Here are some great exercises to try on leg day!
So the legs, it is an intriguing muscle, some people love leg days, some hate them.
But I think we can all agree that if you struggle to walk up the stairs, or even drive home after a leg day, then did you even have a real leg day? And we all love leg once leg day is over (until the next week at least).
But today I wanted to highlight some exercises that aren’t necessarily conventional but are just as useful to have in your leg day armoury.
Below is a list of exercises you may want to add to your next leg day.
Abductor Muscle
The abductor muscle sits around the hip, and this muscle helps move the leg out and away from the body.
One study concluded that ‘Hip abductor strengthening appeared to be beneficial in the treatment of iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS)’
This is where the IT band becomes too tight and gets irritated or swollen from rubbing against the hip or even knee bones.
Abductor exercises can also help with those who have knee pain as another study for those suffering with patellofemoral pain syndrome, (which is pain to the front of the knee, or kneecap), found that ‘a 3 week hip abductor muscle strengthening protocol was effective in increasing muscle strength and decreasing pain.’
Exercise 1
Lying down plated hip abduction
- Lie down on the floor, on your side
- Rest your head on your bottom arm
- Bend your bottom leg under your top leg and ensure the top leg stays straight
- Then have someone place a plate onto your outer thigh
- Use the outside hand to stabilise the plate
- Then slowly raise the outside leg up and gently back down
- Repeat on both sides for desired amount of reps
Tip: Instead of a plate to add resistance a band can also be utilised.
Exercise 2
Standing plate abduction
- Similar to the lying down version, here you will be standing instead so it may allow you to increase the weight used
- Ensure your back is straight
- Then place a plate onto the thigh that is due to be abducted
- Slowly raise the leg up and out
- Then return back to the centre slowly
- Repeat for desired reps accordingly
Tip: In order to help, use the opposite hand which has no weight to hold onto a rack or stand, and use this to stabilise your balance.
The stabilisation may allow you to increase the weight and allow the abductors to have an even more intense workout.
Adductor muscle
The adductor muscle is located around the hip and helps bring the thighs together.
Exercise 1
Side lying adduction
- Lie on your side with both legs straight, and ensure your back is straight
- Keep your bottom arm bent under your head, and other hand should be in contact with the floor
- Then bend the top leg and cross it over your bottom leg, and ensure the lower leg stays straight. (The top leg is now in a bent position)
- Then raise the bottom leg off the ground in a controlled motion, it should be 6-7 inches away from the floor, this movement should contract the adductors.
- Raise and lower accordingly
Tip: To make it more difficult and add intensity, either wear an ankle weight or try to place a small plate onto the open part of your foot which would be facing upwards.
Quad muscle
The quadriceps is the meaty front part of our legs and consists of four heads, you have the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius.
Exercise 1
Standing sissy squat
- Take a shoulder-width stance with your toes pointed slightly out.
- With both hands, grab bars on a power rack or squat stand around hip level or slightly higher.
- These will only be used to keep you balanced.
- Keeping your hips and waist straight, and keeping your core and back tight, bend your knees, pushing your knees down and forward and your body falls backward on the descent.
- Your heels will come up off the floor as your knees come down, but the front of your feet will remain on the ground.
- Continue lowering knees until they are flexed or nearly touching the floor.
- Your lower legs will be parallel to the floor at this point and you will be looking up as well.
- Pause for a split-second and then return to the starting position in a controlled manner, pushing through the floor as your legs straighten and your heels return to the floor.
- You will be standing up straight and looking forward at this point.
- Take a breath between reps, exhaling only when reps are completed.
- Repeat until the desired reps are reached.
Tip: To add intensity, while holding onto the bar, free up the other hand and place a weight plate and place that onto your chest. The added weight will make the movement more difficult
Also some of you may be lucky enough to have a sissy squat machine at your gym, if you are one of those people then be sure to use it. Adding a plate becomes a whole lot easier
Exercise 2
Kneeling sissy squat or kneeling leg extension
- Similar to its standing counterpart, this version consists of you being on the floor
- Simply kneel in the ground
- Ensure your butt is on your heels
- Then lean back as far as you can until you feel tension in the quad muscles
- Then slowly return back to the upright position
So there you have it, some potentially new exercises you can utilise. I will keep you hanging and will delve into hamstrings on a different day.
So until next time, keep pumping!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20145781/