For those who are wanting to build muscle fast, it is tempting to overlook the legs in favor of the chest and arms. This is a mistake. Every building needs a strong foundation and what you are building deserves a strong foundation as well. Building muscle in your legs will help you build muscle fast everywhere else.

Let’s get a look at the primary muscle groups involved in the legs.

* Gluteals –  Also known as the Glutes. It is essentially the muscle that covers your butt.
* Quadriceps – These are what you see in the front of the thigh. Also called Quads.
* Hamstrings – This muscle group is what covers the back of your thighs.
* Hip abductors and adductors – These are the two muscle groups on the inside and outside of your thighs.
* Calf – These are the muscles on the back of the lower leg.

Before any workout you need to do two things, get the muscles warmed up and then stretched. 5 minutes on the treadmill is good for warming up your legs. If you want to build muscle fast, you need to make sure your muscles are ready.

The Squat is the most powerful kind of workout that you can do to help you build muscle fast in your legs. The traditional squat by itself will work just over 75% of the muscles in your legs. The variations that are discussed here will ensure that every bit of your legs get worked hard and that you will build muscle fast.

The Traditional Squat (4 sets, 20/20/15/15):

* Your feet should be shoulder width apart and your toes and knees facing slightly outward
* Place the barbell on the upper part of your back (not your neck)
* Grip the bar twice the width of your shoulders
* Keep your back as straight as possible and your chin up
* Slowly bend your knees and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
* Return to the starting position

The Sumo Squat (3 sets, 20/15/15)

This is similar to the Traditional Squat except you use a much wider stance (similar to what you would see in a Sumo Wrestler). Make sure that your feet and knees are pointed even more outward than you normally would to keep the knees from getting too strained and injured. This works the inner thigh more than the traditional.

The Box Squat (3 sets, 15/10/10)

You start from the seated position on either a bench or stool and then, keeping your back as straight up as possible. This will work your hamstrings and glutes more than the other kinds and helps you get stronger at the weakest point of the motion.

The Plié Squat (3 sets, 20/15/15)

* Grasp a heavy dumbbell with both hands and let it dangle between your legs.
* Put yourself into a stance similar to the Sumo Squat.
* Lower yourself as far as you can safely go and then raise to the upright position
* This will help build muscle fast in the hip abductors and adductors much more than the other squats.

The Ski Squat (2 sets)

* Standing about 2 feet away from a wall lean back into the wall and hold that position for 30-40 seconds
* Slide down the wall a few inches and then hold the position for another 30-40 seconds.
* Repeat this until you have bent your knees at about a 90 degree angle.
* Work your way back up the wall in the same manner.
* Once you have reached the starting position, you have completed one set.

One-Legged Squat (2 sets with each leg, 15/10)

* Stand next to a chair or something that you can use to balance yourself
* Raise one leg up as high and straight as you can comfortably go
* Bend the leg that you have planted to the ground as low as you can go without the other foot touching the ground
* Make sure that you start off working the weaker leg first

The above workout will make it difficult for you to get up out of your chair but it will be sure to help you build muscle fast in your legs.

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