As athletes physically get muscular, stronger, and faster, functional strength training becomes a must to compete, and to avert getting hurt.
In sports, particularly for movement, it is important to have lower body power and strength to avoid injuries. Pushing on the ground as an ability of the lower body can be facilitated and thus results in duty-point speed, agility, and vertical jump among other things. A strong lower body also enhances an athlete’s performance and reduces vulnerability to injury.
Key Benefits of Lower Body Exercises
If you are including lower body strength training to gain improved performance in other activities such as cycling, and running, you want to have well-chiseled muscles in your lower body, or if you want to have improved muscularity in your daily activities such as climbing stairs or walking, then there are quite several benefits that you are likely to get from lower-body workouts.
1. Improved Athletic Performance
Muscles of the lower limbs and in particular the legs as well as the gluteal muscles play a very vital role in athletic performance. Treading, leaping, and cycling are all considered to be lower body impact actions thus the importance of the strength in the lower body.
2. Cardiovascular Health Benefits
When people consider exercising, they usually do not associate lower body exercises with direct heart strengthening, but strength training is beneficial in improving virtually every area of cardiovascular health. In the long run, strength training reduces high blood pressure and enhances the build of lean muscles; this in turn promotes the circulation system to include the proper functioning of the heart and blood vessels thus eliminating possibilities of heart attacks and /or strokes.
3. Reduces Your Risk of Injury
Lower body strength training engages your core stability more and that helps in increasing your flexibility and motion capacity. While stronger muscles around the joints like hips and knees are developed which reduces the incidents of strains and sprains. Engaging the gluteal and hamstring muscles as well as the abdominal muscles also assists in the correction of any unbalanced muscle pull those results in poor posture which causes and leads to body aches.
4. Enhanced Functional Strength
Many activities including walking up the stairs and even lifting something will require the use of the lower body. This strengthens the major muscle groups that help support a given activity, helps with lifting makes instance chores easier, and reduces the possibility of injuries.
5. Improved Posture and Balance
Lower body strength training also involves the muscles of the abdomen that help in good posture and balance. This can be beneficial in addressing parental rights and motion control to avoid falls and correct posture.
Some of the Best Forms of Training for the Lower Body
1. Squats
Squats is a stress-free lower body exercise that primarily works on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes muscles. Begin by standing with your feet in a line with your shoulders, begin to bend your knees and squat down as if sitting in a chair, and then return to standing.
Read our previous blog on Best Top 6 Exercises of Strength Training for Athletes
2. Lunges
Depending on the type done, lunges are effective for the quads, gluteus muscles, and hamstrings. Lunge forward with one leg bending the knees at 90 degrees and bringing the back knee close to the ground. Pull back to the initial position and do the same with the opposite leg. Other types of lunges are the walking lunge and the reverse lunge.
3. Deadlifts
Generally, deadlifts engage the human hamstring, glutes, as well as the entire lower back. To do this you need to stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and grasp a barbell or dumbbell with your hands. Bend forward at the hips and bring the weights down till you feel a stretch in the v, chest, and shoulders while contracting your abs, then, stand up.
4. Step-Ups
This particular exercise prepares the quadriceps, gluteal muscles, and the tibia fibula muscles. Footrests must be put on a stiff base such as a table or bench. Raise oneself from the heel of the step-up leg with an additional step into the opposite leg. Do the same with the left leg; lower it and return it to the position it was initially in.
5. Glute Bridges
Glute bridges work well with the gluteal and hamstring muscles. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and slowly lie down while exhaling. Bend your knees and lift your hips towards the ceiling with your_glutes contracted at the top of the movement and slowly return to the starting position. An option for increasing the load is single-leg glute bridges.