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5 Proven Methods to Jump Start Your Lower Body Exercise Regimen
By Randy Burkline, contributing author
The lower body has been has been devised to bear the weight of your body and also the weight of things that you lift or carry. It possesses some of the biggest muscles having considerable load bearing capabilities.
It is unwise for beginners to perform heavy squats and such temptation should at all costs be resisted. Instead you should focus on strengthening those muscles with the aid of dedicated machines. The highly effective squat should be taken up only at the next level, after around three months of gradual strengthening of the individual muscle groups.
The lower body muscles can be classified as:
1. Quads: This comprises of the four big muscles at the front of the thigh. These are the primary muscles focused on during exercises like squats, leg extension, leg press, lunge, etc.
2. Hamstrings: These are the chief muscles located at the back of the thigh, focused upon when exercises such as the leg curls are performed.
3. Gluteals: These form the muscles of the buttocks.
4. Hip flexors: These are small, indispensable muscles located anterior to the pelvis, enabling you to raise your legs to the front.
5. Calves: These are the two muscles present in the lower leg.
The mode of exercising these muscle groups for beginners:
- Leg press-1 set of 10-15 reps: This is a most effective exercise on quads, which has some effect on the hamstrings and gluteals also.
- Leg extension- 3 sets of 10-15 reps: This exercise is useful in bring the quads into good shape.
- Hamstring curl- 3 sets of 10-15 reps: This exercise enables isolation of the hamstrings.
- Standing calf raise- 3 sets of 10-15 reps: This exercise focuses on the gastrocnemius muscle.
- Seated calf raise- 3 sets of 10-15 reps: This exercise strengthens the soleus muscle, which lies beneath the gastrocnemius muscle.
These exercises should be done according to a properly planned schedule. An ideal schedule is given below:
- 1st Day: Biceps, Back, Abs
- 2nd Day: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs
- 3rd Day: Quads, Forearms, Calves
- 4th Day: Triceps, Chest, Abs
The above schedule should be followed one set a week for the first two weeks, after which a set should be added each week, to a maximum of three sets. This should be religiously followed for a minimum of three months, which will prepare you for the more intensive exercises of the intermediate level.
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