Here Are 6 Major Leg Workout Mistake To Avoid In Your Training

Squats are one of the most essential Leg Exercises (Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)
Squats are one of the most essential Leg Exercises (Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)

Leg workout mistakes are one of the most common things about weight training because most of us give nearly all of our concentration on the torso. In that process, we often tend to ignore that the rest of the body is below our waist. Skipping legs days with multiple excuses has almost become a popular thing on the internet, but this is one of the most harmful things that we are doing in our training.

Our legs have the biggest muscles in our body. They are a cornerstone of our overall body development, and ignoring to train them and making leg workout mistakes while doing them is like experiencing just half of our body's true potential.

So, to solve it, this article will tell you about 6 major leg workout mistakes that you are most probably making if leg days come at the very end of your workout schedule.


6 Most Common Leg Workout Mistakes

1) Skipping Proper Stretching Before Workout

(Image via Pexels/ Pixabay)
(Image via Pexels/ Pixabay)

One of the most common mistakes that people make is they directly go to the weights, before letting their body have enough time to warm up and stretch. Stretching is one of the most crucial elements in weight training, which prepares the muscles, joints, and ligaments, for the intense workout that follows. Neglecting to warm up, and especially to stretch your legs properly before doing that heavy squat, significantly higher the chances of muscle cramps, strains, and even serious injuries.

2) Not Going Low Enough

(Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)
(Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)

Most of us, especially while doing squats, pile up heavy weights on our shoulders, but end up not doing the reps properly. A full range of motion with enough time is required for optimum muscle activation, which builds up more muscles, than half squats with heavy weights. Hence, it is always better to go for medium weights that you are comfortable with, and try to go as low as you can, which can give you the best results. If you see that you are comfortable going completely low, slowly with that particular weight, then increase the weight gradually.

3) Neglecting To Train All Leg Muscles

(Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)
(Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)

We should remember that our legs are not just an entire chunk of muscle, but a combination of diverse ones. Hence, just doing squats and ignoring exercises for the rest of the muscles with lead to muscle imbalance. Most of us generally concentrate on the quadriceps, while ignoring the hamstrings or the gluteus. This imbalances knee stability, and hinders overall leg strength.

4) Overtraining

(Image via Pexels/Binyamin Mellish)
(Image via Pexels/Binyamin Mellish)

While leg training almost takes 200% of our effort, it's wise to be conscious of our body's highest physical limits, as overtraining can often do more harm than good. Too much heavy weight with intensity, without adequate rest highers the chances of complete fatigue and muscle injury. Rest in between sets, is as important as the workout itself, and this is one of the most common leg workout mistakes that we tend to make.

5) Lifting Your Heels

(Image via Pexels/MART PRODUCTION)
(Image via Pexels/MART PRODUCTION)

A lot of us tend to lift our heels from the ground when we go down for squats, which transfers the entire weight solely to the balls on our feet. This poor ankle mobility disrupts the ground balance and increases the chances of injury. Also, this limits the amount of weight that we can lift. Hence, if you are too suffering to keep your heels grounded, it is best to buy lifting shoes, that distribute the balance to the complete feet. To develop natural balance to keep the heels intact on the ground work more on bodyweight squats.

6) Completely Depending On Machines

(Image via Pexels/ MART PRODUCTION)
(Image via Pexels/ MART PRODUCTION)

The old way is always the golden way, and this also applies to bodybuilding. Though modern-day machines are very effective in completely stabilizing your leg movements without any effort, it is always best to activate your own stabilizing muscles and train your functional movement patterns. Practicing bodyweight squats and lunges can enhance our natural range of motion which will promote better muscle stability, which will contribute towards increased overall strength.


Being conscious of these common leg workout mistakes, and avoiding making them during our workout sessions, is very crucial to our overall muscle development and stability. Correcting these common leg workout mistakes, will not only minimize the risk of muscle injuries but will also give better muscle growth with less weight.

Our leg muscles are important for our body's aesthetic structure, just as our biceps and abs. Hence, training them with equal dedication and avoiding these common leg workout mistakes, can take our fitness game to a completely different level.

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