Why You Should Train Your Legs

Too many guys think that leg training is not important. Isn’t it? There are some very good reasons why you should pay the same attention to your legs as to your arms or chest.

Are You A “Disco Pumper”?

Because that’s what we here in Germany call guys that only train upper body. I let you figure out why, but it should suffice to say that if you happen to be the guy with arms bigger than your thighs, your priorities are a bit off. Training your legs is important for real life and simple visual balance:

About The Anabolic Effect

As I said in the video, I know that there are lots of websites and articles that say training legs raises your growth hormone and testosterone level and that that in turn leads to more muscle growth in general.

The concept seems logical, but the evidence is slim. One Danish paper from 2001 found a “possible link,” but the authors themselves caution that they had trouble matching their two test groups. More solid evidence against the effect comes from two recent papers, of which the first only found a “weak link” between hormonal response and increased lean body mass, while the second states that muscular protein synthesis and post-exercise hormone levels are not connected at all.

I let you come to your own conclusions about this, but I wouldn’t go through the trouble of restructuring my entire workout plan in hope for some better muscle growth due to training legs first.

Want Some Leg Training?

If I now got you to realize how important training your legs is, I have a couple of exercises you can easily do at home: get-ups are for the very beginners, while lunges and step-ups can both be adjusted in their difficulty and provide a challenge for those whose legs already are a good bit stronger.

Hail To My Viking Friend!

The idea for this video goes back to my friend Ásbjörn, who on Facebook has tons of fun sending me pics of guys with upper bodies this huge …and legs that look like they belong on, uh, a stork.

Picture courtesy of Lin Mei.