Leg muscles require much attention when losing weight, particularly if you're more focused on shifting your stubborn stomach fat. Leg exercises play a huge role in weight loss, however, adding more of the right types of leg exercise into your routine can accelerate weight loss, as well as build leg strength and help prevent lower-body injuries. The more muscles you work, the more calories you burn and the bigger your calorie deficit, the balance of calories in versus calories out. High-intensity leg exercises are the best type of exercise for weight loss, as your legs comprise the largest muscle volume in your whole body.
When you break down muscle tissue through lifting weights, your metabolism kicks into overdrive to help repair the damaged tissue, which results in an increase in metabolic rate and calorie burn. This effect can last for up to 48 hours. Training your lower body causes more tissue breakdown and an increase of this after-burn effect. Weight-bearing moves are superior to non-weight bearing ones. Compound exercises, where you're working for more than one muscle group at a time, are also a better choice, as you're hitting a larger area of your body and building more muscle, which leads to an increase in metabolism and fat loss. Make moves such as squats and deadlifts with a barbell, lunges with dumbbells or body weight movements like split squats or glute bridges raise the foundation of your leg-training weight-loss program.
Cardio could also be considered a form of leg training and plays a part in losing weight. To combine cardio with strength training for your legs, a circuit consisting of split squats, leg curls on a gym ball, lateral squats and barbell back squats is recommended. Diet is another factor - you won't lose weight unless you burn more calories than you consume. Combine two weekly leg workouts, consisting of three to four exercises for three to four sets of six to 12 repetitions each, with a calorie-controlled diet.