Leg Stretch

Anyone who is participating in physical activity should be performing some leg stretch exercises regularly after they finish. This is even more important for runners in particular as they often develop very tight quads, hip flexors and hamstrings after going for a long run or a sprint session.

The first leg stretch to perform is for your quad and should be completed by standing on one leg and then bending the other at the knee and grabbing the ankle with your free hand. Ensuring that your hips are forward (think of squeezing the bum to accomplish this), gently pull the leg in the backwards direction. If you mentally imagine trying to draw a line with your knee, starting from right below your hips backwards you will accomplish the exact movement you are looking for.

The next leg stretch to perform is great for your hamstring muscles and is a simple toe touch. This can be done either sitting on the floor or standing straight up; whichever is your preference. Try and keep the knees straight while doing this, however do not lock them.

Finally, finish up with an exercise that will lengthen the calf muscle. To do this one either stand so you are facing a wall or stand so that your heels are just hanging off a step. If you choose the wall method, you want to prop one of your feet up against the wall and then slowly lean inwards. Hold this position and then relax and repeat again. If you are doing it on the stairs, all you need to do is hang off them so your body weight works with gravity to create a pull on the calf muscle. You can also do this one leg at a time if you prefer.

If you are particularly sore, after doing these exercises you should also consider taking a nice hot bath. Sometimes that is one of the best methods for reducing muscle soreness and fatigue.

Leg Exercise

As a general rule, all workout programs should include some leg exercise. Far too often this type of movement is left out either because it is so intense that individuals simply do not want to do it or because they are so obsessed with getting their upper bodies looking good that they don’t have any time left to do leg exercise.

One of the best leg exercise movements is the squat. If there is one strength training move you want to do, this is it. You will virtually work every muscle in the lower body with this as well as your whole core region. Make sure when you are doing it that your knees are tracking over top of your toes in order to prevent injury.

The second leg exercise to perform is a Romanian deadlift. This will help to develop your quad and hamstring muscles along with targeting your lower back. Both these and squats combined would really be all you need if you were looking to do a minimum amount of lower body work. This would add about 10 minutes to your workout, twice per week and is really not all that much to ask for when you think about how many benefits you will receive.

If you want additional movements, throw in some lunges as these target the glutes perfectly and will really help to firm up your back side and then also add in a leg extension and hamstring curl. These are both isolation movements that will really focus in on your quad and hamstring muscles. Finally, add in a calf raise of some sort, whether it is using a machine, a sanding calf raise or a seated calf raise.

There are multiple variations of the various movements as well. Squats for example can be performed with a wider stance, a turn-out stance, using a barbell resting on the front of the shoulders or using a barbell on the back of the shoulders (back squat). Varying the type you perform will help to keep your results coming and your body responding.

So don’t leave this important part of your body out of your training plan ever again.

Leg Muscles

Any good workout program should include at least some exercises for the leg muscles of hamstring quads or calfes. In the body, the leg is home to a number of very powerful muscle groups and is also your base of support whenever you are performing upper body exercises as well.

While there are a variety of different ways that you can train your leg muscles, all of them must have a few things in common.

1. Overloading stimulus. In order for your leg muscles of hamstrings quads or calfes to grow back stronger than before, you must apply a stress that will challenge them more than they are used to. If you only continue to place the same workload on them, they will just maintain as they are and you aren’t going to see the results you should be.

2. Rest. Because these are such large muscle groups and will require a great deal of energy whenever you train them, they also require a large amount of rest in order to recover. The recovery process is essential because if you try and train them again before they are recovered, you will just further break them down leaving them weaker than when you started.

3. Proper form. Finally you need to always ensure that you are using proper form whenever you are executing an exercise for this area of the body because knee, hip and ankle injuries are quite common. Knee injuries in particular are something to be aware of if you are doing a lot of squats, lunges or extension exercises. Always be sure to stretch the muscles out afterwards as well to prevent stiffness in the muscles surrounding the joints and to avoid the ligaments from becoming strained.

If trained properly, you can really develop quite powerful muscles in this part of the body that will not only aid you when it comes to performing any sports you wish to participate in but also help in your regular activities such as walking up the stairs, carrying heavy objects or sitting down and getting up. Never neglect your training sessions for while they may be difficult to get through, they will most definitely help you in the long run.