Most people hate
Legs Day. That is a fundamental truth of
weight training and regrettably, is usually the cause for more injuries and
back pain than any other single factor.
Most people will rationalise this decision with the reasoning that they are
‘on their feet’ all day or, they are a tradesman and do heavy work all day.
On the surface,
both reasons make good sense and you would be forgiven for thinking that the
reasoning is based in fact. The reality
is that being ‘on your feet’ all day or, doing heavy work will do nothing by
tire the muscles out. In order to grow
stronger and/or bigger, muscles need to be continually challenged to do more
work (lifting) and then allowed to rest and recover. Because our legs
are in use from the moment we climb out of bed in the morning until we crawl,
exhausted, back under the covers at night they get precious little time to rest
and recover. Frankly, if you are not
challenging your leg muscles regularly, they are not going to need to rest and
recover and will not get stronger or bigger.
In sport, the
strength of, and speed of recovery of, your leg muscles will literally make the
difference between winning or losing.
Without power and endurance, you will never be able to deliver a blistering
shot at goal or, endure an Ironman triathlon. In addition to
building strength, power and endurance in your legs, you absolutely must spend
at least 30 minutes every day stretching your legs and hips. This practice will allow you to kick harder,
reduce the risk of injury and maintain good joint mobility and flexibility.
A word of caution;
while performing the following exercises, ensure that you never fully lock the
knees. Keep the knees flexed slightly,
even at the top of a movement, at all times and this will protect the integrity
of the joint and not place the many ligaments, tendons and menisci at risk of
injury.
Leg Press
When you set up
correctly for the Leg Press, it is one of the best all-around exercises for the
entire lower body. The Leg Press works
the buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. Most gyms will have
one of two major variants of the Leg Press machine. The best is the 45 degree Leg Press because
of the negative load that is taken up initially. The flat, or seated, Leg Press is in no way
inferior, it simply does not offer the option of working the negative, or
concentric, phase of the exercise.
45 degree Leg Press: Place your feet,
shoulder width apart, on the foot plate at about the midway point, top to
bottom. Sit with your buttocks pressed
at far back into the seat as possible, back straight and head up. Push firmly against the foot plate to raise
the weight off the support pins and release the locking bars. Slowly lower the foot plate until your knees
are at 90 degrees, pause then push the plate slowly back to the starting
position to complete the rep.
Seated Leg Press: Position yourself in
exactly the same manner as described above.
Slowly straighten the knees until your legs are almost straight
(remember, do not lock the knees!).
Slowly lower to the starting position to complete one rep.
Dumbbell Lunges
This is a great hip
and leg exercise and there are a number of postural factors that you must
adhere to. You must keep your head up
and look straight ahead. Your back must
be straight, with shoulders back and down and your chest up. Finally, maintain tension in your abs
throughout the exercise. Start by standing
upright with a dumbbell in each hand and arms fully extended by your
sides. Feet should be shoulder width
apart. Step forward with your left foot,
farther than you would with a normal step.
Your left leg should be bent at 90 degrees with your knee behind the
toes. The back leg should
be bent at the knee, again at a 90 degree angle and the rear foot should not
move, other than allowing the heel to lift off the floor. Push back up to the standing position and
repeat 10 or 12 times then repeat with the right leg forward.
Squats
This exercise has a
number of different variations but the one we will look at here, is what is
known as the back squat. The back squat
is conducted with a weighted barbell held across the shoulders, behind the neck. The bar should rest naturally on the rear of
the trapezius muscle and not on the neck. Hold the bar with
your hands wider than your shoulders, palms facing forward. Bend at the knees and hips, leaning your
upper body slightly forward, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Pause for a second and straighten your legs
to return to the upright position.
Repeat the desired number of times.
Leg Curls
Leg Curls are to
your legs what biceps curls are to your arms and, as is the case with your
arms, we need to focus on achieving balance.
All of the preceding leg exercises have been focussed predominantly on
the quads and glutes. The hamstrings
have been involved, in a supporting role, but have not really been pushed to
the limit. There are two types
of leg curl machine available in most gyms, the seated leg curl and the lying
leg curl. My personal preference is for
the lying leg curl because I feel that it isolates the hamstring muscles more. For the purposes of this section, I will
assume you are using a lying leg curl machine.
Lie on the machine
ensuring that the pivot point for the lifting arm is aligned with the centre of
your knee. Hook your ankles behind the
lifting pads, your knees should be resting just beyond the edge of the
bench. Hold onto the bench legs, or
handles if they are provided. Lift the
weight by bending the knees and keeping your pelvis firmly anchored to the
bench. Continue lifting until your lower
legs are perpendicular to the ground.
Slowly lower to the starting position.
Leg Extensions
Many of you who
have used a gym before will be wondering why I have not included a Leg
Extension exercise. The reasons are
many, varied and complex but in a nutshell, for a novice or beginner exerciser,
they can be dangerous. If you are
experienced in weight training, all of the connective tissues and supporting
muscles in and around the knee capsule will have been conditioned to the
stresses that the leg extension applies to the knee, particularly with heavier
weights.
If, on the other
hand, you are not experienced in weight training the shear forces that are
applied to the knee during a leg extension can be severe enough to cause major,
and sometimes permanent, damage.
Next week, we delve a little deeper into the anatomy and have a
close look at the major joints.
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