Level Up Your Leg Day with These Warm-Up Exercises

4 June 2024

All set to rock your leg day? Wait! Don’t forget to warm up! A good warm-up can make or break the effectiveness of your fitness regime! This blog talks about the reason behind the importance of warm-ups, the muscles used in a good warm-up session and some great exercises & stretches that you can practice before your killer workout!

Why is Leg Day Warm Up Important?

We’ve all heard that leg day warm ups are an unmissable aspect of workouts. But do we know why? It’s because:

Improved Performance– Warm-up prepares your body for the intense workout ahead, enhancing overall performance.
Prevention of Injuries– It reduces the risk of injuries by warming up your muscles and joints, preventing them from getting locked, and making them more pliable and less prone to strains.
Increased Blood Flow: It improves blood circulation to the muscles, ensuring they are well-oxygenated and ready for action.
Enhanced Flexibility: It improves muscle flexibility, allowing for a greater range of motion during exercises.
Activated Nervous System: It helps in signaling your nervous system to become active by improving coordination and reaction times.

However, not every leg day warm up is right for every routine. Let’s find the perfect routine for your leg day by understanding which muscles are used during a leg workout, the various moves you can practice, and their benefits!

Muscles Used In Leg Workouts

Before starting your warm-up exercises, let’s take a look at which muscles will be doing most of the work today and get targeted:

Quads: The front portions of your thighs are your quadriceps, or “quads.” They are necessary for leg presses, lunges, and squats.
Hamstrings: The back sides of your thighs are your hamstrings which play an important role in practising curls and deadlifts.
Glutes: These are the muscles in your butt. They are essential for powerful exercises like hip thrusts and squats.
Calves: The lower limbs are vital for activities like calf lifts and stability.
Inner Thighs: The inner thighs are the adductors (a group of muscles that go down from the pelvic bone to the inner thigh and knee). These muscles help the hip and leg to move inwards and steady the core. Use these for side lunges and sumo squats. They will experience the most pressure and help in your gains.
Hip Flexors: These are your hips’ front portion. They get used during knee-lifting exercises.

Warm Up Exercises for Beginners

Now that we know the importance of warming up before workouts, let’s delve into some exercises! The best part? You can perform these at the gym or at home.

Warm up Exercises at Home

Moving through ranges of motion during dynamic stretches promotes blood flow and flexibility. Here are a few exercises you can practice:

Leg Swings: While standing on one leg, swing the other leg side to side, backwards, and forward. You can do 10-15 swings per leg.
Twisting Lunge: Take a step forward into a lunge, then turn your body to face the leg in front. Repeat with switching legs 10-12 times.
Hip Circles: While standing on one leg, do circular motions with the other leg. Do ten circles in each direction for each leg.
Ankle Circles: Raise one foot while sitting or standing. Make ten circles with your ankle in each direction.
Marching in Place: Raise your knees in a standing position and march for 1-2 minutes. It is exactly like marching but without moving onward.
Side Leg Raises: Stretch one leg out to the side while standing, then lower it back down. Repeat 10–12 times on each side.
Arm Circles: These exercises don’t directly target the legs, but they do help move your entire body. Make 10 to 15 forward and backward circles.

Don’t Forget! Nutritional Warm Up Before Leg Day

By simply strategizing your nutrition, you can start your leg day warm-up on the right foot!

Time your Meals: Eat a balanced meal 1-2 hours before your leg day workout. Load up on carbs for energy, protein for muscle support, and a touch of healthy fats to keep things running smoothly.
Stay Hydrated: Water is your workout buddy. Sip on it all day leading up to your leg day session, and consider adding electrolytes if you’ll be sweating buckets. Make sure to always keep your water bottle handy.
Protein Power: Don’t skip on protein in your pre-workout meal. Whether it’s chicken, fish, tofu, beans or better of all- your protein shake! Get that muscle-building goodness in to support your leg day gains.
Supplements: Pre-workout supplements are the way to go for a perfect start to your leg day! They will fuel you up well for a good level of energy you need to ace your leg day routine

A good warm-up is key to a great fitness journey! Giving sufficient time to warm-ups can significantly enhance your everyday workouts and your end results. Don’t forget that complimenting your exercises with top-notch supplements for muscle growth might help you get to your gains faster and more healthily. Small aspects of your workouts like using supportive and comfy sportswear can make you more confident and put you in a great mood for your exercises. Making these warm-up workouts a part of your leg day preparation is going to change your life!

Happy leg day, Ziddis!

Sources:
https://row.gymshark.com/blog/article/how-to-warm-up-for-leg-day

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/leg-workout