Anthony Bevilacqua of A.B. Fitness explains why skipping leg workouts just isn’t cool.
Leg day! The most dreaded day in the gym (especially for some guys). Women seem to embrace leg day more then men. This is probably because most women hold their body fat in their lower halves.
Why do people skip leg day?
Simple, Its tough! Lets face it, its so much easier to go into the gym and grab a pair of dumbbells to do some curls – but it takes real guts to go into the gym and get under a heavy squat bar! Whats more physically demanding, a set of lat pulldowns or a heavy set of deadlifts? Obviously deadlifts, since you are using so many more muscles then you would a lat pulldown. In order to fully maximize your genetic potential, you absolutely must train your legs.
Leg training is vital to building a completely developed physique. The biggest muscles of our bodies are our leg muscles. The leg muscles are divided into two halves. The front half is known as the quadriceps and the back half is known as the hamstrings, calves and glutes. Each section of our leg muscles is divided into other tiny muscles. To answer your question, here are a couple of reasons why you should train legs:
Full Body and “Functional” Strength Leg training builds functional strength, aka the strength we use on a daily basis. Functional strength gives us the ability to jump, run, climb carry and any activity that has to do with physical performance.
At the Gym
For women, nicely shaped legs are a score and for the guys having strong powerful legs will translate strength into every other exercise we perform on a daily basis (even the bench press).
Better Metabolism Remember, weight training builds muscle. The more muscle we have, the better our metabolic rate. Skipping leg day means you are missing a key day to build some muscles and get a faster metabolism.
Another added benefit of leg training is the positive effect it can have on your Mental Wellness. Squats and deadlifts are two of the toughest exercises out there. It takes a lot of mental work to get thru a tough set of either exercise. I truly believe that training legs make you a stronger person both in the gym and outside the gym.
