Leg exercises are difficult, it is no surprise. Leg exercises such as Deadlifts, squats, and other leg exercises can be very demanding and painful. These facts are combined with the preference for lifting upper-body weights and you have an excellent list of reasons for someone to skip leg day.
It’s also one of the most detrimental things you can do during your workouts. This article will be your friend. I will try to convince you not to skip leg day.
Reason 1: You’ll Look Ridiculous
The photos of the men in the photo above are laughable, we can all agree. It is obvious that they spend most of their time at the gym working on their chests, arms, and shoulders. They might do some Leg Curls or Extensions from time to time. Even that is a stretch.
This results in embarrassingly small quads and glutes. While you might be able do without a leg workout, it is not ideal. Being a serial leg-workout skipper will make you a meme.
You have been warned.
Reason 2: Sports are a sham.
Sports are not played in a pool except for those that require a lot of practice. Jumping and sprinting are two obvious examples of these skills.
This rule applies to all upper-body skills, including throwing a baseball, swinging a bat, and taking a slapshot. To create power, your lower-body muscles push into the ground. This energy travels up through your core to reach any upper-body movements you are doing.
Ground force production is the key to most sports’ power and all that you can do. Everything starts at the ground, moving from your ankles, knees and hips to your upper body. Your foundation is your legs. Your foundation is the strongest and most powerful foundation you can build.
You will be amazed at how much you can do these skills with your lower body off the ground.
Glutes, quads, and hamstrings are the key leg muscles. There are many muscles involved but we will only focus on the three most important. It’s nearly impossible to improve your skills in sports and reach your full potential, no matter how talented or skilled you may be.
Poor training will make you a weak and slow athlete.
Reason 3: 2 of the Big 3 Lifts will be ignored
The Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift are the Big Three. They target the major muscle groups in the body. (We could argue for an upper-body pulling exercise, but that’s another article.
These lifts are important if you want to gain strength, muscle mass and lose weight. These exercises are included in a large number of training programs. Their effectiveness is unquestionable.
Too often, the benches in the gym get occupied 100 percent of the time, but the deadlift racks and squat racks are empty. This tells you a lot about the priorities of most people.
Reason 4: It’s Harder to Build Muscle
Your hips and legs have the largest muscles in your body.
If you do it right, your lower-body muscles will grow. It also creates an environment that is anabolic for your body, which can increase the muscle-building effects of your upper lifts.
Do you want a bigger torso? Do deadlifts. Holding hundreds of pounds, even though it is a lower-body lift. This is a great way to strengthen your traps, grip, and upper back.
Regular exercise is a must for the strongest and most powerful people. It is a non-negotiable.
Reason 5: It makes it harder to burn fat
Neglecting your largest muscles can pose a problem.
Let’s suppose you are looking to lose weight. You are probably searching for the best workouts to burn calories. You can do more exercises in the lower body. Your largest muscles require the most energy to work, so working your legs more often will increase your calories burned in a typical workout.
The Squat is one of the most effective exercises, check out gym equipment for sale. This exercise will work your entire body and hit the largest muscles so it burns lots of calories. You’ll continue to burn calories even after you finish your workout.
Also, you should consider the fact that increasing muscle mass can increase your resting metabolism rate (i.e. how many calories your body burns at rest). It makes perfect sense to spend a large portion of your training on building the largest muscles possible. This is key to long-term fat loss.
Reason 6: Your vulnerability to injury will be greater
You probably know the idea that a stronger lower body will be more resilient to injury if you are an athlete.
Sometimes athletes fall for the trap of thinking their sport is enough to train their legs. Quad dominance is a term that refers to the overemphasis on quads in athletic movements.
Quad dominance can lead to one thing: ACL injuries are common in female athletes.
If your hips aren’t working and your hamstring isn’t developing, then you’re overdeveloped in the front and underdeveloped in the back. It will eventually lead to injury.
It is essential to do regular leg work and to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and more.
