Varying leg workouts can be beneficial

What is the best exercise to do for legs? I have been relying mostly on presses, curls, and extensions for legs. Am I shortchanging my workout by only doing those three?

For starters, doing the same exercises every workout will definitely shortchange your development, even if your form is flawless and your diet and recovery patterns are optimal. One of the most important aspects of any successful strength and mass gaining program is variation. This concept applies to any muscle group you are working, as well as any and all fitness goals you may have.

Your body is incredibly adaptive, and will quickly get used to a given exercise regimen. This is evident by the plateaus that many athletes and weightlifters face every so often. Therefore, you should definitely mix up your leg workouts. For example, try doing some weighted lunges, stiff-legged deadlifts, or hack squats (if a machine is available).

As far as the "best exercise" for legs, in my opinion, it would certainly be free weight squats. This is a compound power movement that incorporates a myriad of muscles in the body; from your quads and glutes (which are the primary movers in the movement) to your lower back upper-body stabilizers. Proper form, however, on this exercise is a little bit difficult, so I will take a minute to describe it.

The motion for a squat is relatively simple: just bend at the knees until the thighs are parallel to the floor (any lower puts too much stress on the knee joint), and press up through your heels to the starting position. Never lock your knees during the movement, and always keep your lower back straight and tight. Do the exercise slowly and avoid bouncing at all times. As you are going through the eccentric portion of the motion (lowering the weight), breathe in slowly. Exhale forcefully as you press the weight up in the concentric phase (lifting the weight). Look straight ahead or slightly up, but make sure your neck is stable during the movement.

There are a number of rookie mistakes that people will commonly make when trying to do squats for the first time. Sometimes, due to a lack of flexibility in the legs, a person's heels will inadvertently come off the ground. A way to correct this is to stick your butt out and concentrating on "sitting down" as you lower the weight; that is, try to imagine yourself sitting down slowly on a chair, distributing the weight to the ground through your heels.

Leaning forward too much can be another problem. This can also cause your heels to come up, but the main problem with this mistake is the stress it places on your lower back. As you bend, try to keep your lower back as tight and straight as possible. If this continues to be a problem, you might want to invest in a weight belt, just until you get the form down.

The most common problem I see, however, is when people do this exercise in a partial range of motion. I am sure we've all seen the guy who puts four plates on each side of the bar, only to break his knees and go down maybe a quarter of the way, screaming as he completes a "rep." The squat is maximally effective (recruits the most muscle fibers) when you go all the way down (to 90 degrees). If the weight is too heavy to go all the way down to 90, then reduce it. Form is always more important than the amount of weight you can move.

That said, if you incorporate squats, along with a few of the other exercises mentioned for legs, your workouts should be more effective for strength/mass increasing. And remember: if you find yourself at a plateau, just mix it up; variation is crucial.

I do reverse-wrist curls for the outside of my forearms, but I just can't get the burn that I want. I do four sets for fifteen reps, but it hasn't helped. Any suggestions?

Here is a simple and effective set and reps strategy. Take a moderately heavy barbell (say 50 lbs for the sake of argument). Do as many reverse-wrist curls as you can. Quickly drop the bar and grab the 40lb one. Rep until failure again. At this point, your arms should be feeling a pretty significant burn. Immediately after failure, take the 30lb bar and, again, go to failure. If you can stand the pain, after failure grab the 20lb bar and rep out as many as you can. Rest a few minutes, and do it again. This drop range is sure to get the fire going in your forearms, and it only takes two sets.