benefits of lying floor work for legs

[jgoycoolea]

Hello. I have traditionally not done lying floor work for legs. I have been biased towards thinking that it would not provide enough resistance and have instead done squats and lunges with heavy weight. (I have even thought to myself that perhaps Cathe thinks this too as it seems to me, perhaps erroneously, that she too shunned away from it until people started asking for it.)

However, now, in my second pregnancy, I just don't always feel up to that heavy barbell, yet I want to work my legs. I have done some lying floor work with 5 pound ankle weights and to be honest, I did feel it.

But still I want to ask you, what do you feel are the benefits of this lying floor work for legs? Can it help build muscle? (Not that I think I can build any muscle pregant.) Shape it? How heavy of ankle weights does anyone use?

Thank you!
Jeanne

[dss62467]

I think it's more for toning than muscle building. I do use the barbell with a 2 1/2lb. weight on the end in the fashion that Cathe does in PS Legs. The only time I use the ankle weights is in Legs & Glutes.

[kathryn]

Standing work has the advantage of working multiple muscles at the same time, saving time, working stabilizer muscles that are not used when your body is supported as it is on the floor, being more functional, and allowing you to lift heavier weights. It also has more of an effect on your metabolism, because you burn (at least a few) more calories when doing it than when doing isolation work, which is what most floor work is, and it has a higher "afterburn" than isolation work.

You can work the lower body with floor work (and I love to do a floor-work only workout at least once a week, to target the glutes and hamstrings), but you have to be sure to hit all the muscles:

First off, let me say I'm not sure which exercises or positions may be contraindicated for pregnancy (did you post this in the pregnancy forum? they may have some ideas there), so you'll have to check on that.

QUADS (with something called "quad sets" : sit on the floor with legs bent and feet flat on floor. Straighten one leg on the floor and tighten the quad as much as possible. Actual "quad set" exercises are used in rehab, and don't involve any movement, just the intense contraction. You can also add a lift to the move, lifting the leg so that the knee is at about the same level as the other knee. This is often more comfortable when you go down to your elbows.

HAMSTRINGS: Ball work for the hamstrings (like Cathe does in PLB, for example). Or for a really tough hamstring exercise, lie on your back with a paper plate under each heel, legs bent. Push the paper plates away from you on the floor, either one leg at a time, or both at once. Then pull the plates back in towards you. You can either do this one leg at a time (doable) or both legs at once (yeowza! The hottest ham burn I've ever felt with an at-home exercise!). You can also do this with the new Gliding discs that are at some Walmarts, but two paper plates work just as well and are cheaper!

GLUTES: On-all-four kickbacks and raises (I especially like these moves, as they seem to raise the glutes nicely).

ADDUCTORS (inner thighs): lying leg lifts. I recommend NOT using ankle weights at the ankle, but holding a weight (or fastening the weght) above the knee for these, as it puts less stress on the knee.

ABDUCTORS (outer thighs): leg lifts. Again, with weight above the knees.

CALVES: these pretty much get worked automatically when you do standing work, so doing a few sets of standing calf raises (holding dumbbells at your side) can hit this area.

Incorporating a stability ball into floor work when you can (outer thigh lifts, hamstring work, even lying over one---though I guess you can't while pregnant!-- adds some stability challenge and incorporates more muscles.

You could also do some standing work with lighter weights held at your sides, supplementing floor work with lunges and squats, or doing wall squats, or wall squats with a stability ball behind your back. These can challenge the muscles without using heavy weights, especially if you do a long hold at the bottom. (Again, I don't know how far along your pregnancy is, and if this exercise would be appropriate---depending on how big you are, you may not be able to push back up!)

Hope this helps!

[Soosan]

Kathryn, I just wanted to say that your posts are always informative and extremely helpful. You are a big asset to this board!:)

[kathryn]

Thank you, Susan! It's better than being a big a$$!:) (though maybe "asset" is the feminine form? tee hee!)

[Soosan]

:7 :7 :7 :7

[Shaz]

In my opinion, one reason Cathe includes floor work is that it is very difficult to really focus on the hamstrings without gym equipment. I think my quads have become much stronger than my hamstrings from doing a lot of standing work (eg squats), and this isn't a good thing. I'm currently including more floor work and also doing hamstring curls on my bench/attachment thingy.

[Mariela]

Olympic lifters and Power lifters do deep squats (lowering beyond 90 degree angle). They use a special technique. I have heard that going beyong 90 degree angle targets the glutes and hamstrings. But Cathe and other fitness authorities advice not to do it because it puts too much stress on the knees. Perhaps this should be on a new thread.

[Jane P]

Based on my own experience only. When I do floor work, I have a cut in the glute/hamstring tie-in area (the thutt). When I do only squats and lunges, I don't. My favorite exercise for this is clams. Lie on your side with knees bent at a 90 degree angle and open your knee up, but not your foot. This seems to work real well for me. A lot of floorwork dvds, seem to skip this area. Also rest a weight on your upper thigh as you get stronger.

[jgoycoolea]

This clam seems like it would work the outer thigh. Perhaps I don't get it...