Leg Workout Benefits: What You Gain From Leg Day Workouts!
Updated: Nov 13, 2022
It’s a common sight in any gym: Men who focus on working out their arms and upper bodies to look broad, fit and toned. But what about the legs? They are often neglected as they are viewed to be less “visible”.
Many often skip leg day to spend more time on other areas like their upper body, abs, and the like. Similarly, some choose not to train their legs anymore because they feel that their cardio session on the treadmill or stairmaster was enough of a workout. However, you should be familiar with the leg workout benefits you can get from training the muscles in your lower body. No matter what the circumstances are, there are many reasons why you should still work your legs.
Burn More Calories
Whenever you exercise your legs, you are working the biggest muscle groups in your body, such as the hamstrings, glutes, and quads. Thus, doing leg exercises will require more energy for work and recovery, effectively burning calories. Most of the time, people may stray away from leg workouts if they are trying to lose weight. However, the truth is that incorporating them into your routine will actually be beneficial since it can help boost your metabolism.
Lower Injury Risks
You may think that you are doing enough work with your lower body from daily activities like walking. However, the truth is that many muscles are easily neglected and left unused. Many activities like sports, running, and even walking can easily lead to injuries if your muscles are not stabilized or strong enough. Thus, strengthening your leg muscles can help promote balance and reduce the risk of injuries.
Stimulate Hormones Production
Studies have shown that leg exercises can stimulate the production of hormones like the growth hormone and testosterone since you are training larger muscles. This aids in recovery to ensure that your body can repair damages and build muscle after your training sessions.
Improve Performance
When you think of leg workout benefits, you might be limiting yourself to the idea of stronger and more toned legs. In reality, strengthening the legs can do so much more as it can improve your overall performance, whether it be in other workouts or life in general.
By gaining strength in the leg muscles, you can do better with your cardio sessions and get through each day with more ease. Even the simplest activities like bending down to pick up a pen will use those muscles you train, so do not underestimate their function!
Enhance Body Symmetry
Perhaps one of the most apparent leg workout benefits you can get would be toned legs, which are undeniably attractive. However, more than that, having toned legs can make your body look more balanced, symmetrical, and proportional. If you focus too much on training your upper body, you can end up bulking the area but having skinny or weak legs.
Prevent Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain may often result from weak stabilizer muscles, so working your legs can reduce the likelihood of getting back pain and injuries. While it is true that a strong core and back muscles can help remedy the issue, you must also train your lower body and strengthen the muscles there. However, it is important not to rush into it, especially if you are not used to leg training. Start slow and gradually add weight, but make sure you focus on following the right form at all times.
Focus On A Different Type Of Muscle Fiber
Cardio exercises work the Type I muscle fibers which are smaller and made for endurance. Strength exercises work the Type II muscle fibers which are larger in size and are needed for shorter duration strength and speed movements. By focusing only on cardio exercises, you could be missing out on training an entire type of muscle fiber. By incorporating strength exercises and training your Type II muscle fibers you will also enhance your ability to perform cardio exercises.
Improve Overall Quality Of Life
Strength training your legs will help with many activities that you do from day to day throughout your life such as sitting down and standing up from a chair, picking up something off the ground, and walking up stairs. It can also increase your overall balance. For those who participate in sports, strengthening your legs will help with many skills such as jumping, running, and other powerful movements that are of vital importance to your performance.
Keeps Your Body Looking Balanced And Toned
This is possibly most important benefit to some people. Adding strength exercises to target your larger Type II muscles fibers will help you to be more effective in getting toned looking legs. It will also keep your body looking proportional and avoid chicken leg syndrome (large upper body with small skinny legs) that may result if you only work upper body.
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