Strong Legs = Strong Stance
/Who can tell me the largest muscle in our body? If you take my class and cannot answer that question then shame on me for not doing a good job in teaching... it is your gluteus maximus (aka your butt) so that it can help keep your body upright. Now, even though our butt is the largest muscle, when evaluated by the volume of muscle fibers in a given area, based on a recent study, our quads come in first (the upper leg) - followed by our butt. Meaning, if worked out correctly, our legs can easily become the winner for the “largest” muscle in the body.
Some of the key advantages of strong legs:
1. Due to the large muscle fiber volume, it will require a lot of protein = even when you are not working out, the legs will continue to burn your calories to absorb enough amino acids to maintain the strength
2. Will help your butt in keeping your body upright = most likely, will minimize back injuries since it will be additional support to your butt
3. Will stabilize your knee = will protect your knee from potential injuries
4. Will provide “sudden power” in any action that will require propulsion.
And the beauty of leg exercises is that you can easily just use your own body weight to challenge your legs. Below is a quick workout to get those muscle fibers firing. All you need is a slippery floor and a towel. You can ultimately do these exercises with socks too, if you can't find towels to clean those slippery floors. Hardwood floors would be my first recommendation over tile...
1. Regular Squat Pulses (x12) - start at a full squat, pulse up and back down slowly to full squat with both feet on the towel - keep knees behind your toes
2. Wide to Regular Squat (x12) - each feet on a separate towel, slide your feet out to a wide squat, pull your feet back to a regular squat - make sure to move the legs out TOGETHER, not one at a time while HOLDING THE SQUAT
3. Side Lunge Slide (x10 per side) - starting with feet shoulder width apart, slide one foot out and back in, switch sides after 10 slides - sliding knee is bent, standing knee is straight
4. Forward and Backward Lunge Slides (x12) - starting with feet shoulder width apart, each feet on a separate towel, slide one foot forward and the other one back AT THE SAME TIME, come back to the starting position and switch legs - make sure to move the legs TOGETHER
5. Glute Lift with Leg Push (x12) - Lay down on the floor with legs bent at the knees, feet on a single towel, lift your butt of the floor, arms next to your body, push your feet out without your butt touching the ground and pull your feet back in - your butt should never touch the floor, it is ok if you cannot straighten your legs fully.
Repeat 1-5 three times with 5 minute rest in between
If you are wondering how these slides should look, make sure to stop by at my class today at 6pm. We will be doing a lot of slides - not just for the legs...
On the comments, if you can tell me how you felt and how long it took you to finish, I can always make adjustments to the routine...
Hi five to those strong quads!!! And big thanks to Phat for choosing our workout...
