Leg Day

davp62
davp62 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just looking for idea and opinions. If you walk 40 to 60 minutes daily is a " leg day" really necessary in your workout routine? ......... Go !

Replies

  • JeffMatchett
    JeffMatchett Posts: 43 Member
    edited August 2016
    In my opinion walking is worth nothing in terms of weight lifting. So yeah you need leg day. Preferably 2. Unless you want to have tiny little legs and super tight calves then by all means.

    An hour of a real leg day is worth more than 100km walking. Probably more.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    I agree with the above poster. We can walk all we want but it doesn't do much to help you squat x number of pounds that practicing squats would.
  • JeffMatchett
    JeffMatchett Posts: 43 Member
    edited August 2016
    Spend sixty minutes doing squats in the air with no weight. I bet it was harder than walking the whole week. And it is still worth next to nothing in comparison to leg day.

    Do leg day.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    In addition to not training strength, walking doesn't train your lifting skills, increasing the chance of injuries when you go to lift things. But i wouldn't do a traditional once-a-week "leg day" - do a few sets of legs every 2-3 days. The basics are squats, lunges, and deadlifts or Romanian deadlifts. Use relatively heavy weight. :+1:
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    Walking might work the muscles some, but nowhere near as much as resistance bands or deadlifts. I often have to walk around to do my errands [helps that everything is within a mile from home], but even then, when I added resistance band leg exercises it made them sore for a few days after the first workout.

    If you're reluctant to add a leg day due to either the cost of a gym membership or the cost of the equipment to do them properly, you can always start with just resistance bands, a door anchor and an anklet brace. A basic set should only cost around $15-$20.
  • davp62
    davp62 Posts: 3 Member
    Currently I have 1 to 2 legs days a week depending on the week each workout is about 50 minutes. I need the cardio daily for health reasons. Any tips on reducing leg pain? I stretch daily
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    davp62 wrote: »
    Currently I have 1 to 2 legs days a week depending on the week each workout is about 50 minutes. I need the cardio daily for health reasons. Any tips on reducing leg pain? I stretch daily

    Consistently work legs 2+ times per week using a sensible routine. Increased frequency often reduces DOMS.

    What do you do on your leg days, exercise-wise?
  • davp62
    davp62 Posts: 3 Member
    My leg day : weighted 3 sets increasing weight each each each rep is 15 ,12 ,8 and a drop set of 8
    sumo squats, alternating lunge , set-up to reverse lunge rt & lt, parallel squat , Bulgarian squat rt & lt , srtaight leg dead lift , two 30 second reps of single leg calf raises rt & lt , seated calf raises and ins and outs ( for the abs )

    "
  • hannahsadler_tn
    hannahsadler_tn Posts: 77 Member
    I average about 13k steps in a day, and a lot of it comes from an after dinner walk my husband and I take. However, I will never ever count it as leg day.

    I do leg day once a week on Wednesday (because hump day, duh). I do 3 sets of goblet squats at 10,7, and 5 reps. Today it was 45, 55, and 65 lb Dumbbells. Then it's back squats. 3 sets, decreasing reps. 135,145,155 lbs. I end with deadlifts. Same structure as squats with 185, 195, 215 today.

    I try to work in barbell glute bridges (Bret Contreras strong curves) but usually deadlifts leave me gassed.

    Big compound lifts like deadlifts and squats will do wonders if you have the funds and/or resources to perform them.
  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
    davp62 wrote: »
    My leg day : weighted 3 sets increasing weight each each each rep is 15 ,12 ,8 and a drop set of 8
    sumo squats, alternating lunge , set-up to reverse lunge rt & lt, parallel squat , Bulgarian squat rt & lt , srtaight leg dead lift , two 30 second reps of single leg calf raises rt & lt , seated calf raises and ins and outs ( for the abs )

    "

    This looks like a lot. You do this in 50min? Heavy? Seems like your rest periods would be short. Plus drop sets? I would be sore too!

    I dunno if your goals are to build size/strength or maintain, but considering you're proposing to cut leg day out altogether, my suggestion would be to cut down on volume. I would reduce the # of exercises, seems like a lot of unilateral stuff IMO. You could also not do drop sets, not train to failure (or only do it for a few key exercises). That should help with soreness. I would put most of my effort into increasing the weight on heavy squats and deadlifts.

    I also swear by cold showers for DOMS. (Actually, my first go-to is walking, but you've got that covered.) When I'm being a wuss, I'll turn the shower on the coldest setting and just do my legs. It helps the most if you can do it close to your workout.

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