Lower body

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Lower body
15
Wed, 12-22-2004 - 9:01am

What is your favorite lower body exercise or the one you think works the best?

Thanks,
Melissa

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
In reply to: lissa_88
Wed, 12-22-2004 - 9:28am

works best to do what?


without more specifics, i'd say the quad extension machine, because it does the best job of isolating and developing the quads, which is something i need to do to balance my glutes and hams and protect my knees.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
In reply to: lissa_88
Wed, 12-22-2004 - 9:32am

I've got a couple of favorites right now...

I really like doing squats with a cable. You have to put enough weight on the stack though so you can lean back a little bit and not keel over (also forces you to use core muscles to keep yourself upright). You can also squat a little bit deeper with these as well.

My clients are loving/hating these glute raises that I'm having them do. You get on all fours and put a weight (start with 3 or 5 lbs) in the crook of your knee. You lift the knee with the weight up so that the bottom of your foot is going towards the ceiling. Do 15 reps. With the same leg, do 15 reps out to the side (think dog/fire hydrant). I follow those up with 15 pulses with foot pulsing up and 15 pulses with leg out to the side. These are a killer.

We have a lying leg press and I've started doing them single leg. I'm liking these as well.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: lissa_88
Wed, 12-22-2004 - 10:20am

I did those glute raises yesterday, having them lie prone on the ball.






iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2004
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 12:55am

Squats. One lower-body exercise to rule them all.

Nick

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 2:45pm

For an all-over leg exercise, IMO you can't beat lunges across the floor while holding weights. I guess that's "walking weighted lunges"? Sounds better than what I wrote.

My glutes are my problem area, so I have to work them hard to get them to a normal shape. I like standard glute raises while on all fours. I'm not a big fan of putting a weight in the crook of my knee simply because the weight falls off and I spend too much energy making sure it's balanced. I'd rather just kill my glutes than worry about the extra stuff.

For the glute/outer thigh combo, I like this exercise where you're on your side, hoisted up on your elbow. You are hoisted up but just to the knee. You take the upper leg and pull the knee in (so you drop down a bit), and then extend that leg. Repeat x number of times. It works both the outer thigh of the top leg and the glute area of the opposite side. I know I did a terrible job explaining it, but it works when I do it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 2:54pm

All great ideas!!!!!! I love lunges and squats.. Sumo squats really work, and make you sore afterwards, too! I do walking lunges with a 5 foot 12 lb. body bar in class... they really hurt! I love that good kind of hurt though!~

Melissa

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 3:36pm
How do you do squats on the cables?





iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 4:28pm
It's pretty simple. You use the bar attachment and you have to put enough weight on the stack that you can lean back a little bit without teetering over. You also have to focus on keeping your shoulders back and core stable so the weight doesn't pull you forward either. Then you do a regular squat.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 4:50pm
Do you attach it to the lower cable and then just hold the bar between your legs with your arms straight?





iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
In reply to: lissa_88
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 8:18pm
Yes, you attach it to the lower cable and hold it in front of you (almost like you were waterskiing). I know it seems hard to imagine holding that much weight, but you're also leaning back a little so you're using body weight as well. I'm doing mine with 160 on the stack. Try it and let me know what you think. :)

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