Having strong legs is important to perform even the simplest daily movements like walking, which require leg strength. Considering this, it is vital to incorporate leg workout into your routine for your well-being. Read ahead to know more about the best leg workouts and the role cushiony shoes have to play during leg training.
About Leg Workout
Your leg workout does not have to be complicated to be effective. Remember, the simpler it is, the better for you. Also, you can perform leg workouts at home.
It is to be noted that the leg exercises you include in your routine must involve the basic lower body movements, focusing on the major muscle groups of legs – glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads. To achieve this, you can perform the following exercises that are considered the best leg workouts:
- Squats (back and front)
- Hip hinges (deadlifts)
- Lunges (walking lateral, and reverse).
You can begin your leg workout with a squat movement, move to a hip-hinge movement (good morning or Romanian deadlift), and then add in your single-leg movements. Once you master this workout plan, you can proceed with variations that will keep you challenged.
Here are some more exercises that can help you create good leg workouts and experience desired results:
- Stepup: Helps in increasing strength, balance and power
- Glute bridge: Effective in toning and strengthening your gluteal muscles and core
- Hip thrust: Aids in building strength and size in your glutes
If you are a beginner who is looking forward to increasing his/her general fitness, then choose 3-5 exercises per leg workout and complete 3 sets of 8-12 reps of every chosen exercise. While performing leg exercises at home, it is important to ensure that you are working your muscles to fatigue and not failure.
Further, recent research has suggested that there is not much difference between training the major muscle groups one time per week versus three times per week when you are trying to maximise muscle growth.
Leg Workout and Cushiony Shoes
Wearing cushioned shoes must be preferred over regular training shoes that are typically flatter. Notably, cushioning supports your arches that can help reduce the odds of sprains or foot pain while exercising. Also, cushioned shoes offer firm heel support that plays a significant role during weight training as they help stabilise the ankle.
While performing high-impact exercises, cushiony shoes are helpful as they not only provide support, but also aid in reducing joint stress and ensuring comfort.
Doing Leg Workout Barefoot
Performing leg exercises barefoot can not only benefit the feet, but also the body. Let us delve deeper to know more about the benefits of doing leg workout barefoot:
- Enhances stability
- Increases coordination and balance
- Strengthens feet
- Increases foot movement and mobility
- Improves posture and alignment
Further, barefoot training is considered ideal while performing the following leg exercises:
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Yoga
- Plyometrics
- Balance training exercises such as single-leg stands and stability ball exercises
Besides, it is not advised to train barefoot when the workout surface is dirty, sharp or uneven.
Also, it is to be noted that you can train using minimalist shoes if you are not ready to train completely barefoot. These shoes mimic the sensation of being barefoot. This will also help you transition gradually to barefoot training if you are new to it to avoid injury.
While selecting minimalist shoes, pay attention to their thin sole so that your feet can move and flex naturally. You should avoid training in traditional running shoes with thick soles or high arch support as they can interfere with your body mechanics.
Conclusion
All in all, good leg workouts are important for your overall health. Based on the type of exercise and your body’s requirements, shoes can play an important role during leg training. While barefoot training is considered ideal for strength exercises like squats and deadlifts, that help improve balance, foot mechanics, and power transfer, cushioned shoes are better for high-impact exercises as they offer support and reduce joint stress.
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