SOME OF MY FAVORITE LOWER BODY EXERCISES
by Kelly Groff ISSA
Team Jeremy Scott Fitness
I have had a lot of people ask what can they do to help build up their legs. Although I don’t believe in spot training, I would like to share with you some of my favorite leg or lower body exercises. Squats – Doing squats works primarily our glutes, hamstrings and quads, although it also works our abductors.
Squats- are one of the best functional exercises out there. They promote mobility and balance; they help you burn more fat while developing more muscle. Although in some circles people say squats have been known to destroy and be hard on your knees, research shows that when done properly, squats actually improve knee stability and strengthen connective tissue. I myself have had a reconstructive ACL repair on my left knee and I used to stay away from any squats in fear it would hurt my knee. I now feel that it has been the best thing for my recovery and I feel it is as good as new!
Lunges with rear leg raise – This exercise works so many of our lower muscles it’s one of my all-time favorites! This works our quads, calves, hamstrings, outer thighs, groin, glutes, and our hip flexors. This is another one that was criticized for knee injury, but if done correctly this can be very effective. It can help you with every day chores such as stairs, lifting things as well as back pain. It’s a great exercise to help improve your speed and performance. Many exercises like this that works your glutes happen to be ones that can have a big impact on fat loss and conditioning.
Calf raises – The calf muscle is one that gets used a lot without us realizing it. Especially if you are a runner building the calf muscle is important. The calf raises help develop flexibility and strength in the ankle joint and calf. And you can pretty much do them anywhere all you need is an uneven surface.
Sprints – I find that sprints are probably one of my favorite and have helped me the most with my training. Doing sprints helps build muscle, burn fat, increase endurance, increase energy and improves lung and heart function. It’s also been known to help with mood and mind matter. Sprints are something you can do anywhere and you don’t need a lot of time to do them. One of my favorites is 10 seconds of sprinting 10 seconds of rest, and repeats it 10 times.
So there you have it 4 of my favorite lower body leg exercises. Like I said before I don’t believe in spot training meaning working just one area of your body. I think if you stay consistent on a complete body workout it all comes together in the end. And of course to see the maximum results adding a healthy diet will push your results even further!
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Kelly Groff -ISSA
Team Jeremy Scott Fitness