Leg workout is sometimes neglected in favor of upper body workout. However, it is often said that you shouldn’t skip leg days as it is important for several reasons.
One is always advised to follow an exercise program that supports a balanced body which includes strong and stable legs.
Here in this article we will be talking about the importance of legs workout and why you should not miss leg workout days.
Why you shouldn’t skip leg day
There are studies that suggest one should not miss leg workout, these studies say that training your lower body muscles improves your growth hormones and testosterone levels.
Moreover, it is important to be consistent with your legs workout since they are an integral part of your overall fitness and body stability.
Lower body muscles include quads, hamstrings and glutes working on these with exercises such as squats, luges, and deadlifts will keep your leg muscles strong and improve body stability & athletic performance.
Legs workout also promotes anabolic environment.
Benefits of leg workout
As mentioned above, leg workout engages your entire body muscle groups which supports your body stability and improves athletic performance.
On the top of these, Here are some more benefits of performing leg workout:
1. Hormone stimulation
Leg workout helps in stimulating various hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, and human growth hormone (HGH).
a) Cortisol: helps in increasing your metabolism health.
b) Testosterone: helps in repairing damaged muscles.
c) HGH: promotes muscles growth, boosts immunity and boosts metabolism.
2. Increase athletic performance
Whether you play basketball, soccer or baseball, the majority of the sports require leg strength and leg workout can increase your performance.
Increased leg strength allows you to run faster, jump higher, and generate explosive power when you need it most.
3. Balanced strength
If you work on your each leg individually it will help in aligning your body and correct muscular imbalance as you will use both sides of your legs equally.
4. Higher calorie burn
Bigger muscles require more energy from your body and as an effect it increases your heart rate and burns fat.
This also increases your metabolism and therefore increases your caloric burn during workout.
5. Reduced risk of injury
Functional exercises like squats and lunges promote stability in your knees and according to the studies increased stability is the best way to avoid muscle injury.
6. Engages core
Doing unilateral leg exercises can help in engaging core.
Leg exercises like squats and lunges help you in engaging your core to the workout. Also, working on one side of the body can stimulate the same muscles of the other side of your body.
7. Other benefits
Build muscles
Strengthen bones
Reduce joint pain
Alleviate lower back pain
Tone up legs
Improve posture
Improve overall fitness
Effects of missing out on leg workout
Missing out on your leg workout means missing out on building the strongest foundation possible of your body. A strong base will give you more stability, mobility, and range of motion.
If you neglect leg workout, overtime your muscle cells might shrink while your fat cells will enlarge. This may lead you to look less fit and less muscular.
Basic leg workout to start with
1. Free squats
4 sets, 15-20 reps each
2. weighted squats
4 sets
first set – 15 reps
second set – 10-12 reps
third set – 8-10 reps
fourth set – 6-8 reps
3. Leg press
4 sets
first set – 15 reps
second set – 10-12 reps
third set – 8-10 reps
fourth set – 6-8 reps
4. Lunges
4 sets, 12-15 reps each
5. Leg curl
4 sets, 10-12 reps each
6. Stiff legs deadlift
3 sets, 10-12 reps each
7. Calves raises
4 sets, 25 reps each
This exercise routine should take about 1:30 hours to complete.
The bottom line
It’s important to train your leg muscles along with your entire body regularly to gain strength and improve overall fitness.
It’s fine to skip a leg day if you’re sick or injured. However, make sure to make a plan for how you will make up the lost time.
