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Friday, January 28, 2011

Light Leg Day Training Exercises


If you're just getting back into your workouts this month, and by Friday you seem pretty tired, but you know you should be working legs today...but the thought of it scares you...here are some LIGHT leg day training exercises.
Some leg days are also known as 'puke' days because we tend to work really hard and add weight in as much as we can, continually striving to get stronger. Sometimes you need a nice change, an active rest or just to back off in order to keep those results coming. Try out this toning workout with light weights and high reps. It's an overall light leg day of overload by overuse yet within safe boundaries. Using the exercises located in the Shapefit exercise library you can thin down your thighs without the strain of a heavy leg day. This workout will tone and firm the entire lower body.
Rep ranges should be from 15-20 with two sets per exercise shown. Try to work each exercise in the order shown unless you have to wait for equipment in which case you can skip and do the next one, coming back to those you missed once the equipment is free.
Thirty seconds is your average rest time between sets and one minute between exercises. This gives the workout a nice even flow which keeps things moving yet allows enough rest.
First you burn out the quadriceps followed by inner and outer thigh, hamstrings then calves.
By piling each leg area upon itself you enhance the burn and encourage failure which dictates a lighter and lighter weight used until it burns so much you use no weight at all. Sounds similar to the pre-exhaust or drop set plan but it is done by pounding each area with back to back exercises for that muscle.
Lunges around the clock begin the workout so you will want to begin with Barbell Lunges for your first two sets. Next is dumbbell side lunges. Go into some rear lunges then squats. Lastly you hit the hack squats if you have this machine in your gym.
The next section is lying leg curls, seated leg curls, exercise ball curls and one leg cable kickbacks. This will really target your hamstrings and stretching will help avoid cramping as will ample hydration with water.
Staying at the cables you now do your inner then outer thigh work. Moving on to the inner and outer thigh machine after you finish with your cable exercises.
To end your training you will hit the calves but make sure you alternate inner and outer by doing a set with toes in and heels out and your last set with toes out and heels in. This will enhance the inner and outer calve muscles helping to keep your calve shape symmetrical. Seated calve raises, barbell calve raises, single dumbbell calve raises and finishing with hack machine calve raises.
To help alleviate the burn make sure you stretch each area worked during your one minute rest between exercises. Angle the calves stretch in order to hit the inner and outer areas.
Do not bounce during your stretch, hold them without movement because these are meant to be static stretches and are safer.
I would do this workout during an active rest week but if you choose to use it more often I would not do it more than twice per week at most. For more workouts, visit lindacusmano.com. I will make sure you are on a plan that's just right for you.

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