Nobody looks forward to leg days. Legs workouts tend to be more challenging now more than ever, because we spend so much time sitting down.
Our entire day seems to be revolve around a seat or chair. More and more people are just sitting and not actively moving and getting around by foot. We sit at our work desks, we sit in our cars stuck in rush hour traffic, and our postures while sitting is terrible.
We are hunched over our smartphones. Hunched over the keyboard. Sitting really has become the new smoking and thats something we need to fix.
A result from all the this sitting and hunching over is that we have tight glutes, hips, and hamstrings. All these factors make leg exercises difficult because the lack of utilizing our legs has caused our lower body muscles to atrophy, making it next to impossible to execute a proper legs workout. Not to mention once we our leg muscles to atrophy it can create a potentially dangerous situation since we lack the mobility and stability to pull off the movements safely and effectively.
Add in the fact that a lot of leg exercises are so ineffective that they’re a waste of time and can potentially cause injury to your joints and muscles. So here are seven leg exercises that could contribute to long-term ailments, along with better lower body movements that you should incorporate into your legs workouts.
Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.
Why You Should Avoid It: You’re extending the knees, placing tremendous tension on the ACL, and doing little more than isolating the quads.
What You Should Do Instead: Step-ups challenge the quads by flexing and extending the knees in a stepping motion that better mimics the everyday movements of life and sports.
2 of 7
Arsenii Palivoda
Box Jump
Why You Should Avoid It: We’ve seen too many guys in the gym fail to stick the jump and go tumbling onto the box, another piece of equipment, or another person. We’re all for building explosive power, but if you can’t dunk a basketball already, this isn’t the safest or most effective way to get above the rim.
What You Should Do Instead: A squat jump is more effective than a box jump, because it forces you to focus on the hips, knees, and ankles. The so-called triple flexion response creates power in your jump and, unlike the box jump, is less likely to cause injury to you or those around you.
3 of 7
May_Chanikran
Thigh Machine
Why You Should Avoid It: Besides looking ridiculous and possibly straining your knees, this is not an effective way to challenge your hip abduction and adduction.
What You Should Do Instead: Mini-bands work this area more effectively. Place a mini-band around both legs just above your knees. From a partial squatting position and keeping your left leg stationary, rotate your right knee in and out for 10 reps. Switch legs and repeat.
4 of 7
Per Bernal
Calf Raise
Why You Should Avoid It: These aren’t dangerous. In fact, you could do them at length and not produce anything more than sore calves. But you’re unlikely to get results, either. Calves, perhaps more than any muscle group, are difficult to develop and an hour or calf raises a day will produce little return on investment.
What You Should Do Instead: Rather than fruitlessly trying to build the calves with raises, do moves like split squats and dumbbell lunges that work the hips, quads, and hamstrings. You’ll get all of the functional benefits of the movement and hit the calves as effectively as raises.
5 of 7
Christopher Kimmel / Getty
Straight-Leg Deadlift
Why You Should Avoid It: This is an effective exercise for the hamstrings and glutes. Unfortunately, most of us are so locked down in these areas from too much sitting that we lack a base level of mobility to get the benefit. By pushing the issue, we could set ourselves up for back pain.
What You Should Do Instead: An inverted hamstring will get you ready for the deadlift. Balance on your right foot, keeping your stomach tight and shoulders back and down. Bend at the waist with both hands out to the sides and extend your left leg back as you fire the left glute. Your shoulder and heel should move together, forming a straight line. Return to starting position and switch legs.
6 of 7
Bojan Milinkov
Donkey Kick
Why You Should Avoid It: Popularized by those who sell the myth of “spot reduction” of the thighs and buttocks, this move actually provides very little benefit.
What You Should Do Instead: A split squat better targets the glutes and quads while also hitting the calves and building hip stability. This provides far more benefit than the donkey kick.
7 of 7
WoodysPhotos
Weighted Step Ups
Why You Should Avoid It: Aside from getting in the way of your fellow gym-goers, walking up steps in your multi-level gym while carrying dumbbells puts undue strain on the knees.
What You Should Do Instead: The farmer’s walk is a tremendous bang-for-your-buck exercise that provides similar benefits to a weighted step walk without the pressure on the knees and the added bonus of building overall core stability and improving posture.
