How Can Women Get Bigger Legs?

Performing squats with light dumbbells in a group toning class is not the road to shapely, bigger legs. To build big legs, you must train like a bodybuilder who uses moderate to heavy weights and completes about 20 to 30 sets per leg workout. Exercises that involve more of your leg muscles, or multijoint exercises, are better for building bigger legs than exercises that engage a small mass of your leg muscles, or single-joint exercises.

  1. Intensity and Volume

    • Hypertrophy is the growth in the size of your muscles. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, if you want to make your muscles bigger, the amount of weight you lift for your leg exercises must be heavy enough such that you can only perform one to 12 repetitions per set for three to six sets, and the weight must be progressively more difficult. If you can do more than 12 repetitions in a given set, you must increase the weight to get bigger legs. Most of the sets you do must be within the six- to 12-repetitions range to increase the size of your muscles.

    Quadriceps Exercises

    • The barbell squat is a multijoint exercise that engages primarily your quadriceps muscles, but also activates your glutes and the gluteal end of your hamstrings. This is the core exercise for building big muscles along the front of your thighs. Be sure to perform this exercise inside a squat rack with the safety bars around the level of your hips. The barbell should be comfortably positioned at the base of your neck and across your shoulders. Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart and look slightly upward. To perform this exercise correctly, stick your buttocks out behind you, then bend your legs as if to sit on a chair until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. Contract your leg muscles to stand back up, exhaling through clenched teeth and maintaining a straight back throughout.

    Hamstring and Glute Exercises

    • Multijoint barbell exercises for the back of your lower body engage your hamstrings and your glutes. Stiff or straight-leg dead lifts should be performed on a dead lift platform or inside a squat rack. Adjust the position of the barbell support so the barbell is slightly lower than the middle of your thighs. This enables you to pick up the barbell without having to strain your back, a common mistake when dead lifting with the barbell on the floor. To perform this exercise correctly, stand with your thighs touching the bar and your palms about shoulder-width apart; your palms should be facing in opposite directions. Bend your legs then stand up straight to lift the barbell off the support racks; step backward a few inches. Stick your buttocks out behind you, look upward slightly then bend at your hips to lower the barbell until your trunk is nearly parallel to the floor. The barbell should remain as close to your legs as possible. Contract your glutes and your hamstrings to return to an upright position.

    Additional Exercises

    • While it's important that the core of your leg workout includes squats and dead lifts, you should also incorporate supplemental exercises such as stationery barbell lunges, leg presses and leg extensions for your quadriceps; bent-knee dead lifts, one-legged dead lifts and walking lunges for your glutes and hamstrings; and leg curls just for the hamstrings.

    Dietary Considerations

    • The amount of protein and calories you consume on a daily basis plays a significant role in building bigger leg muscles. If you are dieting, your muscle cells will not have a sufficient amount of energy to perform intense exercises, nor will they have the much-needed amino acids to grow bigger. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association in their book "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning," as a woman, you need 44 calories per kilogram of body weight to maintain your weight while exercising at high intensities. To build muscle, you must consume 350 to 700 extra calories per day beyond what you need to maintain your current mass. As part of your daily caloric intake, you need between 1.5 and 2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight.