Get a leg up on fitness

How To Get A Leg Up On Overall Fitness

Let’s face it; leg days can sometimes be a bit of a drag, but the importance of working out the lower half of your body can’t be overstated. Think about it for a second; if you’re adding mass to your upper body then you need to support that extra weight by targeting the other half. That’s for fitness reasons never mind aesthetic ones; who hasn’t seen the guy stoating around a gym with a huge frame but tiny pins? They look like someone has taken the torso of an Action Man and screwed it onto the bottom half of a Barbie. It’s a ridiculous look, and it adds unnecessary strain on your knees and ankles.

Anyone who plays sports regularly will know that most of your power comes from your legs. The same goes for your speed, so take the time to work your Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings and Quads.

Having decent leg fitness can also help in mitigating existing injuries - I know this myself having had a stint as a line-backer for the Glasgow Tigers. This was those heady, early days at the turn of the millennium when American football tried to get a foothold on these shores; you even had Scottish rugby legend Gavin Hastings turning out for the Scottish Claymores at Murrayfield. Can’t remember this? Don’t worry, neither does the rest of Scotland.

Sadly –or maybe just as well - my promising NFL career was cruelly cut short after I tore the cartilage in my left knee: it wasn’t the worst injury, but it can’t really be fixed either so I had to learn to manage it. I used to suffer the odd flare up that caused discomfort in the past but in the last few years I’ve started increasing my leg workouts in an effort to build up the surrounding area. I went from working the area roughly once every fortnight to now targeting it twice a week in my current routine, and there’s now a notable absence of pain in my knee. I’m essentially compensating for the weakness in my knee by strengthening the posterior and exterior muscles in my lower body.    

The other benefit of leg workouts is that the exercises burn more calories. Why? The area contains some of the biggest muscles in the body (Some of you might disagree but your bum – i.e. glutes - is the biggest. That’s a fact). Also, because the effort needed to stimulate bigger muscles requires more energy, consequently you heart and brain are much more switched on which will in turn boost your metabolism.

I’ve never had the best balance, but building a strong base coupled with regular stints of yoga has helped over time to improve it that little bit further. That’s why lower body workouts are important though; that strong base will help you lift more and also improve balance.

So what’s to gain from all this? Well, you should notice an increase in your speed and range of motion. Besides, the look and shape of your body is important; try to be in proportion.

Here’s a few of my go to leg exercises - they’re a good starting point whatever your experience level.

Walking Dumbbell Lunge

I’ve always really enjoyed this exercise - they work your glutes, quads and hamstrings whilst increasing your heart rate. To make it a bit tougher, refine your technique and make sure your back knee doesn’t hit the ground during the motion. Try and do between 8-12 repetitions on each leg.

Front Squat

I only really started utilising this lift over the last year or so but I’m really digging it now. You’re arguably working the majority of the muscles in your body; from your delts to your hamstrings. You will feel the effects of this move predominantly in your quads and abdominal muscles though. An excellent alternative to the popular barbell back squat if you want to mix it up a bit.

Romanian Deadlift

Another great lift that works your hamstrings. For this move, keep your legs straight during any movement throughout this exercise, this way you’ll target the aforementioned hamstrings more. Mixing in a deadlift on your leg day on top of your back day will only help you dead lift more over time, as you‘re building up strength by targeting different areas that switch on during this movement.

Leg Press

One final leg day exercise I tend to include in my routine is the leg press. This move is quite popular amongst fitness types; to take it that step further I switch up my foot positions to target different areas of my legs, and after a set of say 8-12 reps I follow up with 10 jump squats.

As always with these things, exhausting the muscle will help simulate growth in the area – you effectively ‘tear’ the muscle fibres by exercising, which are then rebuilt bigger and stronger. Repetition is key, and the determination to push on that extra mile.

In the words of fellow Glasgow alumni Edwyn Collins –rip it up and start again