Build tree trunk legs with these exercises for only the best gains.
Whether for functional or more sport specific needs, building tree trunk legs can be of great assistance when it comes to boosting overall gains. We’ve all seen those guys in the gym with those twig-like legs, barely able to squat. Don’t knock them for squatting, good on them for doing it. But they don’t work out their legs enough to even earn the ability to lift big weight. And it shows. Legs are important for sport as well as everyday activities and to neglect them can be a terrible disservice.
While we all love to build those vanity muscles and make our upper bodies pop out of our shirts, a solid set of legs can round out a massive physique for the better and give us the best chance at seeing real success. With the right exercises, our workouts can be fun and engaging so we don’t get bored of doing the same old leg exercises with minimal gains.
Let’s jump into this and see how best to build those tree trunk legs. The right exercises can catapult you into the right mindset to keep you working at it and feel as though you are putting together an absolutely massive and shredded physique.
Benefits Of Massive Legs
Our legs matter and whether or not you have tree trunks is beside the point. Having strong legs can work for your benefit in a number of ways including:
- Lower risk of injury by having a strong and stable lower half.
- Increase endurance capacity to go for longer sessions.
- Boost power and explosivity for sport specific movements (1).
- Add to your physique so it rounds itself out nicely.
Best Exercises For Tree Trunk Legs
Knowing the best exercises to perform for those tree trunk legs can be of great assistance to you as you seek to build that massive and shredded physique. Let’s take a look at some amazing leg exercises below:
Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is a functional movement and nice variation of the deadlift and will improve balance, stability, and power while working your posterior chain nicely. Giving your hamstrings some great work, this can round out your legs to see effective growth take place (2).
Rowing Machine
A great cardio workout, the rowing machine works many muscles in your body. As a sport driven by the pushing motion, your legs take the majority of the load, therefore increasing strength and size. A low-impact workout to burn calories and build endurance, this works your legs to effective tree trunk size.
Goblet Squat
The goblet squat works to improve overall strength and mobility while establishing squatting efficiency. This is perfect for building muscle as it can be performed with your bodyweight, dumbbells, or kettlebells. For those avoiding the traditional barbell squat, this is a nice variation to still see tree trunk-like gains.
Calf Jumps
Calf jumps are a great plyometric exercise to improve strength and explosiveness. The ability for the calf muscle to absorb force with the continued movement allows the muscle to wear down and fatigue, thus offering the chance for maximal growth to take place. Plus, you get that heart rate going for nice cardio work.
Lunges
A great lower body exercise, lunges consist of many variations to work your leg muscles, and those surrounding muscles, differently. Able to increase strength and size, while also building balance and stability for support, you promote efficient gains and give yourself that extra boost when it comes to seeing those tree trunk legs take shape (3).
Sissy Squats
A bodyweight exercise targeting the lower thigh area, sissy squats are an uncommon but highly effective muscle building exercise. With proper form and a real level of resistance, what you get is a serious lower body brutalizer to force those muscles to grow. Form is key, however, for this exercise can be a taxing on those joints given its unusual movement.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are a great HIIT exercise designed to increase strength, cardio, and core strength. It will also boost leg growth as a result of the fast-paced movement and necessary action of the legs to complete an effective exercise. This is considered a total body workout with cardio and endurance elements, but your legs will feel a burn and they will build muscle.
Jump Rope
For bodybuilders and other athletes looking to increase their aerobic capacity while also building muscle, jumping rope is exactly what you need. A versatile and convenient exercise, all you need is the jump rope and you can do this anywhere and at anytime. Great for weight loss and endurance, what this does is increase those leg muscles to promote strength and power for all things gains (4).
Pistol Squats
Pistol squats is one of the most effective unilateral exercises that can be performed for strengthening your legs, mobilizing joints, and improving overall squat mechanics. By recruiting more muscles, you can accelerate strength and improve all areas of the movement.
Skater Squats
Another great unilateral exercise, skater squats can enhance strength and work to generate more power from each leg. A good variation of the pistol squat, this gets you moving and can be less taxing on your knees, while still offering the ability for muscle and those tree trunk legs.
Wrap Up
Building those tree trunk legs can be challenging but not impossible. With the right exercise and proper approach to training, you can better tackle any and all of those wants and needs to build those massive legs. Strong legs can give us the ability to stay grounded, more stable, and perform better for sport specific and functional movements. The right exercises can make or break your gains and give you those tree trunk legs you want most so give some of these exercises a try, place them into your leg day routine, and watch those gains take off.
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*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Bean, J.; et al. (2003). “A Comparison of Leg Power and Leg Strength Within the InCHIANTI Study: Which Influences Mobility More?”. (source)
- Fisher, J.; et al. (2013). “A randomized trial to consider the effect of Romanian deadlift exercise on the development of lumbar extension strength”. (source)
- Jonhagen, S.; et al. (2009). “Forward lunge: a training study of eccentric exercises of the lower limbs”. (source)
- Ozer, D.; et al. (2011). “The effects of rope or weighted rope jump training on strength, coordination and proprioception in adolescent female volleyball players”. (source)