Thursday, January 19, 2006

Possible Three-Month Leg Exercise Program II

There are almost countless exercises that you can do for legs. Some of these exercises have not been described in blogs so far. Here is a possible three-month program to sculpt your legs. Feel your body and look in the mirror to see results. If these exercises do not seem to work, increase the repetitions or sets, or use a substitute exercise. For all of the exercises, exhale when you lift the weight or exert the most muscle tension, and inhale when you return to the beginning position. Use a weight that gives you a workout but is not too tough. Rest the muscle in between days that you work it out as a primary mover.

Quadriceps twice a week:

Use the leg extension machine. The exercise is described in the quadriceps blog. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

Hamstrings twice a week:

Use the leg curl machine where you lift one leg at a time. You may find that this is harder than using the leg curl machine where you bend both legs at once. (You can also do one leg at a time on this machine.) Adjust the machine so that you use the leg that you want to use and rest the leg that you are not using. You may have to ask a personal trainer to help you the first time. During the workout, only use the leg that you are exercising. Relax the rest of your body. Use slow motion to lift the leg and to lower the leg. This exercise was described in the hamstrings blog. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

Adductor and Abductor Exercises:

Alternate weekly between using the adductor and abductor machines and the cable exercise describe on the December 20th blog. For the adductor and abductor machines: These machines have two pads each. Ask a personal trainer if you cannot find them. For the adductor machine, sit with your legs outside the pads. Unhook the pads so that they can move. There is a handle for this. The motion is to move your legs closer together and then farther apart. Choose a weight that will give you a good workout and that will not hurt you. Breathe in when you move your legs inward and breathe out when you move your legs outward. Be sure not to have the weights touch when you move the legs outward. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

For the abductor machine, sit with your legs “inside” the pads. Again, choose a weight that will give you a good workout and that will not hurt you. Move your legs inward and outward. Again, be sure not to have the weights touch when you move the legs outward. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

Overall Legs twice a week:

Do lunges. See the "Lunges" blog from January 9, 2006. Do five sets of ten repetitions.

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Disclaimer: Information on this blog is posted for information purposes, not as a substitute for professional medical advice.

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