Why Leg Day is Important

There are many questions that I get asked as a personal trainer, and one of the most frequent is this: should I be doing ‘leg day’? My answer is always that it is a personal choice, but it is also an important part of any workout routine, and has many benefits. What is leg day, and why is it important?

What is Leg Day?

Quite simply, leg day is one day in the week where you work on your legs only. It will likely involve deadlifts, squats, leg extensions and further exercises that are mainly aimed at the legs. The reason it is important is because – depending upon your workout routine – you may not be giving your legs as much attention as the upper body. The problem is that leg day may also be the hardest and most taxing day of your workout week, which is why a lot of people try their best to miss it out! It’s tempting, but I recommend you stick with it, as there are many benefits involved.

The Importance of Leg Day

Why is leg day so important? There are a number of reasons, so here are five that should convince you.

1: Symmetrical Workout Results – as mentioned above, many workouts do not split exercise between the upper and lower body evenly. This can lead to you having a well-toned upper body – which is the usual result – and a lower body that needs some attention. Leg day gives you the opportunity to ensure that your legs and lower body muscles keep up with the rest!

2: Workout Larger Muscles – never forget that the gluteus maximus – that’s the buttocks – is the largest muscle anywhere in the body. Leg day allows you to work with the larger muscles such as this one, and this means greater energy expenditure, and therefore more calories burned. The result is better muscle tone in the legs and buttocks.

3: Greater Athletic Prowess – the lower body, as I have just mentioned, includes some of the largest of the muscles in the body, so keeping your legs in trim is important. Having better lower body strength will also allow you to perform better in other athletic pursuits, so if you play sports regularly, leg day is a must!

4: Increased Metabolism – one result of a hard leg day workout is a rise in your metabolism rate. This is important for building greater muscle mass, as well as for our health in general. If you want to stay fit, a leg workout needs to be part of your weekly routine.

5: Mental Discipline – I said earlier that there is a tendency to skip leg day, because it is a hard workout. If you can attain the mental discipline to keep up leg day once a week, then you have the mental discipline to achieve any goal you set.
If you don’t already have a leg day, talk you your personal trainer about incorporating one in your weekly routine, as you will find it to be a great help in keeping up your training.

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About Paul Wallace

Personal trainer of 15 plus years and creator of FT-Fit one of Glasgow’s largest fitness classes