Ignore Them At Your Peril..
Overdo it
If you go too hard, boy oh boy will you feel it EVERYWHERE over the next few days. Our legs are some of the longest, largest muscles in the body and they get used every time we walk, let alone when we work them hard in the gym. You can overdo it by pushing yourself to go past the point of total muscle failure, adding on more sets than you need, and even forcing yourself to stick to a higher weight than you’re comfortable with. Go hard, but not TOO hard!
Drop your form
This goes hand in hand with #1 above — push yourself too hard or go too heavy and you’ll be more likely to let your form slip to compensate for the added difficulty and strain. Using “lazy” or improper form can engage the wrong muscles in the wrong ways and leave you feeling sore the next day, even when you technically aren’t overdoing it. Use a mirror every now and then to check on your form and be sure to do your exercises the right way, even when it’s hard!
Skip it
I know how played-out this joke is, but I’m serious here: Don’t skip leg day! Not only is it essential to commit to dedicated leg workouts if you want definition, but the rest of your workouts depend on leg strength too! Most machines require you to dig your feet into the ground and push off slightly, as do weight benches — the stronger your lower body, the more juice you can get out of everything else you do in the gym. Crushing leg day is essential for making every other workout count!
Leg day is essential to get right, but what you do outside of the gym is equally important for getting the most mileage possible out of your hard work. To build the body composition you want sustainably and reap the benefits of your nutrition and exercise…
