Leg day. It's a bit like a Monday. Many people fear it and most of don't lo0k forward to it. But embrace leg day we must. For there are numerous benefits to be had, from increasing your capabilities to build muscle to maximising your weight loss potential. Not only that, but an effective leg day routine will also help build strength, improve other areas of your workout and reduce the risk of injury. Sound too good to be true? Read on and let us prove it.
Benefits of Leg Day
1/ You’ll Build More Muscle
Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is naturally produced in your body and plays a key role in the health of men, helping increase the growth of muscle mass and strength. Compound moves, such as squats and deadlifts, which use large muscle groups, help elevate your T-levels.
One recent study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology measured the hormonal response during single bouts of heavy resistance exercise such as squats and variations of the deadlift. They found that the most striking changes in testosterone response occurred when heavier weights were used.
2/ You’ll Burn More Calories
The gluteus maximus (aka, your backside) is the largest muscle in your body. Working these bigger muscles requires more energy, which means your body will have to burn more calories.
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology tracked athletes’ energy expenditure and metabolism after a series of heavy resistance moves. Their results showed that after 90 minutes of training (including compound lifts such as squats and deadlifts), athletes’ metabolic rates – the amount of energy expended – skyrocketed and continued to do so for several hours after.
Deadlifts. The exercise that keeps on giving.
3/ You Won’t Look Like a Chicken
Seriously, it’s not a good look.
4/ You’ll Improve Your Big Lifts
Your legs and core produce the majority of your power during heaving lifting. Even when you’re bench pressing, it is your lower body that is engaged to help provide a stable platform to pump from.
If you lack conditioning, your big lifts will only get so far. Performing functional exercises, like deadlifts, however, will strengthen your legs, glutes and lower body, while developing all-over muscle and mobility.
Remember, core strength supports the body in almost every movement. And the deadlift – the King of Exercises – is the key core strength building movement.
5/ You’ll Reduce the Risk of Injury
Neglect your lower half and you are running the injury gauntlet.
Muscle imbalances, poorly conditioned hamstrings, and a lack of mobility will lead to a number of issues such as low back pain and ACL injuries. Squats, lunges and deadlifts will help develop your hamstrings, build muscle around weak joints and help promote stability and mobility.
If you are serious about building muscle, developing functional strength and reducing the risk of injury, then you need to work on your legs. Often. If you're working out three times a week, one should be dedicated to your lower half.
Most Effective Leg Day Workouts for You to Try
How to Perform Squats and Deadlifts
Robert Hicks
Robert Hicks is the Executive Editor at Men’s Health UK. A Sport Science graduate and author of three fitness books published by Bloomsbury, Robert has written numerous articles on health, fitness and nutrition and created several documentaries, most notably Britain’s Steroid Epidemic and The Faces of Attempted Suicide. Robert has been working at Men's Health UK for seven years.
FAQs
On leg day, you (1) build strength and (2) improve mobility. Both are important in preventing injury. Strong muscles and bones mean that you have a more stable foundation. Leg day will build some of the biggest muscles in your body, along with your entire posterior chain.
Why is leg day very important? ›
On leg day, you (1) build strength and (2) improve mobility. Both are important in preventing injury. Strong muscles and bones mean that you have a more stable foundation. Leg day will build some of the biggest muscles in your body, along with your entire posterior chain.
Why is the leg so important? ›
Strong leg muscles keep your body balanced, which isn't possible if you focus solely on your upper body. Working your glutes, quads, and hamstrings with exercises such as deadlifts, squats, and lunges helps to maximize and boost athletic performance.
How do the legs help us? ›
You have many different muscles in your upper and lower leg. Together, these muscles help you walk, run, jump, stand on your toes and flex your feet (lift your toes up toward your knee). Your leg muscles work with your bones, tendons and ligaments to stabilize your body, support your weight and help you move.
Is leg day enough? ›
Yes. Training legs once a week is good for a 3 day or even a 5 day split. However, if you are targeting your legs specifically, adding a second day will help you with that goal.
Is leg day the most important? ›
Since your lower body makes up the most muscles in your body, you can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time just by training your legs. Compound exercises (i.e. exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once) give you the most bang for your workout buck.
Is 3 leg days too much? ›
Generally, it's recommended to train your legs three times a week, with each workout lasting 15 to 20 minutes and targeting different parts of the legs in each routine. For instance, a good plan would be to work on calves one day, thighs the next and then hips during the final session.
Is leg day the hardest? ›
Yes, leg workouts are more challenging than upper body workouts, but that's what we want as tougher workouts yield better results.
Why not skip leg day? ›
The health benefits of lower body workouts
Having strong glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles gives your body a strong foundation and can: Tone your lower body muscles. Boost your metabolism as you increase muscle mass. Give you a higher calorie burn as you train larger muscle groups.
Why do girls like leg day? ›
It makes everyday tasks easier. Walking, running, sitting, standing — they all require strong legs! When you focus on lower body workouts, you work all muscles of your lower half so that each of these movements become easier. Translation: every day made better thanks to leg day!
Leg day is the commonly used term for any day that you exercise, and your workout focuses on lower body moves instead of upper body ones. There are many leg day workout moves, including squats, jumps, and hamstring curls. If you're new to working out, your best bet is to start with one leg day per week.
How to enjoy leg day? ›
How you enjoy it depends on what makes you tick. In some cases, it simply means wearing a pair of shorts to see that pump. In other cases, lifting heavier with low reps, or lifting lighter with higher reps is a fun experience. The other option is to do it with a friend.
What are five things you do with your legs? ›
Answer. Answer: walking, football, running, standing, skating.
Should girls do leg day? ›
As I mentioned earlier, your legs contain some of the biggest muscle groups in the body. The bigger the muscle, the more oxygen is needed during exercise, which means your heart has to work harder. This means your leg day workout can burn a significant number of calories during a strength session! Improved posture.
How long is a good leg day? ›
So you need to cover enough different exercises to stimulate the muscles. But that doesn't mean your leg workouts should be 2 hours long! A decent leg workout for beginners can be achieved in 45-60 minutes, including warm up and cool down.
Is legs 2 days a week good? ›
Training your legs once per week may not be enough to build muscle. In order to maximize growth and strength, you'll want to train your legs at least twice once week. If you're looking for maximum results, train them twice each week.
What happens if I skip leg day? ›
Although skipping leg day may be appealing, it leads to an unbalanced body that is susceptible to injuries, muscle imbalances, and poor posture. Further, by simply training your legs with intensity, not only will you improve your thigh size and strengthen your body, but you'll strengthen your mind too.
Is it OK to not do leg day? ›
It can be tempting to skip “leg day” when the results from your upper body and core workouts are more noticeable. But it's essential to work all muscle groups for your overall health and well-being, says Marquese Stallworth, EP-C, a Piedmont exercise physiologist.
Do men really skip leg day? ›
Despite the proliferation of memes and evidence backing up the benefits of lower-body lifting, some lifters are still neglecting leg day in their weekly routines, as seen in Tonal's State of Strength report, a sweeping analysis of the lifting habits of more than 175,000 unique members over the course of a year.
Why do so many people skip leg day? ›
Leg day is hard
This means leg workouts really get your heart-rate up and cause more work on your body than traditional upper-body workouts. For this reason, many people shy away from working their legs out and stick to exercises, especially upper body movements that they're more comfortable with.
