Photo Credit: ibexadventure.com
When hitting the gym a lot of guys only only focus on bench press, bicep curls, shrugs and crunches. They think the “show me” muscles they are the only important ones to work. And yes, while it is important to work those muscles, it’s also important to work the legs. After all, they make up half of your body and contain the largest muscle groups as well.
Many people make excuses as to why they can’t or shouldn’t do leg workouts ranging from bad knees to pure distaste for the workout. They’re missing out on a great opportunity, as the obvious consequence of not working the legs is the proportional aspect. If someone focuses on upper body exercises six days a week and never trains their lower body, that person may eventually become disproportionate with chicken legs and a stocky upper body. Not a look many people find attractive.
The more serious and less known affect has to do with body chemistry. When you exercise, your body releases testosterone and natural growth hormone. The secretion of these hormones tells the body how much muscle it can physically add to one’s skeleton. When you ignore an entire half of your body, you’re losing out on a lot of this hormone. Some studies have shown that training the legs actually increases muscle mass on arms, shoulders and chest.
If you still don’t think lower body workouts are important, just ask Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans who play The Green Lantern and Captain America respectively, in two of this summer’s blockbusters. Both actors incorporate lower body workouts into their routines to get into shape to play these characters. Can you imagine how un-heroic they’d look if they hadn’t also trained their lower body? If their physiques are any indication, I’d say working out legs is pretty beneficial.
What would happen if you never worked the upper half of your body? Just think, skipping legs is the equivalent. Always remember that your body is meant to work as a whole and without lower body lifts, your workout doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
