Leg day!

As I type this I am sitting down to an amazing diet coke :)  I want to say that I do not claim to be a fitness expert, or a clean eater.  What I can say is that I do try to eat healthy but sometimes I just want pizza, breadsticks and a diet coke :) 

This morning I got up at 4:30 to hit the gym before work so that I could come home and mow the yard before the rain hit.  Now that I have worked out, worked and mowed the grass I am exhausted.  I did 45 minutes on the elliptical and 45 minutes of weights (leg day) this morning and my legs are killing me.  I can't decide if it is the heels I wore or the workout though. 

As I have said, leg days are my favorite days. I love squats, lunges, deadlifts, box jumps, etc.  I normally do around 8-10 exercises on leg day, but I have been known to do more because I feel good and like to do them.  If you do no other leg exercise, squat!  It is a great exercise for the entire lower body.  I do 3-4 different types of squats (sets and reps depend on heavy or light day) every leg day and they can include:  normal squats, hack squats, plie squats, one leg squats, close leg squats, sumo squats.  You may be wondering what some of these squats look like so I have included a random picture below.

A hack squat is a machine at your gym.  Sumo squats are similar to plie squats, but with sumo squats your toes are not pointed outward like a plie.  The smith machine is my favorite piece of equipment for legs. Most gyms have a smith machine so I included a picture of that as well in case you don't know what that is.

You can add weighted plates to each side to do your workout.  Eventually, once you dont care what anyone in the gym thinks of you, I strongly recommend weighted donkey kicks with the smith machine. For this exercise you get on all 4's and kick back one leg, lifting up the bar on the smith machine.  This is hard to explain so I inluded a picture as well.  You have to bring the bar on the smith maching down to about calf/knee height to begin.  This exercise hurts so good!

I also love the cable machine at the gym.  I use that to do kickbacks, and work my thighs!  I have attached some pictures of the workouts I do below.

 

In addition to these exercises above you can also do squats with a bar attached to the smith machine (or handles as in the picture below.)

Deadlifts, calf raises, walking lunges (both with a dumbells to my side and a barbell across my shoulders), box jumps, weighted step ups (shown below) are also a part of my leg day.

I don't do every exercise every time but I always have some sort of lunge or squat in my routine and sometimes...a split squat lunge!  (picture below)

I may not post for a couple of days but I promise to continue postings!  You all have helped me stay healthy!  We had two days at work this week where people brought in treats and I passed both days-a decision I attribute to this blog!

Which reminds me...many of you know I work at Butler near Trip and Blue (Butler mascots).  Well Trip is a daddy's boy and it is beyond sad to watch him watch his dad leave with Blue or for a meeting.  Today he was near the door watching his dad (pops) and Blue leave when I opened the door to come back in-Trip tried to take off, but I was able to hold that 60 pound beast of a puppy in place and wrangle him back inside. I know that it is because I am getting stronger.  Ok, one more picture of the dogs..I love those dogs.