Leg Day?

[LJB]

I enjoy working out, but I dread leg day. I don't like it. I don't want to do it, and I'm a big baby about it. So... I just want to verify that I actually need to be putting myself through lower body workouts. lol I love step aerobics and kick boxing, and I do them regularly. I don't suppose standing on one leg to do a kick with the other, squatting for ice breakers, stepping up and down on the step, leg abduction moves (some of the step DVDs) and stuff like that hits all the same lower body muscles as a complete lower body workout do they? I dance and play pickleball too, so my legs get a lot of movement/exercise. My legs look great (well... if you ignore the varicose veins lol) - I mean... they're toned. Do I still need specific strength training for them?

I look at exercise this way: You do it because you either enjoy it, and/or you are after a certain result, which could be fat loss, a toned body, more muscle, be stronger etc. If you really dislike leg day, and you already have good looking legs with all the leg work from step and kickboxing (so you have the results without leg day), then I don’t see why you should do it.
I avoided leg day for years because I also found step, and all the ice breaker squatting and lunges in the cardio was enough, but now I do it about once a week because I find I need more strength in my leg and glute muscles to supplement and support the arthritis in my knees and ankles. However, if arthritis wasn’t a problem, then I probably wouldn’t do it either.

 

[nckfitheart2009]

I avoided leg day for years because I also found step, and all the ice breaker squatting and lunges in the cardio was enough, but now I do it about once a week because I find I need more strength in my leg and glute muscles to supplement and support the arthritis in my knees and ankles. However, if arthritis wasn’t a problem, then I probably wouldn’t do it either.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. it has reminded me of my own story as to how and why I decided to embrace training on a consistent basis. Health was the main reason. Type 2 Diabetes runs in my familly.
I have to be on top of the weight fluctuation. Then I discovered the power of building muscles to improve my metabolism. Few months after my body started to transform and the rest is history. Now my health is at it's best and working out is FUN as ever.

 

[Braille]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. it has reminded me of my own story as to how and why I decided to embrace training on a consistent basis. Health was the main reason. Type 2 Diabetes runs in my familly.
I have to be on top of the weight fluctuation. Then I discovered the power of building muscles to improve my metabolism. Few months after my body started to transform and the rest is history. Now my health is at it's best and working out is FUN as ever.

I have been back to exercising for almost 2 weeks, and my motivation (and abilities) just weren't there the first week. This week, however, I've been enjoying it more, and now that I know where I'm at and what I can and can't (yet) do... I've started to become more organized - planning the rest of this week's workouts and jotting down some ideas for next week. I'd been just sticking to Cathe's Basic 30 min. total body workout and the ab, lower body/upper body workouts. Ideas that others shared on this post helped motivate me and I spent last week doing one muscle meltdown a day with either a leg or ab work following it. It added variety and made things more interesting until I could figure out where to go from there. I think the fun factor is going to start kicking in for me soon, because with all of the ideas everybody gave me on how to add variety and get started, I have choices. Planning was always such a fun thing for me (when I used to work out regularly) and the power to have choices. When I had to start from scratch... my choices felt limited and it was bringing me down. I agree that health is a major factor in working out. My upper body is weaker than it's ever been, and I'm not as young as I used to be, so I need to get stronger as well as get back to being in good health. I didn't realize how bad of shape I was in, because I dance regularly and had no issues. When I started trying to do leg work though (lunges and such), my heart rate shoots up and my breathing isn't good. It explains why I'm having off & on problems when I'm caring for my adult son (disabled). Those things that I do for him that take a lot of power... they "wind" me. So, my health goal is to get stronger, increase/maintain bone density, and to be able to get healthy enough that I have the energy and air I need when something isn't "steady state" cardio. That last one is going to be the hardest and I haven't figured out how I'm going to achieve it yet, but back when I used to work out regularly... my body would tell me what I needed. I'm hoping that will start to happen as I get stronger and healthier - that my body will start to "crave" what it needs.

 

[Debinmi]

Good start Braille! I've been thinking about you and the need for variety with weight training. Glad you thought of the ICE Meltdowns. If you have the LITE Pyramid Pump, that might be another option for a body-part-a-day as they're shorter than the Meltdowns. If you have Cross-Train Xpress - that could be another body-part-a-day type workout - use lighter weights as appropriate. I think previously you said you had some Jessica Smith and KCM ...maybe see what you have for weight-training.

 

[nckfitheart2009]

I have been back to exercising for almost 2 weeks, and my motivation (and abilities) just weren't there the first week. This week, however, I've been enjoying it more, and now that I know where I'm at and what I can and can't (yet) do... I've started to become more organized - planning the rest of this week's workouts and jotting down some ideas for next week. I'd been just sticking to Cathe's Basic 30 min. total body workout and the ab, lower body/upper body workouts. Ideas that others shared on this post helped motivate me and I spent last week doing one muscle meltdown a day with either a leg or ab work following it. It added variety and made things more interesting until I could figure out where to go from there. I think the fun factor is going to start kicking in for me soon, because with all of the ideas everybody gave me on how to add variety and get started, I have choices. Planning was always such a fun thing for me (when I used to work out regularly) and the power to have choices. When I had to start from scratch... my choices felt limited and it was bringing me down. I agree that health is a major factor in working out. My upper body is weaker than it's ever been, and I'm not as young as I used to be, so I need to get stronger as well as get back to being in good health. I didn't realize how bad of shape I was in, because I dance regularly and had no issues. When I started trying to do leg work though (lunges and such), my heart rate shoots up and my breathing isn't good. It explains why I'm having off & on problems when I'm caring for my adult son (disabled). Those things that I do for him that take a lot of power... they "wind" me. So, my health goal is to get stronger, increase/maintain bone density, and to be able to get healthy enough that I have the energy and air I need when something isn't "steady state" cardio. That last one is going to be the hardest and I haven't figured out how I'm going to achieve it yet, but back when I used to work out regularly... my body would tell me what I needed. I'm hoping that will start to happen as I get stronger and healthier - that my body will start to "crave" what it needs.

Stick around.....What you desire is going to come back bit my bit. Just take slowly bit by bit.
One reasonable goal after another. You do not need to gain back 100% just enough to feel yourself again.