Leg Exercises

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• QHow should I do a lunge using dumbbells?

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  A Int'l Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) answered

  Lunges using dumbbells are a great way to firm up hard-to-access areas of the hips, glutes, thighs and hamstrings. Here’s how to lunge using dumbbells:

  • Hold a pair of dumbbells outside your thighs and take a big step forward with your right foot.
  • Balance your weight equally between your front foot and your rear toe, and take three counts to lower your body straight down toward the floor until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
  • Take a three-count to rise and then repeat. Complete all reps on one side before changing feet.
• QHow do I stretch my leg muscles?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  To stretch your leg muscles do:
  
  

  • Achilles tendon and calf stretch. This exercise stretches your lower leg and helps prevent damage to your Achilles tendon. Face a wall. With both hands against the wall, place one foot well behind you and the other foot flat on the floor with toes touching the wall. Keeping the rear leg straight and your heel on the ground, slowly lean in toward the wall. Keep your back straight. Hold it. Then switch and do the other leg.
  • Gastrocnemius stretch. This exercise stretches your lower leg (calf) muscle. Move the back leg closer to the wall and tilt the front foot upward along the wall, with the toes propped up against the wall. Lean in toward the wall. Repeat with the other leg.
  • Quadriceps stretch. This exercise stretches the long muscle that runs down the front of your thigh. Face a wall. Put your left hand on the wall for balance. Then reach your right hand behind your back and grab your right ankle, pulling it gently toward your buttocks until you feel tension along the front of your thigh. Then alternate and do the same thing for the left leg: place your right hand on the wall and grab your left ankle.
  • Hamstring stretch. This exercise stretches the muscles running down the back of your thigh, as well as the muscles in your lower back. Stand on one leg. Prop the other leg straight out on a chair or table so that the top of the entire leg is as close to parallel to the ground as possible (do not lift it to the point where you have pain). Bend over so that you bring your face over your knee. Slide both hands toward the propped up ankle as far as they'll go. (Doing this stretch eventually protects your back, but initially can be hard on your back. So go slowly and do not let yourself experience pain.)

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• QHow do I prevent overdeveloping my quads when working out?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  The best way to prevent the quads from becoming overdeveloped is to focus on exercises which activate and focus on the gluteal and hamstring region. Exercises like squats, side lying leg raises, lateral tubing walks, and Romanian  deadlifts  will target the posterior chain of the leg and help ensure the quads don’t become overly developed.

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• QHow can I get rid of the fat on my inner thighs?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Unfortunately your body can’t lose weight in only one region. This is known as spot reducing and frankly, it doesn’t exist. Your genetics dictate where on your body you will lose fat first. The one proven method to reduce your weight and body fat is to consume fewer calories than you expend each day. This is best accomplished by eating a well-balance, low-calorie diet and partaking in regular physical activity. Over time this will translate into smaller thighs. However, you can target your inner thighs with resistance training to improve muscle tone and strength.

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• QHow can I get definition in my legs?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  The best way to obtain definition of the legs is to reduce fat and increase muscle size. To do this the National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends performing muscle endurance training and hypertrophy training. Muscular endurance is the ability to produce and maintain force production for prolonged periods of time. Muscular endurance training is exercises that have higher repetitions and moderate loads. Research has found that after the initial 12 weeks of training, multiple sets of up to 15 repetitions, 4 times a week for 6 months, resulted in a threefold decrease in body fat and an increase in local muscle endurance, as well as a significant increase in lean body mass.

  Muscle hypertrophy is characterized by an increase in the cross-sectional area of individual muscle fibers, essentially making the muscles larger. To increase muscle size takes approximately 4-8 weeks to occur.

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• QHow can I get rid of cellulite on the back of my legs?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Cellulite is a subcutaneous fatty substance. As it accumulates it pushes against the connective tissues and makes the skin pucker and ripple. The best way to get rid of cellulite is by following a fat loss exercise program. A fat loss program will consist of cardiovascular exercise, weight training, and diet. Various forms of cardiovascular exercise, such as biking, swimming or running, is beneficial especially when working at an intensity that gets the heart rate high.  

  Muscular endurance training will also augment cardiovascular programming to reach weight loss goals. Muscular endurance training is the ability to produce and maintain force production for prolonged periods of time. Muscular endurance training is exercises that have higher repetitions and moderate loads. Research has found that after the initial 12 weeks of training, multiple sets of up to 15 repetitions, 4 times a week for 6 months, resulted in a threefold decrease in body fat and an increase in local muscle endurance, as well as a significant increase in lean body mass.

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• QWhat are some guidelines for building balanced leg muscles?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  To build balanced leg muscles work each of the 4 major muscle groups. These are the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. Performing exercises that work all at the same time versus one group at a time is a good practice as well. Lunges are a good example of an exercise that works each group.

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• QWhat can I do to strengthen my weak ankles?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Three of my favorite ankle strengthening activities are, proprioceptive (balance) training along with Inversion and eversion ankle strengthening.  Proprioceptive exercises are exercises such as single leg balancing, single leg balance with a leg reach. Perform 2 sets of 30 seconds on each leg to work-out the small intrinsic muscles of the foot, ankle and lower leg.

  Inversion and eversion are movements that turn the ankle in and out. Using a theraband, sit on a table or bench with the ankle hanging off the edge. Wrap the theraband around the soles of both feet. Slowly turn your right ankle outward (eversion) against the resistance of the band. Perform this in a slow controlled manner, for 3 sets of 12-15 rep. Switch sides and repeat. To perform inversion exercises, cross the right ankle over top of the left ankle. Against the resistance of the theraband turn your right foot inward. Perform this in a slow controlled manner, for 3 sets of 12-15 rep. Switch sides and repeat.

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• QHow should I do squats and lunges?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  To perform squats begin by standing straight with feet shoulder width apart. While squatting keep the knees in line with the hips and feet and do not allow them to cave in or move outward. Squat to chair depth level. Return to the starting position. To add resistance perform the exercise with dumbbells in the hands or a barbell behind the back and on the shoulders.

  To perform lunges, begin by standing with dumbbells in hands and feet shoulder width apart. Step forward with the left leg and go in to a lunge. Push off the left leg and return to the start position. Then step forward with the right leg and go in to a lunge position. Push off with the right foot and return to the start position. To add a degree of difficulty, after the lunge position push-off and come up in to a balanced position.

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• QWhat is the most effective way to open up tight calf muscles?

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  A Jonathan Penney , Fitness, answered on behalf of National Academy of Sports Medicine

  Stretch, stretch, stretch! Yes, I am sure you knew that was the answer and are looking for a way to stretch them :-)  Try this stretch:

  • Get arms length away from a wall. Place one foot, i.e. your right foot a step in front of your left. Focus on keeping your left heel on the ground. With those hands extended, slow lean into the wall. Lean until your forearms are against the wall. Now slightly press into your left leg and feel a stretch in the back of your leg. This will open up your calves. Be sure to complete on both sides.

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