The Tribune

By Ray Ferguson

Let’s be honest, for a man legs are one of the hardest and most gruelling body parts to train intensely. And because men can go through their entire life not showing their legs, it’s the easiest training day to skip. Many men tend to focus on the “mirror muscles” like chest, arms and shoulders, and ultimately suffer overall because of it. Training legs has many benefits that go far beyond the scope of aesthetics.

Let’s start with the overall symmetry dilemma. Guys, if your upper body is larger than your lower body, you are going to look disproportional. Walking around with a tank top and shorts will make you look top heavy; or do you really want to be the 180-pound ripped guy with a “thigh gap”?

For an athletic performance, a bigger deadlift and a a squat clean (a composite lift consisting of a power clean followed by a front squat) will translate to running faster and jumping higher, and you will also strengthen you knee, hip and ankle joints from safe and proper leg training.

How about burning fat and overall fat loss?

Working your legs with compound and multi-joint movements, burns more fat that working arms, chest and shoulders combined. Not to mention the body’s hormonal response to working legs forces an increase in testosterone release that automatically aids to increasing the overall size of strength of the upper body.

Yes, the “mirror muscles” benefit greatly from lower body training. The bigger the muscle worked, and the bigger the movement, the greater the testosterone hormonal response.

As an added benefit, did you know that resistance training and weight-bearing exercises are critical for the prevention and management of osteoporosis and arthritis? Exercises like front squats, calf-raises and stiff-legged dead lifts help to keep bones and joints healthy later in life, and if you have been diagnosed with arthritis or the like, consult with your doctor and a certified personal trainer before starting a routine.

• Ray Ferguson is a certified personal trainer at Club One Fitness. His motto is: “If it does not challenge the body, it does not change the body.”

He is also certified as a strength and conditioning specialist, in Tabata training, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and in TRX training.