By Kathy Gilbert
Staff Writer
Lance Armstrong isn't the only one with champion legs and thighs. Anyone who can squat and lunge correctly can have shapely legs and glutes, local trainers said.
Quads and glutes are the largest muscles in the body . Running, skipping, squatting and leaping are all accomplished with your legs and glutes.
The best leg-glute exercises, it turns out, are also basic exercises: squats, lunges, walking (especially uphill), jogging, running, sprinting and stairclimbing, according to a 1999 American Council on Exercise survey.
With proper form, though, squats and lunges can still be done by nearly anyone, local trainers said. Without proper form, though, you're at risk for back, hip and knee injuries. Keep your mind in gear when working these big muscles to protect joints and smaller torso muscles, the pros said.
For a proper lunge, keep the front knee at a 90-degree angle, said Ann Sharpe, a physical therapist and manager of fitness programs at Fusion Fitness. Align the knee with the second and third toes. Slow down, perform the lunges in front of a mirror and, if possible, ask a pro for feedback, she said.
Add upper body exercises to the squat or lunge to slow the movement down. And stretch after your workout to correct muscle imbalances, she said.
"Research shows that stretching beforehand is more detrimental," Ms. Sharpe said. "You're stretching a cold muscle that can be pulled."
Or warm up muscles by walking on a treadmill, she said. Then stretch. And stretch after the workout. Hold stretches without bouncing for at least 20 seconds. For those looking to bulk up the legs, classic machine exercises are still an effective way to beef up.
Quad exercises include leg extensions and front kicks.
Quad-hamstring or quad-hamstring-glute combos include leg presses and lunges. Inner thighs can be shaped with side lunges, lying or cable adductions (brings the thigh across the body's midline).
Glute-hamstring-lower-back combos include hyperextensions (lifting the back while laying on the stomach), reverse hyperextensions, cable back kick and stifflegged dead lifts.
Combo exercises place the back at risk though. Work without weights, and ask professionals for feedback and tips until back muscles are strong enough to do the work. A powerful alternative to machines these days is Pilates or mat work, said Teresa Wade, health and fitness director at the Sports Barn.
"I rarely have people do basic squats anymore - that's so out for me," Ms. Wade said. "The most intense glut exercises I can do are done on a mat with my own bodyweight."
Most women can't load enough weight on a bar to challenge their glutes in a squat, she said. They work their quads and back instead. A single-leg squat solves the problem, she said.
On the mat, she recommends a lot of single-leg squats, singleleg dead lifts and lunges without shoes.
"Pilates has many of the same moves," she said. "I take the basic moves and jack them up a little ways."
For healthy people who want to push the edge of fitness, Bobby Kemp, owner of Signal Mountain Athletic Club, likes to "blow out" legs and glutes with this routine: Warm up with three sets of leg extensions - 15 repetitions with light weights.
Do two sets of stationary lunges with a very light weight, seven repetitions on each leg. The left leg goes forward at a 90 degree angle, and the back leg drops straight down, he said. Then do seven deep squats. Next, do wide-step lunges across a 50-yard room and back and rest. Repeat for a total of three times. Finish with hamstrings - three sets of 15 stiff-legged deadlifts, done very slowly.
"The deeper you can go without injury," Mr. Kemp said, "the more it's going to involve the glutes."
"Also use a light weight, go slow," he added. "When you use one leg take the other leg and clear it out of the way so your back doesn't come into (play)."
"I do a lot of one-legged type work that allows you to go deep without going too heavy," Mr. Kemp said.
"My workouts are so good. Even if you've got bad knees, you can do that."
E-mail Kathy Gilbert at kgilbert@timesfreepress.com
Staff Writer
Lance Armstrong isn't the only one with champion legs and thighs. Anyone who can squat and lunge correctly can have shapely legs and glutes, local trainers said.
Quads and glutes are the largest muscles in the body . Running, skipping, squatting and leaping are all accomplished with your legs and glutes.
The best leg-glute exercises, it turns out, are also basic exercises: squats, lunges, walking (especially uphill), jogging, running, sprinting and stairclimbing, according to a 1999 American Council on Exercise survey.
With proper form, though, squats and lunges can still be done by nearly anyone, local trainers said. Without proper form, though, you're at risk for back, hip and knee injuries. Keep your mind in gear when working these big muscles to protect joints and smaller torso muscles, the pros said.
For a proper lunge, keep the front knee at a 90-degree angle, said Ann Sharpe, a physical therapist and manager of fitness programs at Fusion Fitness. Align the knee with the second and third toes. Slow down, perform the lunges in front of a mirror and, if possible, ask a pro for feedback, she said.
Add upper body exercises to the squat or lunge to slow the movement down. And stretch after your workout to correct muscle imbalances, she said.
"Research shows that stretching beforehand is more detrimental," Ms. Sharpe said. "You're stretching a cold muscle that can be pulled."
Or warm up muscles by walking on a treadmill, she said. Then stretch. And stretch after the workout. Hold stretches without bouncing for at least 20 seconds. For those looking to bulk up the legs, classic machine exercises are still an effective way to beef up.
Quad exercises include leg extensions and front kicks.
Quad-hamstring or quad-hamstring-glute combos include leg presses and lunges. Inner thighs can be shaped with side lunges, lying or cable adductions (brings the thigh across the body's midline).
Glute-hamstring-lower-back combos include hyperextensions (lifting the back while laying on the stomach), reverse hyperextensions, cable back kick and stifflegged dead lifts.
Combo exercises place the back at risk though. Work without weights, and ask professionals for feedback and tips until back muscles are strong enough to do the work. A powerful alternative to machines these days is Pilates or mat work, said Teresa Wade, health and fitness director at the Sports Barn.
"I rarely have people do basic squats anymore - that's so out for me," Ms. Wade said. "The most intense glut exercises I can do are done on a mat with my own bodyweight."
Most women can't load enough weight on a bar to challenge their glutes in a squat, she said. They work their quads and back instead. A single-leg squat solves the problem, she said.
On the mat, she recommends a lot of single-leg squats, singleleg dead lifts and lunges without shoes.
"Pilates has many of the same moves," she said. "I take the basic moves and jack them up a little ways."
For healthy people who want to push the edge of fitness, Bobby Kemp, owner of Signal Mountain Athletic Club, likes to "blow out" legs and glutes with this routine: Warm up with three sets of leg extensions - 15 repetitions with light weights.
Do two sets of stationary lunges with a very light weight, seven repetitions on each leg. The left leg goes forward at a 90 degree angle, and the back leg drops straight down, he said. Then do seven deep squats. Next, do wide-step lunges across a 50-yard room and back and rest. Repeat for a total of three times. Finish with hamstrings - three sets of 15 stiff-legged deadlifts, done very slowly.
"The deeper you can go without injury," Mr. Kemp said, "the more it's going to involve the glutes."
"Also use a light weight, go slow," he added. "When you use one leg take the other leg and clear it out of the way so your back doesn't come into (play)."
"I do a lot of one-legged type work that allows you to go deep without going too heavy," Mr. Kemp said.
"My workouts are so good. Even if you've got bad knees, you can do that."
E-mail Kathy Gilbert at kgilbert@timesfreepress.com
