![]() ![]() ![]() Sink down into squat position and hold a barbell with overhand grip, shoulder width apart.“The wide stance means there is less distance to travel to reach parallel,” says Leonard. Most people can squat deeper using the sumo style, which will bring flexibility benefits. Why: Switch up your squat routine with the sumo variation to give your hip adductors and abductors a blast. Drive you heels into the floor to push yourself explosively back up to the start position.Taking care to not arch your back, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart holding a barbell across your upper back with an overhand grip.Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play So don’t be all mouth and no trousers – hit the refresh button on your lower body routine with 32 of the best leg exercises below. And when it comes to building muscle size, regularly changing exercises is just as effective as increasing the intensity of your workout, according to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. Like it or not, leg workouts are going nowhere, so logic dictates you should make full use of it. If you're already injured moves like these are good for rehabilitation, since working one side of the body can stimulate the same muscles on the other side of the body too. Need more convincing? How about this: performing single-leg exercises, like the Bulgarian spilt squat, pistol squat and single leg curl listed below, won't just good give you powerful legs, it'll also help you to engage your core muscles and develop better balance. On the flip side, skipping leg day one too many times can make you unbalanced and more susceptible to injury. The main function of the calf muscle is to assist with flexion of the foot, ankle and knee. Together, these four muscles contain more mass than any other muscle in the body, assisting with every day movements like walking, running, squatting and jumping. Your quadriceps consist of four muscles: the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and the vastus intermedius. ![]() Having strong hamstrings enable athletes to perform higher quality impact and explosive sports. Attaching to the bones of the lower leg behind your knee, the hamstrings cross between two joints - the knee and the hip, acting to bend the former and extend the latter.ĭeficits in this muscle group can cause issues in function and sports performance. The hamstrings are a group of muscles that line the back of your thigh. Adductors are hugely important for squatting, sprinting and moving in multiple directions. Made up of five muscles, their job is to stabilise your thighs and pelvis, while allowing for movement, extension and rotation. Your inner thigh muscles, are essential for athleticism and power. Without them, you'd struggle walking, let alone squatting. The glutes are the engines that help drive the body, deliver explosive power and help maintain proper posture and movement. These are the main muscle groups within the leg that you need to know about. Understanding the muscles you are working and the role they play will help when performing each exercise. Training legs means burning more calories, elevating your T-levels, boosting your big lifts, improving your mobility, and, of course, building strength, power and mass. Why Training Legs Is So Importantįirst and foremost, leg exercises target some of your body’s biggest muscles – the largest being your glutes – the foundations on which your fitness is built. With that in mind, we’ve collected the 33 best leg exercises for your next leg workout, but before we get to them, let’s go over why training legs is so important, what makes up the muscles in your legs and why you should never skip leg day. Published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, it was found that constant intensity and varied exercise is more efficient to produce strength gains. ![]() Don't believe us? Well, according to new research, when it comes to exercises and muscle strength, variety really is the spice of life. Going through the motions and performing the same movements, day after day and week after week, isn’t going to cut it here. Your quads, hamstrings and glutes are made up of multiple muscles, which are responsible for multiple lower-body functions, so it’s important to have multiple leg exercises in your arsenal and train legs holistically. When it comes to leg workouts, variety is key. ![]()
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