Leg Strength - Gain it or Lose it

Strengthen your Legs - by Standing on them

Wednesday Workout

Leg Presses are good for getting leg muscles to grow but for strength when it matters then you have to strengthen your legs standing up.

Strength where it matters is that moment when you are about to lose your balance, about to slip, trying to lift something really heavy. Then you need to know that the leg muscles are going to do what your brain tells them. 

This only comes from strengthening the legs in an upright position.

Look at these three pictures of me struggling with various pieces of equipment. 

The top picture shows me pulling my leg forward against resistance (you can just see the attachment to my right foot). This makes the moving leg (in this case the right leg) work hard. However the standing leg (the left in the picture) also has to work very hard to keep me in position. The thighs on the moving leg and the lower part of the standing leg get an excellent workout. Moreover this strength exercise carries over directly to real life (and real sport like golf).

The less you hold the more the standing leg has to work.

The second picture shows me working in the opposite direction. This time the moving leg is pulling back against resistance. Now the hamstrings are having to work. Again the standing leg is also having to work hard just to stay in position.

The third picture shows both feet firmly on the ground but swinging around in a rotate. This exercise works legs, all of the core muscles plus arms & shoulders. Bend both knees slightly, grip the handle with your 'inside' hand and put the other hand on top of the 'inside' hand. Swing across your body and slightly down. Let the handle go back slowly and feel the pressure all the way on the return journey.