muscle growth – The glutes and hamstrings have high amounts of fast-twitch muscle fibers with growth potential. Pull exercises prompt hypertrophy leading to rounder, stronger glutes and hamstrings. Injury prevention – Pull exercises balance out the muscle imbalances and quadriceps dominance brought on by repeated lunging and squatting. This relieves low back, hip, and knee discomfort. Here are the top 10 pull workouts for legs! Deadlift This pull exercise has been building massive legs and sculpted backsides for decades.  It engages many joints and engages muscles all down your posterior chain. The deadlift is the only exercise that adequately targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.     Step by step guide: Set up with the barbell on the floor in front of you and your feet shoulder-width apart. Knees are slightly bent. Keep your back flat, chest up, and push your hips back. Just outside the legs, grab the bar. Take a deep breath, tighten your abs and force your heels into the ground to stand up while lifting the bar up your thighs. At the apex, raise your hips and shoulders jointly. Reverse the action gradually to lower the bar to the ground. Mistakes to avoid: It seems simple enough, but some common mistakes can get you into trouble: Back rounding: Throughout the lift, maintain a rigid core and a neutral back. Neither circular nor overarch. Jerking the weight – Initiate lift by driving through heels, not yanking the bar upward. Not engaging glutes – Focus on squeezing the glutes at the movement’s top. Overextending at lockout – Finish with hips fully extended but no further. Do not hyperextend. So next time you deadlift, focus on proper form and squeeze those glutes and hamstrings. It may not feel like much at first, but you’ll develop the butt and legs of your dreams over time! Barbell Hip Thrust Looking to isolate and eradicate your glutes? Enter the barbell hip thrust. This exercise targets the glutes like no other, earning its reputation as a top booty builder. Step by step guide: Set up a bench and load a barbell over your hips while seated on the floor. Drive heels into the floor and bridge hips until thighs and torso are parallel. Squeeze your glutes hard and hold the top position for 1-2 seconds. Slowly lower hips back to the floor with control. Mistakes to avoid: It looks easy, but beware of these common mistakes: Allowing knees to cave inward – Keep them pushed outward throughout the movement. Letting hips drop too low – Only go as low as you can control. Avoid overstretching. Failing to engage glutes – Focus on squeezing glutes at the top. So, if you struggle to feel your glutes working during other exercises, add hip thrusts to isolate them. Over time, you’ll start activating and building your glutes more effectively for that coveted Butt lift! Glute Ham Raise The glute ham raise is one of the most effective exercises for building strength in your hamstrings. It works the hamstrings through hip extension and knee flexion to provide maximum activation. Step by step guide: Kneel on platform, ankles secured by rollers. Extend legs so body is straight. Keeping legs straight, slowly lower down by hinging at knees and hips. When hamstrings are fully stretched, use glutes and hams to pull yourself back up. Mistakes to avoid: Allowing knees to bend – Keep legs straight throughout motion. Jerky momentum – Control motion down and up. Curving spine – Maintain flat back. With practice, you’ll learn to feel your hamstrings working eccentrically to control the descent and pull you back up concentrically. The result is insane levels of muscle activation! Sliding Leg Curl The sliding leg curl allows you to isolate the hamstrings without any equipment. Use a towel or slider discs on hardwood or carpet to mimic a leg curl machine. Step by step guide: Lie on ground with legs straight, heels on towel/discs. Engage core. Keeping legs straight, dig heels down and slide legs in towards butt. Flex knees to curl legs up as slider pulls in. Squeeze hamstrings. Slowly straighten legs back to start position. Mistakes to avoid: Lifting hips off floor – Keep core braced and hips grounded. Bending knees too soon – Keep legs straight as long as possible. Not engaging hamstrings – Focus on flexing knees with hamstrings. The sliding leg curl is a creative way to target the hamstrings through their full range of motion. The extended lever of straight legs increases resistance for greater strength gains. Romanian

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