Some guys love leg day. Good for them. Truly, I admire their commitment to their bodies that they aren’t even tempted to skip leg days; it’s a commitment I lack. Many other guys lack it too.
Anyone who is even remotely educated on fitness knows that muscle building and strength training is the foundation on which a healthy body is built. Even weight loss programs focus on weight training. While huge biceps and pecks get most of the attention, we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of proper leg strength.
Seriously, read through these reason why you should never skip leg day—even if it is the hardest day of your week.
Legs Are Important.
When you’re standing, jogging, lifting, working or doing almost any other activity, your legs are in use. They’re used to help balance you at your desk at work. They’re used to plant your feet in the ground doing chest workouts, like the benchpress. They’re used for cardio, of course. And most importantly, they’re used in sex.
Okay, so that last point isn’t really that important, but it is a nice perk. Just like the rest of these.
Strong Legs = A Strong Base
Think of all the lifting and exercising you do. Just take a minute. Now, how many of those workouts are done standing up? Most of them, right? Even those that aren’t, like inclined hammer curls, still require the use of your legs. When you settle down on the bench for your benchpress, one of the first things you probably do is firmly plant your feet in the ground, anchoring the lower third of your body.
Without a strong base your other workouts will suffer. Your pecs won’t get as big, nor will your triceps, traps, or any other important muscle. All of our body parts work together, and neglecting one large muscle group is a very bad idea.
Leg Workouts Lead to Fat Loss
Muscles burn calories when you use them. Leg muscles are big. Big muscles burn more calories than small muscles. More calories burned means there is less fat.
It’s really that simple. Whether you’re bulking or cutting, skipping leg workouts routinely will greatly reduce your ability to shred fat.
You Cardio Will Drastically Improve
Any runner worth his salt will tell you that upper body strength is as important as lower body strength. Our muscles work in synergy, and upper body strength will aid your running and jogging much more than people think.
However, it won’t matter if you have ripped arms, chest and back if your legs aren’t strong enough to:
- Carry your weight
- Maintain endurance
- Last longer than your other muscles
Your legs aren’t designed to be pushed to the max. Maxing out your reps for every other major muscle group is great, but your legs aren’t meant to do that, and you want them to be the last muscles on your body to get tired, even during cardio workouts.
You Will Have Better Balance
There are two easy ways to improve your balance and coordination. The first is to have a strong core. The second is to have strong legs.
Look at babies. They can stand up fairly quickly in life, but without muscle development in their legs they lack the balance to walk and run. If you watch them long enough, you’ll begin to see that when babies topple over it isn’t straight down that they plop. More often than not, babies will fall forward or to the sides, not straight on their bums.
Standing isn’t the easiest task for bipeds, and having a strong foundation in leg strength is one of the fundamental reasons humans were able to evolve into the most dominant species on earth. That and opposable thumbs.
Sex Will Be Better
Unless you’re on your back the entire time you’re having sex, which we pray isn’t the case, sex is better when your legs are in top shape. We could run down the list of sexual positions and point out how muscular legs would help your efforts, but we think you can figure it all out.
Not only will you physically be able to put more effort into love making, but you’ll also have better endurance to keep doing it until your partner is satisfied too. And mutually satisfying sex is the best sex in the world.
