Help. This Leg Workout Is Too Hard.

“I don’t do pain.”  Cathy Best Gordon CPT

Back when I was a chubby kid, my family became concerned about my weight.  My pediatrician put me on a calorie counting diet, and my Mom and Dad put me on swim team.

It was a nightmare.  The diet left me hungry all the time, and my terrible form and lack of stamina literally made swim practice feel like torture.  One of the best parts of being over fifty is the fact that nobody, and I mean nobody, can push me to the point of pain anymore.

That being said, I adore being active.  As a working dancer and choreographer in  musical theatre, I need to continue to develop my strength, agility, and flexibility.  In addition, I like the look of nicely defined legs.  Many of my training clients want a tighter leaner look as well, but many of the exercises that deliver are incredibly hard on the knees.

The solution is to find movements that develop leaner legs without pain.

Just a few days ago, the American Council on Exercise, the organization that certified me as a personal trainer, delivered a bodyweight leg session to my in box.  The session certainly looked effective, but it had single leg work, followed by walking lunges, followed by jumping lunges, and that was just the first round.  I might use the first two exercises in a plan for an experienced client with no knee issues, but even I don’t have the knees to jump right after walking lunges.

So what can we do instead?

Warm up with gentle high knees, butt kickers, standing cross crawls, and leg swings.

The following exercises will make up a leg training session that lasts a maximum of 20 minutes.

Round One

Alternating Side Lunges: 30 Seconds

Alternating T-Bends: 30 Seconds

Body Weight Squat: 30 Seconds

Rest 30 seconds between circuits and do up to 4 rounds.

Round Two:

Regular Squat Hold: 20 Seconds

Heel Raises in Second Position: 30 Seconds

Pulsing Pulsing Plie’ Squat 30 Seconds

Rest 30 seconds between circuits, and do up to 4 rounds.

You may be a bit sore for the next day or so, and that’s fine.  What I don’t want is for you to have trouble walking for a week.  I want our training to be life enhancing, not a painful burden.

For a complete fitness training plan, designed around your abilities, equipment, and goals, contact me:

catherine@sugarfreedom.com