Margaret Colin
Claire McCarron
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Episode Guide
- 1. Pilot Oct 3, 1987
- Claire tries to extract payment from a client, then he is murdered.
- 2. Things That Go Bump in the Night Oct 10, 1987
- Claire believes jealousy and revenge prompted an attempt on the life of a mobster.
- 3. The Best Couple I Know Oct 17, 1987
- Claire gets disturbing news about a friend's husband.
People also ask
What are the benefits of leg work?
What is an example of "legwork?"
How can leg work be used to improve strength and mobility?
What are the best leg exercises?
The meaning of LEGWORK is active physical work (as in gathering information) that forms the basis of more creative or mentally exacting work (such as writing a book). How to use legwork in a sentence.
- Overview
- Movement patterns in a good leg workout
- How many sets and reps should you do in your leg workout?
- How many times per week should you work legs?
- How to warm up and cool down properly
- Exercises for your leg workout
- The bottom line
Certain exercises, including squats and deadlifts, may help strengthen and tone your legs. Increasing sets and reps may help.
Strong legs do more than look good. Even the simplest daily movements like walking require leg strength. This means that incorporating leg workouts into your routine is integral to your health.
But you may wonder where to begin.
Whether you’re working out at home pandemic-style or back at the gym sweating it out, creating an effective leg workout doesn’t have to be complicated. Let’s dive in.
When it comes to designing an effective leg workout, simpler is better. The basic lower body movements — squats, hip hinges (deadlifts), and lunges — should comprise the majority of your programming.
These movements inherently focus on the major muscle groups of the legs: the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Once you master these movements, there are plenty of variations and ways to progress that will keep you challenged.
When designing your leg workout, here’s an easy way to break it down: Start with a squat movement, then move to a hip-hinge movement, then add in your single-leg movements.
As a beginner looking to increase general fitness — and following the theme of keeping things simple — choose 3–5 exercises per leg workout. Then complete 3 sets of 8–12 reps of each exercise, ensuring that you’re working your muscles to fatigue but not failure (1).
Why no more than 5 exercises? You’ll be able to focus on those integral movements, performing at your peak. If your workouts get too long, they can be unproductive.
Recent research suggests that when trying to maximize muscle growth, there’s not much difference between training the major muscle groups one time per week versus three times per week (3).
What makes the most difference in muscle growth is resistance training volume, meaning how many sets and reps you’re completing. Higher volume sessions (say, 3 sets of 12 reps, or even 4 sets of 8 reps) tend to produce better results than working the same muscle group multiple times in a week (4).
Summary
Simpler is better for leg workouts. Stick with the basic movements — squats, hip hinges, and lunges — and stick with 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise.
An effective workout isn’t complete without a proper warmup and cooldown.
For your warmup, aim to start with 5 minutes of light cardio to get your heart rate up and blood flowing. If you have time, hop on the foam roller for 5 minutes of soft-tissue release.
Then, dive into a dynamic stretching routine, with movements like leg swings, hip openers, bodyweight squats, and lunges.
After your workout is a good time to complete a more in-depth stretching routine.
Summary
Warm up with some light cardio, foam rolling, and a quick dynamic stretching routine. Cool down with a nice stretch.
1. Back squat
Target your posterior chain — or the back of your body, including the glutes and hamstrings — with a back squat. How to perform: 1.Load a barbell on your traps and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your gaze should be ahead, your chest should be proud, and your toes should be pointed slightly out. 2.Sit back into your hips, bend your knees, and drop down toward the floor. Ensure that your knees move slightly out, and do not collapse in. 3.Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground — or as far down as your mobility allows — then push back up to the starting position.
2. Front squat
Target the front of your body — especially your quads — with a front squat. How to perform: 1.Load a barbell onto the front of your shoulders, hooking your fingers in an underhand grip on either side of your shoulders to support it. Push your elbows up and keep your gaze ahead. 2.Sit back into your hips, bend your knees, and lower down toward the floor. Ensure that your knees track out and your chest stays proud, resisting the pull to fall forward. 3.Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground — or as far down as your mobility allows — then push back up to the starting position.
3. Romanian deadlift
Build your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, as well as mobility in your hips, with a Romanian deadlift. How to perform: 1.Hold a barbell or one dumbbell in each hand. Keep your back straight and your gaze straight throughout the movement. 2.Begin to hinge forward at your hips, lowering your weight toward the ground with a slight bend in your knees. Allow the weights to closely follow the line of your legs, and lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. 3.Pause, then drive your hips forward to stand up, allowing your glutes to power the movement.
Keeping things simple when designing a leg workout is the most effective approach, especially for beginners. Choose 3–5 exercises, do them well, and watch your leg strength increase.
- Andrew Gutman
- Back Squat. Squat rack, barbell, plates, lifting belt (optional), weightlifting shoes (optional) Quads, glutes, core, lower back.
- Front Squat. Barbell, weight plates, squat rack, wrist wraps (optional), weightlifting shoes (optional) Quads, core, glutes, upper back.
- Bulgarian Split Squat. Weight bench, dumbbells (optional), barbell (optional), weightlifting shoes (optional) Quads, glutes, core.
- Leg Press. Leg press machine, weightlifting shoes (optional) Quads, glutes. 4 x 10-12. There is perhaps no better leg exercise for mass than the good old fashioned leg press.
- Squats. Squats strengthen the quads, hamstrings, glutes and lower back, improve overall leg and core strength, and help with balance and stability. How to do it
- Lunges. Lunges strengthen the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calf muscles in addition to improving balance, stability and core strength. How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
- Deadlifts. Deadlifts work the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and core. They can improve overall leg and core strength, as well as enhance balance and stability.
- Step-Ups. Step-ups work the quads, glutes and hamstrings. They can also improve balance, stability and overall leg strength and mimic important activities of daily living, such as navigating stairs.
- Barbell Back Squat. Why it's on the list: Squats are king because they're the most challenging leg movement you can do. They work all the lower-body musculature and have been shown to spike muscle-building hormone release.
- Barbell Front Squat. Why it's on the list: Shifting the bar from the back to the front of the body changes your squat dramatically. Front squats emphasize the quads over the glutes and hams, which means you'll sacrifice some of the load.
- Olympic Lifts: Snatch and Power Clean. Why it's on the list: Movements like snatches and power cleans take some serious dedication and technique to master, but they can be unrivaled when you are trying to improve jumping power for sports or even squat strength.
- Deadlift. Why it's on the list: Deadlift variations are rightfully considered whole-body exercises, specifically for the posterior chain. But research has shown that along with the hamstrings and glutes, they definitely hit the quads, as well—especially if you pull with a wider or sumo-style stance.
Jan 4, 2023 · These leg exercises at home will allow you to work your hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves without any equipment.
Dec 21, 2023 · What workout to do AFTER leg day? (5 ideas for active recovery) What’s the best day for leg day? (When to schedule leg day) Let’s hop to it! Jumping would also be a great leg workout! The 20-minute Nerd Fitness Leg Day Workout. To get started with our Leg Day Workout, warm up with 1-2 minutes of leg swings and marching in place.
