Leg Day
The infamous leg day is often hated, especially by beginners. Leg day is a taxing and painful muscle group to hit. It generally involves much heavier and strenuous exercises and is neglected by many beginners and even experienced lifters. Legs are a vital group to hit, especially if your goal is strength and aesthetics. When hitting legs, you generally will focus of dividing the workload between your quads and hamstrings, while also sprinkling in some calves. Again, this all depends on your goals and some may decide to focus heavily on hamstrings and glutes while some may focus on quads. Before attempting to workout on your own, it is important to learn and practice good form. Especially for a lift like barbell squats, attempting the lift with bad form can be dangerous. View the video below to see proper squat form!
Quads
The quadriceps make up the front of the leg. Some common quad lifts include squat/front squat, leg extensions, goblet squats, and lunges. I generally notice men focusing on quads more than glutes and hamstrings because of aesthetic purposes.
Hamstrings and Glutes
Hamstrings and glutes make up the back of the legs, and are responsible for most of the size and strength. Some commons hamstring lifts include squats, roman deadlifts, and hamstring curls. Some common glute exercises include squats and hip thrusts. I often see women focusing more on glutes again because of aesthetic purposes. Glutes and hamstrings are also heavily focused by athletes because they provide a lot of power.
Calves
Calves are probably the most neglected part of the legs, however hitting calves can make your legs look much more muscular and even. The most common calf lift is calf raises, which can be performed seated or standing.