Leg muscles can almost determine the key to a person's physical strength and labor ability. People who use their legs the most in life, such as porters, football players, basketball players, dancers, etc. , there will be strong strength, muscle endurance, speed and muscle coordination.
In our daily life, we often climb, run, squat, stand, squat and even sit, which are actually testing our leg strength.
In fitness, the best way to exercise leg muscles is not to run, but to train thigh muscles with weight. Lower limbs are usually stronger than upper limbs, have stronger endurance and can bear more weight. Imagine if we use the strength of our legs more than our arms when lifting heavy objects.
From this perspective, we can set our own goals. If we want to gain muscle, we can exercise with weights and equipment in the gym. If you want to exercise muscle endurance, explosive power and jumping ability, you can consider long-distance running, semi-squat jumping, frog jumping and long jump.
Legs are the main parts of the human body, so when I exercise my legs, I should use more "abuse" means. Daily walking has no pressure on leg muscles, so leg muscle exercises are more frequent than upper body exercises.
For example, when we do biceps dumbbell bending, we only need to do three groups, and each group can achieve the effect of 12 to 15 exercise. When we exercise our legs, we should practice at least four groups of each movement, and each group needs 16-20 times. Of course, the number of times will change with the change of weight.
Let me introduce some common and classic leg exercises in the gym.
Action 1: squat with weight, arrow.
This action can train gluteus maximus, hamstring and quadriceps femoris well.
This action is one of the variants of squat. The difference is that lunges and squats need to move forward, which may be inconvenient if they are in too narrow a space.
One thing better than squatting is that it won't easily lead to leaning forward. Many people will unconsciously lean forward when doing squats, and their movements are easy to go out of shape.
When moving, each hand holds a dumbbell, and the dumbbells are placed on both sides of the body, with the abdomen closed and the chest lifted, one foot moving forward, the other foot bending, and the body descending; The front knee is at a 90-degree angle with the ground, and the back foot is kneeling, but the knee should not touch the ground. Get up slowly after you finish the action. It is suggested that each step should not be too big and the distance should be moderate.
Action 2: Smith crouches in front of the machine.
This movement is the same as the main muscle group of the last movement, but the small muscle group will be different, more difficult and more dangerous.
With the help of Smith machine, put the barbell on the forearm and shoulders, grab the barbell with both hands crossed, elbow forward, feet open, shoulder-width apart, toes octagonal, hips backward, and squat down as much as possible until the hips are 25 cm off the ground.
Of course, some friends will question that if you squat so low, your knees will go forward beyond your toes. There is a heated discussion on whether squat can surpass tiptoe. In fact, it is no problem that the knee slightly exceeds the toe, but it will help to concentrate the muscles of the buttocks and thighs.
Action 3: Leg flexion and extension
This action can mainly exercise calf muscles. Although we will exercise calf muscles when doing free squats, leg lifts and appliance squats, if you are a male, you should use this movement to exercise your calf, so that your muscles develop more evenly and the weight you can bear will increase.
During exercise, the body is prone on the fitness chair, hands hold the handle in front of the instrument, and feet extend under the curling mat. Adjust the weight, lift the curling mat under your feet with the strength of your legs, press it in the direction of your hips until you touch your hips, and then slowly relax.
Because this action is carried out on the stomach, breathing is difficult to adjust, and the rhythm should be controlled.
I hope the above suggestions can help you.
Wen/shou zhi he zi fitness