I read this article last week about the best leg exercises that no one really does and decided to give it a try. Uh, it pretty much killed me! Luckily, I was on my feet all weekend showing my momma and brother around DC, which kept me pretty loose, but my legs were killing me! (I think this also may have been an article from a Men's Fitness or Men's Health magazine...I should really find some workouts better suited to the feminine physique.)
Give it a shot if you dare!
It would probably be easier for you to go to this link so you can see the related pictures:
http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100150894
Step 1: Single-Leg Squat
Stand on a bench or box that's about knee height. Hold your arms in front of you and flex your right ankle so your toes are higher than your heel. Keeping your torso as upright as possible, bend your left knee and slowly lower your body until your right heel lightly touches the floor. Pause for 1 second, then push yourself up. That's one repetition.
YOUR BEST EFFORT: 0 TO 1 REPS
THE PROBLEM: Individually, your legs aren't strong enough to support your body weight through the entire range of motion.
THE FIX: A two-pronged attack using "negatives" and "partials," both of which help you challenge your weak spots and lower your breaking point. Do this workout once every 4 days until you can perform at least two single-leg squats with perfect form.
Step 2: Negative Squat
Stand on your left leg, facing away from a bench. Holding your arms and your right leg in the air in front of you, slowly lower your body until your butt is slightly higher than your breaking point. (Ideally, this should take 5 to 7 seconds.) Sit, then stand up using both legs. That's one repetition. Do six reps with your left leg, then six more with your right. Complete a set. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes and move on to step 2.
Step 3: Partial Squat
Stand on a bench holding a pair of 5-pound dumbbells. As you perform a single-leg squat, simultaneously lift the dumbbells in front of you to shoulder height. (This helps counterbalance your body, making the movement easier.) Again, lower your body until you're just above your breaking point, then pause for 2 seconds before pushing yourself back up. Do 10 repetitions with each leg, pausing for 10 seconds instead of 2 on the last rep with each.
YOUR BEST EFFORT: 2 TO 5 REPS
THE PROBLEM: Because you can't adjust the weight you're using, as you can with free weights, your muscles give out quickly — and that limits the total number of repetitions you can perform, a key factor in increasing strength.
THE FIX: A technique called escalating density training, or EDT. Popularized by Charles Staley, author of Muscle Logic, this method helps you slow the onset of fatigue, so you can complete more total repetitions than usual. Instead of doing as many reps as you can in each set, you'll do more sets of fewer repetitions. In addition, you'll further increase the challenge to your legs by adding two other single-leg exercises: the Bulgarian split squat and the high stepup.
Determine your starting point
Take the number of single-leg squats you can complete with perfect form and divide it by two. That's how many repetitions you'll do each set. (If your best effort is three, round down to one.) Perform the four-week EDT routine below once every four days, doing the number of sets indicated and resting after each for the prescribed amount of time.
Step 1: Bulgarian Split Squat
Stand with a bench about 2 feet behind you and place the instep of your right foot on the bench. Keeping your torso upright, lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Your left lower leg should remain perpendicular to the floor. Pause, then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as you can. Do 12 to 15 repetitions, then repeat, this time with your left foot resting on the bench and your right foot in front. After you've worked both legs, immediately (without resting) complete step 3.
Step 2: High Stepup
Stand facing a bench or step that's about knee height. Lift your left foot and place it firmly on the bench, push down with your left heel, and push your body upward until your left leg is straight and your right foot hangs off the bench. Lower yourself back down. That's one rep. Do 12 to 15, then do the same number of reps with your right leg.
YOUR BEST EFFORT: 6 TO 9 REPS
THE PROBLEM: You have poor endurance.
THE FIX: Training your muscles to resist fatigue. Perform the following routine once every 4 days for 5 weeks.
Step 1
Do as many single-leg squats as you can, then rest for 60 seconds
Step 2
Repeat until you've completed twice the number of reps you achieved in your first set.
So, if you do seven reps in your first set, you'll do as many sets as needed to complete 14 reps. For each subsequent workout, this will be your repetition goal.
Step 3
Each workout, try to reach your repetition goal in fewer sets. For instance, if you need five sets in your first workout, aim for your goal in four sets in your next session. After five weeks, repeat the entire process. But in order to keep improving, do the exercise while holding dumbbells at your sides.
