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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Muscle building lower body exercises

Now that I have covered the primary upper body core workouts. Let’s talk about how you can see some muscle gains in your lower body. The following are lower core body workouts that I will probably be using in many of my suggested workout routines in the future.

1. Squats – This is the primary lower body workout (it is much like the bench press of the lower body). Squats work out your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and back. The squats are probably one of the hardest exercises that you will do. To be honest, I hate doing squats myself. But while I hate doing them, I know that they are very important to building muscle mass, so I just suck it up and move through them. I am going to show you a few workout routines that I have personally used that did not require squats. At the same time, if there is a routine that requires you to do squats, I would definitely discourage you from simply skipping the exercise altogether.

2. Deadlift – This workout is pretty simple, you just lift the weight. This is a great workout for the legs and back, but there are some downsides. First off, it is imperative that you perform this exercise correctly with correct form. If you are ever getting lazy or feel that you are having an off day, simply skip this exercise and do something else for your back. The deadlift can do serious injury to your back if you perform it incorrectly.

3. Power clean or clean and jerk – This exercise is a true test of strength for your entire body. It basically incorporates the deadlift, squat and shoulder press. This is an exercise that I don’t put in most of my workouts, mostly because it is too hard to do. You often see it performed in the Olympics. The exercise involves starting with the bar on the ground (with weight), deadlifting it up to the neck. You are then supposed to lift it over your head. Some people go as far as lowering it to the back of their neck and doing a squat before reversing the process. Some people do this and then just drop it at the when they put their arms up for a second or two. This is a workout for somebody who is advanced, and I wouldn’t recommend it for those just looking to gain a few pounds of muscle.

So that’s it. Those are the primary lower body core workout. Squats and deadlifts will probably be used a lot, and I recommend learning how to perform them with good form.

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