Every week we ask trainers some of the most-asked questions from women who want to get into lifting. This week, we asked strength and nutrition coach Pennie Varvarides how to build up your leg muscles.

How do you build leg muscle?

“To build muscle generally, you need to be resistance training on a regular basis with enough frequency. If you’re trying to make your legs stronger and you only have time to train them once a week then that’s better than nothing, but it’s not going to be as effective as working out your legs twice a week, for example.

“Compound lifts, like squats, lunges and deadlifts, are more efficient than doing isolation moves like leg curls or extensions, but that doesn’t mean it’s one or the other. I would start with the biggest lifts first and then do isolation things further into the workout. This is partly because the compound lifts involve more skill so you need to concentrate better and have more energy to do them. If you do them at the end when you’re tired, the lifts won’t be as good.

“In terms of food, you want to be making sure you’re eating enough protein. Generally, the recommended dose of protein is about 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weigh 60 kilos that would be between 96 to 132 grams of protein a day.”

How to build leg muscle: the best exercises to get strong quads, hamstrings and glutes