Are you looking to tone your legs? Does your lower body pail in comparison to your upper body? Are you off balanced due to an unstable lower body? Then it’s time that you start a lower body workout routine. Toning the lower body is vital to supporting the rest of your torso, upper body and head. If the upper body is heavier than the lower body then the body is unbalanced. There is no way that a weak lower body can sustain supporting the rest of the body. The legs carry the rest of the body through lifting, movement and physical activity. Without lower body function or muscles these types of movements would be impossible. In addition strong leg muscles prevent the appearance of varicose and spider veins.
The best leg exercises work the largest amount of muscles within the lower body. To do this, exercises need to be functional and move through multi-joint planes. This promotes muscle balance and strength. There are six muscle groups within the lower body. They include the hip flexors, quadriceps, abductors, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings. Working together they are able to move the lower body through flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and lifting of the knee, and foot. Lower body exercises require proper form to reduce the risk of injury.
Determining what types of lower body exercises to use will depend upon what types of goals you are looking to accomplish. The ultimate goal for the lower body should be to strengthen the muscles to be able to support the whole body through balance. There are all different types of lower body exercises that work the different lower body muscle groups. Low body exercises include cardio, aerobic, static and dynamic workouts. These can be done with or without exercise equipment.
To lose weight in the legs, hips and buttocks, a lower body workout needs to include more cardio than dynamic training at first. Lower body cardio includes running, walking, using a treadmill, elliptical, riding a bicycle, or playing a sport. As weight is lost, the routine should switch to more strengthening exercises and less cardio to tone the muscles. If you are looking to have firm leg muscles then building and toning should be concentrated on. To do this, you should do dynamic exercises that include all the lower body muscle groups.
The best dynamic leg and lower body exercises strengthen the muscles of the lower body. These exercises can be done in the gym with the help of equipment or at home. Train at least 3 times a week on the lower body to improve stability and balance. The best lower body exercises include lunges, squats, step-ups, plies and calf raises. If you have a gym membership you can use the barbells, leg curl, leg extension, leg press, calf raise, hack squat, and multi-hip machines to work on the lower body. If you don’t know how to do an exercise or are having trouble with a specific movement, ask a professional such as a person trainer to avoid improper movements that can cause injury. If you injure your lower body, you won’t be able to exercise for a while so it is important to maintain proper form and technique whenever working on the lower body.
Sarah Labdar, “The Importance of Lower Body Fitness”, Everyday Health
