LEGS
There have been a few studies done that measure the effect of upper body strength based solely on strength training your legs. What has been found is that by strength training legs, you can actually build more upper body strength than if you do not train your legs at all. More so, training legs (squats and deadlifts especially) has shown to increase both testosterone and metabolism=>loss in BF%!
AestheticallyLegs, like chest, is a muscle group that is generally thought about very differently between men and women. As much as guys are made fun of for their lack of leg development, I am still surprised that the largest muscle group in their body is often neglected. For girls, it's usually not about neglecting legs, but sacrificing other body parts to work out legs more often. I get it, ya'll want big butts, but just remember, muscle growth occurs during recovery.
Below, there are three categories I separated leg workouts into. A successful routine will include all three of these categories once a week, especially including Squats and Deadlifts. |
Functionally What happens over time when we focus or neglect a certain muscle group? Well, just like the other muscle groups, imbalances form leading to muscle pain and in extreme cases, tearing of muscles. Do me a favor, flex your quadriceps...now flex your hamstrings. Which one was easier to flex? Why was the quad easier to flex? Your body wants to do as little work as possible to complete a task, use the path of least resistance if you will. Using the quads fulfills this mission which over time leads to over-activity in your quads and and commonly knee pain. If you completely neglect working your legs, especially the back of them, your quads will continue to grow, imbalanced from your glutes and hamstrings which may lead to an ACL tear! What's that? It's bad. For those of us that just focus on butt exercises, it's not recommended, but especially important that you are doing them with proper form so that your quadriceps don't take over the work leading to the former scenario.
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Front (Quads, Adductors) |
Back (Hamstrings, Glutes, Abductors) |
Calves (Gastrocnemius, Soleus) |
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b) Hamstring Focus 6. Good Morning 7. BONUS Dumbbell Squat vs Deadlift Comparison |
Videos coming soon! |
Front
1. Barbell Squat |
2. Barbell Front Squat |
3. Leg Press |
4. Machine Hack Squat |
Back
1. Barbell Deadlift |
2. Barbell Romanian Deadlift |
3. Barbell and Dumbbell Lunge |
4. Barbell Hip Thrust |
5. Bulgarian Split Squat
a) Quad and Glute Focus |
b) Hamstring Focus |
6. Good Morning |
7. BONUS: DB Squat vs Deadlift |
Calves
Check back for videos