Came a question from a “Silver Era Secrets” client who shall remain anonymous:
“Bit random Phil, but what do meat heads mean when they say ‘don’t skip leg day’?”
My response, reproduced with kind permission:
===
“A good question.
Legs are far and away the most neglected body part — even by those who otherwise take weightlifting very seriously.
This causes all sorts of problems, most notably:
* A well-developed upper body balanced precariously on a pair of chicken legs,
* Muscular imbalances that can precipitate injury (particularly to the lower back),
* Little or no attitude adjustment from training, as the most difficult and uncomfortable thing (leg training) is avoided,
* Severely limited results potential (both aesthetics and performance) as the body is deprived of the most efficient and effective exercises for building muscle and strength.
Hence the “don’t skip leg day” meme.
However.
It’s important we understand what proper leg training actually is.
A lot of guys will go to the gym and do some leg presses, leg curls, and leg extensions; maybe supplemented by some single leg squats so they can LARP how they believe an athlete trains.
This is passable, if that’s genuinely all they can do due to some injury or other, although I think their time is better invested in getting healthy enough to engage in the exercises that actually move the needle.
Namely:
* Squats (ideally barbell front and/or back squats, but dumbbell variations are fine in the first instance), and,
* Deadlifts (regular, sumo, stiff-legged, Romanian — all have their place and are worth pursuing at various times, again, ideally barbell but dumbbell variations will do if they must).
Finally, the concept of a “leg day” comes from split routine-style training, where you have a separate workout for each body part. (e.g. Monday is chest, Tuesday is legs, Wednesday is arms, Thursday is shoulders, and Friday is back with Saturday and Sundays off).
I don’t recommend this style of training in general because a full body approach is more efficient and effective for natural trainees, particularly beginners and people who don’t want to devote their every waking moment to the pursuit of health and fitness. Fewer days in the gym lifting also leaves more time for cardio, which is almost always neglected by guys running 4, 5, or 6 day body part splits. (Not because they’re lazy, they often just don’t have the time).
I do, however, always recommend people do squats and hinges (which is invariably some form of deadlift, unless the trainee opts for good mornings), we just do one of each every workout, rather than cramming them (plus a bunch of junk exercises) into a single session.”
===
Some important learnings in there, for those with eyes to see them.
Another thing that is jam-packed from start to finish with learnings that, if you are overweight, could, and I am not being hyperbolic, save you from offering your leg in tribute to Lord Beetus or even joining the cloud of witnesses before your time, is my latest work:
“The Weight Loss Manifesto”.
Which is available to pre-order for £10.
I have decided to close the pre-order window on Sunday the 14th of July at 23:59.
The price will go up after that. Probably not by much, but it will go up somewhat; so I’d get to pre-ordering now, if you decide “The Weight Loss Manifesto” is right for you and you would like to get it for the best possible price.
https://philtyreman.co.uk/manifesto
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman