Sculpting your legs

The Fifa 2010 World Cup is underway and even though some players are better than others, there is one thing every player has in common – strong legs! Have you seen how powerful and sculpted the players’ legs are?! They all have immaculate bottom halves. But you too can have soccer legs. It’s simple, just perform these 5 leg exercises (3 sets per exercise for 10 – 15 reps) once a week and you’ll attain Cannavaro-like legs.

1. Squats: Before you sculpt your quads, calves and butt, you need to pack on some muscle. And the best way to pack on leg muscle is to perform squats. Rest a weighted barbell on your shoulders and back of your neck, look forward, keep your back straight and slowly squat the bar. Lower the bar down so that your legs are at a 90 degree angle and then stand back up. Hold the position for 1 second at the bottom of the squat and then 1 second at the top.

2. Dead-lifts: To get strong legs, you need to have a strong lower back. The dead-lift is the perfect exercise to strengthen your lower back and legs. Stand over a weighted barbell, bend down, grip the bar with an over-handed or hockey style grip at shoulder width apart, keep your back straight and bring the bar up to your waist as you stand back up. Hold for 2 seconds and then slowly lower the bar back down to the ground. When you lower the bar, keep it as close to your legs as possible – follow your leg line. Rest for a second and then lift the bar again.

3. Weighted lunges: This exercise targets every part of your legs. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, step forward with one leg and then lower your other leg down to the ground. Once your knee touches the ground, pull your front leg back to the initial position and stand. Then, step forward with the other leg and continue the movement. Continue rotating legs until you get at least 10 steps per leg.

4. Weighted stand-ups: This exercise not only targets every part of your legs, but it also targets your core as you need to engage your abs for balance. Stand in front of a bench or 24 inch platform with a dumbbell in each hand. Put one foot on the platform or bench and then stand up, bringing your other leg up to the platform. Stand on top of the platform for a second then jump back down. Rotate legs and continue the movement until you reach 10 reps per leg.

5. Interval sprints: This exercise works your legs and gives you a great cardio workout. It’s a simple exercise and it can be done anywhere. Go to a park, field, or even your backyard (if it’s big enough) and just sprint! Sprint hard for 10-15 seconds, then walk or lightly jog back to your starting point. Wait a few seconds and then sprint again. Sprinting is an explosive movement that targets all those little muscles in your legs that are hard to engage in the gym. Soccer players do sprints at all their practices and it’s the reason why they are all so fit.

There you have it, 5 leg exercises that will help you sculpt perfect legs. Skip the leg machines (leg press, quad extensions, etc.) and just focus on these compound movements. You’ll be sore for a few days but you’ve heard it before, “no pain, no gain.”

Leave a comment if you have any questions.

Post-workout nutrition

Whether you’re trying to add muscle or just trying to ‘lean up,' you need to eat right after a workout. Besides breakfast, your post-workout meal is your most important meal of the day. Why is that you ask? Well, it’s simple; during a workout you literally tear and break down muscle. They are put under strain, regardless if you train heavy or you light. Your now torn muscles need fuel to rebuild and grow. You can’t expect to gain muscle if you aren’t refuelling your body properly. Everyone knows that protein builds muscle, but it’s not that easy. Protein needs some help from two types of carbs in order to properly rebuild muscle.

After a workout you need to take in a good amount of simple carbs, protein and complex carbs (and in this order). Below are the 3 most important types of foods/drinks your body needs after a workout:

1. Simple carbs

These sources are also referred to as simple sugar foods or drinks. Fruits and juices are the best sources of simple carbs and when consumed with a protein shake, can lead to positive muscle growth. Eat a banana or drink a glass of orange juice, along with a scoop of protein powder, right after a workout to get nutrients to your muscles quickly. And don’t worry about taking in these natural sugars after a workout. Your body has just been shocked and craves new sources of energy and nutrients. Simple sugars ingested right after a workout will be used immediately by your body to help restore lost energy. They cause an insulin spike that will help move nutrients to your muscles quickly.

2. Protein

Consume anywhere from 20 to 50 grams of protein right after your workout, depending on your body size. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle growth. But protein alone won’t help build muscle. Simply put, you need ‘cement’ (carbs) for the ‘bricks’ (protein) to help build the ‘house’ (body). The simple carbs should be consumed at the same time as the protein. Because simple carbs are easily and quickly digested, they allow the protein to rapidly become digested and absorbed by your body. They help carry the protein to your damaged muscles so that they can regenerate as quickly as possible. The quickest dissolving protein is found in any protein powder shake. A scoop of whey protein (concentrate or isolate) is the best form of protein you should consume immediately after a workout.


3. Complex carbs

You should consume anywhere from 30 – 60 grams of complex carbs an hour or two after your workout. Complex carbs will enable the protein to reach your muscles and continually rebuild what was damaged during the workout. These carbs will enable your body to restore lost muscle glycogen. If you don’t eat carbs after a workout your body will actually use muscle tissue to repair itself; counter-productive to say the least. These carbs should make up the bulk of your post-workout meal. You can schedule your workout right before lunch or dinner so that you optimize your regular meal timing. Although this meal calls for complex carbs, you should still add some lean protein to the mix.

Here are a few good examples of complex carbs:

- Baked potato
- Sweet potato
- Yams
- Whole wheat bread and cereals
- Oatmeal
- Whole wheat pasta
- Beans and legumes

Your post-workout meal doesn’t just help restore lost energy sources and repair muscle, it also helps your body get ready for your next workout. Simply put, it’s crucial to eat right after a good workout.

Again, message me if you have any questions!