I recently wrote an article for New! Magazine and S Magazine (the Sunday Express supplement on how many of us have got lazy legs during lockdown – and offered tips on how to put some strength back in your stride.
Plenty of health research points to the fact that people with strong legs tend to live longer. That’s most likely because – if your legs are fit – you’re better equipped to keep mobile and physically active as you age.
Remarkably, researchers at King’s College London also found that leg strength is linked with healthy brain ageing. In a 10 year study of 324 female twins, the twin with more leg strength maintained her mental abilities better and had fewer brain changes associated with ageing.
Step one: Get flexible!
Stiff legs limit your range of movement, so first up, do some stretching to elongate muscles and tendons and get yourself ready for exercise says Tim Allardyce, sports physiotherapist and osteopath at www.surreyphysio.co.uk. “The hamstrings – at the back of the thigh – are particularly prone to shortening in sedentary people,” he says. “Perform this move twice a day: place one foot on a chair and gently push your knee downwards, feeling the stretch at the back of the thigh. Hold for 30 seconds, and repeat each side.”
Step two: Don’t just sit there!
Incorporating more movement into your everyday life is crucial for healthy legs. Stroll to the shops and swap car journeys with brisk walks instead.
Step three: Work on your balance
“Good balance is crucial for sports performance and in later life when we are more prone to falls,” says Tim. “Improving balance can be as easy as standing on one leg for 2 minutes per day on each leg. You’ll notice your butt muscles, calves, hamstrings and quads aching as they support your body.” Calf raises are also effective – and easy to incorporate in to your day, whether standing in a queue or waiting for the kettle to boil. Simply stand up straight then raise your heels until you’re standing on your toes, hold the position for five seconds, then slowly lower your heels back to the start. Challenge your balance even more by trying single leg calf raises. The added bonus of these balancing exercises is that you’re strengthening your calf muscles, too.
Step four: Strength training
Good muscle strength in our legs is vital for almost everything we do daily – including lifting, shopping and gardening says Tim. “Improving strength is simply about putting the muscles under load, so any kind of resistance or body weight exercise – such as a squat – is good,” he explains. ”Stand with feet shoulder width apart, then bend your knees and slowly drop your bottom towards the floor, as if you were about to sit in a chair. Go down as far as feels comfortable. Repeat eight times, and do three sets per day. To make the exercise harder, hold a weight to your chest or squat on one leg at a time.”
Another great leg strengthener is the lunge, says Zack George, CrossFit Athlete and voted Fittest Man in the UK 2020 (@zackgeorge). “It works a variety of leg muscle groups including the gluteus maximus (the largest muscle of the buttocks), the hamstrings and quadriceps at the front of the thigh,” he explains. “It also engages the stabilising muscles in your core, lower back and calves – a nice added extra!” From standing straight, simply step forward on one leg, then lower your hips, dropping your body down as you bend your knees. Your front knee should be above your ankle, not pushed out any further. Return to the start position, lunge downwards ten times, then repeat with the opposite leg forward.
Step five: Build endurance:
“Getting our legs fitter means improving endurance – their ability to hold a position or repetitions of a position for a sustained period,” says Tim. “Legs need endurance for everything from hiking to simply standing for long periods.
A plank is a good endurance exercise to do regularly as it strengthens your glutes (buttock muscles), core and shoulders.” Lying on your stomach with your forearms supporting your upper body, lift your hips off the ground, holding your body up with your toes. “Hold the plank for 30 seconds,” says Tim. To exercise even more leg muscles, add leg lifts to your plank. Simply raise your right leg, hold for a second, then lower it and alternate with your left leg through the 30 seconds.
Step six: Improve co-ordination:
“This can help prevent falls, and make our muscles work more efficiently,” says Tim. “Our co-ordination is generally developed when we carry out different activities or play sports such as tennis or football, something we’ve been less able to do during COVID. A good co-ordination exercise is a multi-directional hop. Stand on a spot, and on one leg, hop forwards, then back to the spot. Then change direction, hopping backwards, then side-ways. Repeat 2 hops in all directions.”
Step seven: Improve cardiovascular endurance
Any kind of aerobic exercise, such as swimming, cycling, power walking or jogging is good for our legs (and our heart). At home or in the garden, try making up your own ‘cardio circuit.’ Alternate 60 seconds each of marching on the spot, skipping with rope and some squat jumps. From a squat position, jump as high as you can, landing softly back into a squat, taking care to protect your joints.
Step eight: Speed up
“If your legs are used to moving slowly – usually from the kitchen to the sofa, and back again – you need to get them up to speed, training your muscles to contract and relax faster,” says Tim. “ Short, fast bouts of activity are good. Try a high-knee jog on the spot, and repeat as many repetitions in 30 seconds as possible. This will pump the legs and get muscles used to working fast.”
Photos by Bruno Nascimento Elisabeth Wales and nextbike on Unsplash