5 Reasons to Never Skip Leg Day
+ FREE Leg Day HIIT Workout Below
I’ve always been more of a lower body lover. I used to play basketball, more of the break-away layup kinda girl, and was a sprinter in high school in college. It’s safe to say squats and deadlifts are my thing, bicep curls and pushups aren’t. And because you always like things you are really good at, leg day is my go-to workout all the time.
Let’s actually just think about your legs first. Your legs are the foundation of the house that is your body. Keeping them strong, stable and agile is going to help your whole body.
You will reduce the risk of injury. Performing functional exercises, specifically squats and lunges, will promote stability in the knees and hips. This can mitigate potential injuries like an ACL tear or hip replacement. Strengthening the legs can also help alleviate lower back pain from the countless hours most people sit behind a desk and work on strengthening the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes).
You will increase your balance and stability. When was the last time you stood on one foot for a long time? Probably not for a while. It’s actually harder than we think. If we keep our foundation (legs) strong, it will be so much easier for them to be stable. Balance is essential for maintaining control of your body.
You will burn more calories. What! I bet you didn’t know that. Because honestly, I forgot about it until I started doing research on this topic again. Yes! It’s true. Some of the largest muscles in our body are in our legs. Fact of the day, largest muscle in your body: your gluteus maximus. It is large and powerful because it has the job of keeping the trunk of the body tall. So why will working the legs burn more calories? When you work bigger muscle groups, like in squats and deadlifts, you will require more work from your heart and brain which present higher levels of metabolism compared to exercising smaller muscle groups.
You will increase range of motion. Think lifting heavy shit will work without being more flexible and mobile? Think again! I have talked about mobility a lot on my blog and Instagram, you know how important it is to your body. Learning the correct form and technique of most lower body strength movements requires you to increase your range of motion.
You will be a better athlete. More endurance, more explosiveness, more agile, faster — all of these things will help you in the gym (and out of the gym). The power generated for most sports is from your lower extremity, think about any sport.
LEG Day makes me feel like such a bad ass. There’s nothing cooler than finishing a workout knowing how hard I worked. I want you to try out some of my favorite leg day moves, so I put together a quick HIIT workout that you can try at home. All you need are a couple dumbbells and some sort of bench. My online program, the TL Method, incorporates all of these movements and so much more. If you like this workout, love leg day, or are just looking for new workout buddies, this IS The program for you. Check it out here.
THE WORKOUT
Set 1 (x3)
[8 reps per side] DB Decline Thruster
[20 reps] Superman legs only
[10 reps per side] DB Tabletop Kick
[10 reps per side] Reverse Lunge Snap Kick
Set 2 (x3)
[8 reps per side] DB Reverse Lunge
[20 reps] Squat Pulses
[5 reps per side] Pistol Squat Off Bench
[20 reps] Sumo Squat Hops
SET 1
DB Decline Single Leg Thruster: With one foot on a bench and lying on the ground, put the dumbbell at your hips as you send your hips high. Try to keep your knees in line and squeeze the cheeks.
Superman (legs only): Lay on your stomach and rest your chin on the back of your hands. Lift both legs off the ground with your heels going towards the sky. Try to bring your kneecaps off the ground.
DB Tabletop Kick: From a tabletop position, put a medium sized weight behind your knee and kick your heel towards the ceiling. Keep your back flat without any arch.
Reverse Lunge Snap Kick: Drop one foot back into a lunge and take that same foot up to your butt first and then kick forward.
SET 2
DB Reverse Lunge: Bring the weight to your chest as you step back and drop your knee only as low as it feels comfortable. 8 reps per side.
Squat pulses: In a low squat position with your back flat, pulse your booty up and down low.
Pistol Squat Off Bench: Stand on the edge of a bench to where your foot is parallel to the edge. Gently guide the opposite foot off the edge of the bench as low as you can and stand back up tall.
Sumo Squat Hops: Point your toes out with your heels about hip width distance apart. Drop low into your sumo squat and hop out of it. Make sure you land right back into your squat.
Let me know how you liked this LEG DAY workout, and make sure you check out more workouts like this on the TL METHOD.