How To Get The Most Out Of Your Leg Exercises
By All American Fitness
For some reason leg day seems to be one of the most difficult days at the gym. So much so that many people want to avoid it altogether. However, leg day is an extremely important part of your exercise regime. You’ll start to enjoy it a lot more if you understand why it is so important and how to get the most out of it.
KNOW THE WHY BEHIND IT
Knowing why you must do something will strengthen your will to see the task through. Leg day is important because it allows your body to achieve balance. This balance is more than just physical, it’s chemical and aesthetic. While your image shouldn’t be your primary drive for going to the gym, it is probably part of it. If you want to have a nice balance look, you need to work those legs. A good leg workout can also help stimulate your hormones, help regulate bodily functions, and increase your immune system. As you get older, you can develop vein diseases that exercise can help prevent. Finally, strong legs can help your body stay strong and stable as you age.
WARM UP
One of the worst parts about leg day is the sore muscles that often result. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Starting with a proper warm up can help increase the results of your workout while decreasing the tendency for muscular soreness. A good warm up for leg day should include light stretching and dynamic movements. Some great examples are lunges, toe touches, and the butterfly stretch. You can also do jumping jacks, tire jumps, and high knee runs. You shouldn’t be using any weights or bands at this time. The idea is to get your heart pumping and the blood flowing. Skipping your warmup could lead to injuries if you aren’t careful.
VARY YOUR WORKOUT
Routines are important in fitness. You need to keep working at the same thing to improve. However, a routine can also lead to a plateau. A physical plateau is when your body has gotten so used to a certain exercise that it is both physically and mentally difficult to improve. You’ll tend to notice this occur as you get bored with your workout routine. If this is happening to you, you need to switch things up.
Another reason to vary your workouts is so that you can target different muscles. Many people make the mistake of focusing on the largest muscles in the legs. They forget that there are many smaller muscles that have important functions related to balance and motion. If you want to improve your athleticism, you need to make sure that you give some attention to these areas.
INCREASE FLEXIBILITY
During leg day you need to avoid the temptation to just bulk up as much as possible. You need to also focus on increasing your leg’s range of motion. Flexibility is something that takes time but is very important. Lack of flexibility can lead to severe health problems and underperformance in athletic activities. A person with low flexibility is more prone to straining muscles and tearing ligaments than other individuals. You are also more prone to having muscular tightness that can cause pain in different areas of the body.
SET GOALS
One of the hardest parts of exercise is that it can be difficult to measure progress. From one day to the next, it may not appear that you’ve improved. This is why goal setting is so important. Tracking your workout doesn’t cut it. Keeping track won’t give you the motivation to do an extra set of squats. You need to have a target that you are determined to reach. An example of a good goal would be, I want to increase my max squat by 20 pounds in the next three months. Of course, depending on your physical state, that may be a very high or low bar to reach. The point is that your goal should state what exercise you want to improve, how much you want to improve it, and a date.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS
You’ve doubtlessly hear the phrase “No pain, no gain.” There is some truth to this statement, but you shouldn’t take it too far. There is a big difference between the burn of tired muscles and the pain of strained ligaments, bones, or joints. If you injure yourself, you are going to face a serious setback. You should always start off a new exercise regime a little bit light. Over time, you can go ahead and increase as you get to know your limits and set new goals. Above all, always use good form. Poor form will not only slow your physical improvement, but it can also lead to injury.
Leg day doesn’t have to be your least favorite day. It can be an awesome day. Fill leg day with exercises that you enjoy. Take pride in your improvements, even if they are small. Keep pushing forward, and you’ll have legs that will make everyone else jealous.