Leg Workouts: Not Glamourous, But Essential

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. A guy will be at the gym 4 – 5 days per week and only workout his vanity muscles – i.e. chest, biceps, shoulders, and abs. The logic being, vanity muscles offer the biggest payoff. For most men, that payoff invariably means looking good and feeling confident to pick up women. And let’s face it; no woman has ever been impressed with your quads!

Well, I have some bad news for you my friend – neglecting your legs is a lot like brushing just the front of your teeth. A lot of damage can be done later in life. If that’s not motivating factor enough, let me speak a language you will understand – working out your legs could get you more women!

To give you a better understanding of your leg muscles, I will break down the main players.

The Quads

The main muscle group in your legs is the quadriceps (aka your quads). As the name implies, it is a group of four muscles in the front of your legs. Together the quads make up the largest muscles in your body.

The Hamstrings

Your hamstrings are big muscles as well. They are responsible for bringing your heel toward your butt. Strengthening this will allow you to be better at running, sprinting, climbing, and lifting.

Glutes

The gluteus maximus (aka your butt muscle) is the biggest and strongest muscle in your body. These muscles essentially give you thrusting power – useful if you play sports involving jumping or sprinting.

Calves

Last but not least, your calf muscles are comprised of two muscles at the back of your lower leg. Your calves allow you to extend your foot at the ankle.

Since your leg muscles make up such a large percentage of the total muscle mass in your body, it will actually allow you to make muscle gains in all areas of your body as well as burn fat. This is known as the “spillover effect.” What this means is when you increase the size of your leg muscles, your body produces more testosterone, which can then be used by other muscles in your body. Without getting too technical, testosterone is basically a growth hormone for your muscles.

Your body is like a machine. When you neglect such a major muscle group in your body, such as your legs, the body can become unbalanced. Other muscles are therefore required to shoulder the load to compensate for this deficiency. This is how injuries (a common one being your lower back) can occur.

In conclusion, working out your legs will do the following for you:

• Allow you to be better at sports.
• Burn fat.
• Build muscles everywhere.
• Be balanced to avoid injury.
• Get more women.