Monday, April 16, 2012
• Monroe, CT 06468
Two of my most favorite exercises!
Since your lower body has the biggest muscles in your body, by exercising the thighs, hamstrings, calves, lower back and glutes, you can actually kick-start your metabolism and burn more calories.
...
You will find that leg workouts also have a cardiovascular element to them. Once again, this is because these muscles require so much more blood, so the heart will beat more to supply new blood to the lower body.
The Exercises
Squats
Keep your feet shoulder width apart. Drop your butt back as though sitting in a chair. Concentrate on squeezing your glutes in your upward motion. Keep your heels solid on the ground. Grab some dumbbells to make it more challenging and only do a half squat to place less strain on your knees. An alternate exercise for squats is the leg extension machine.
The Lunge
The lunge is a great leg exercise to develop shape and flexibility. Keep your chest up straight and your stomach tight. Take a long step forward (or back for reverse lunges) and drop your back knee toward the ground but keep the front shin vertical - do not over extend. Want to make it more of a challenge? Grab some dumbbells. Make it easier on your knees by only going down half way. An alternate exercise for lunges is the leg curl machine. (If you have injured knees - you may want to skip this one.)
These two exercises work the largest muscles of the body - the butt and the legs. By exercising these muscles you will speed up your metabolism and therefore burn more calories throughout the day.
Since your lower body has the biggest muscles in your body, by exercising the thighs, hamstrings, calves, lower back and glutes, you can actually kick-start your metabolism and burn more calories.
...
You will find that leg workouts also have a cardiovascular element to them. Once again, this is because these muscles require so much more blood, so the heart will beat more to supply new blood to the lower body.
The Exercises
Squats
Keep your feet shoulder width apart. Drop your butt back as though sitting in a chair. Concentrate on squeezing your glutes in your upward motion. Keep your heels solid on the ground. Grab some dumbbells to make it more challenging and only do a half squat to place less strain on your knees. An alternate exercise for squats is the leg extension machine.
The Lunge
The lunge is a great leg exercise to develop shape and flexibility. Keep your chest up straight and your stomach tight. Take a long step forward (or back for reverse lunges) and drop your back knee toward the ground but keep the front shin vertical - do not over extend. Want to make it more of a challenge? Grab some dumbbells. Make it easier on your knees by only going down half way. An alternate exercise for lunges is the leg curl machine. (If you have injured knees - you may want to skip this one.)
These two exercises work the largest muscles of the body - the butt and the legs. By exercising these muscles you will speed up your metabolism and therefore burn more calories throughout the day.
Comments