Emma Radebaugh When you’re working out, especially to build muscle, it’s easy to constantly see and look for the results in your upper body. Everyone loves flexing to show a good bicep muscle. However, it’s vital not to forget about your legs. Unfortunately, many people put leg day as a low priority. This will only have negative results for your body. Learn why you shouldn’t skip leg day by reading below.
Your Body Will Look Out of Proportion
One of the first things you should know if you miss leg day is, your body will look disproportionate. You don’t want to be going around with a heavily build upper body sitting on top of two small legs. If you’re going to put all the time and hard work into building your muscles up, you might as well be able to show it across your entire body. The last thing you want from exercise is to look silly and become a laughingstock.
You’ll Struggle in Physical Activities
If you’re going to work out and get into shape, you’re likely going to want to be able to also do a good amount of other physical activities. It’s especially important for activities such as biking, which is reliant on your leg power. However, it’s also important for dancing and sports such as baseball, hockey, and football. This is because your body gets much of its power through the muscles in your lower body. If you’re working out frequently but not working your legs, you’re selling yourself short.
You Won’t Be able to Perform Major Lifts in The Gym
Even your upper-body muscles cannot be built to their full potential through only upper-body workouts. Some of the best exercises for muscle building are major lifts including squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. These exercises engage multiple muscles throughout your body, and they give your body the intense workout it requires. They are also incredibly reliant on using your legs. If you’re looking to gain strength, muscle, or lose weight, you’ll need to include these exercises.
It’s Much Harder To Build Muscle
This is one of the most important examples of why you shouldn’t skip leg day. Your legs house some of your body’s largest muscles. Working and building these muscles cause the release of your natural growth hormone and testosterone, which are vital for building the rest of your muscles. If you’re trying to get big without working your legs, your body’s not going to let you do that. Doing the right exercises that target your leg muscles will increase the quality of your workouts. Working your leg muscles creates an anabolic environment within the rest of your body that increases the muscle building effects when you work your upper body as well.
