Sitting almost as harmful as smoking
Sport And Fitness / / December 19, 2019
Popular in recent years, the idea - to work standing up, in spite of the criticism, still has a positive side. The standing metabolic rate is higher than when you sit: calorie consumption of about one and a half times more. In addition, prolonged sitting increases the risk of many diseases and leads to numbness and muscle atrophy.
Mark Hamilton
Perhaps Hamilton was exaggerating. However it is appalling the fact that many people let their feet, and then all over the body, turn to mush.
What happens to the legs during activity
Using electromyography (EMG) can be analyzed footwork during various activities: walking, running, jumps, climbs on tiptoes. Electronic skeletal muscle activity is recorded according to the difference of bioelectrical potentials and is recorded as a curve, as in the usual electrocardiogram (ECG). When it comes to heart, with a horizontal line doctors begin resuscitation. In the case of the legs there is such a line, when you sit. But one has only to stand up again and legs begin to show signs of life.
You can not feel a special fatigue, but when the feet support the entire weight of the body, every muscle isometrically reduced. A couple of hours spent on their feet, equivalent to race at 3 km for newbies.
How genetics affects the length and volume of the legs
To date, it is believed that length feet depends largely on genetics. In general, women are slightly more long-legged than men: the average length of the legs in women aged 18-45 years is about 45% growth, while for men the same figure is 44%.
Another thing - the volume of the leg muscles. How graceful are your feet, it depends not only on genetics but also on how you use them every day. ABOUT diets, Exercise, lifestyle, talk later. To begin with, a small excursion into the anatomy of the feet.
Among the muscles of the legs are four main:
- quadriceps - participates in the extension leg and hip flexion;
- hamstrings - provides flexion and rotation of the tibia;
- anterior and posterior tibial muscle - are responsible for the movement of the foot;
- lower leg muscle - gastrocnemius and soleus are responsible for flexing the foot and body stabilization while driving.
But the size and composition of the different muscles in humans.
In more human body "sharpened" for work requiring high endurance, and not speed. The reason for this, according to Professor Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biology (Daniel Lieberman), lies in the fact that at the feet of most of us is dominated by slow-twitch fibers. Even the fastest of the people - not the best sprinters of the animal world. Speed Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt (Usain Bolt) 2.5 times lower rate cheetahs.
At the same time the percentage of fast-twitch fibers in the quadriceps can vary - from 10 to 90%.
Many women are afraid to increase the volume of feet that avoid strength training at all. But bulky hip - primarily the result of excess body fat, not muscle. Plus, excess fat leads to the fact that the legs become weak and accumulate even more fat. It's like a snowball.
Vonda Wright (Vonda Wright)
Problems of women's feet
women's the body tends to accumulate fat reserves in the region from the waist to the knees. To do this, nature has its own reasons: to provide the body a reserve for a possible pregnancy. Even if the type of your figure - not "pear".
In addition to excess fat on the hips, many women are more familiar with another problem. When in the subcutaneous fat layer violations occur, the legs become similar to orange peel. Although the medical community is still no consensus on the causes of cellulite development, irrefutable fact It is that exercises for the legs help to improve the metabolic processes in tissues, reduce the amount of fat and the outer leg appearance generally.
Effect of strength training on the external appearance of legs
Melissa Roth (Melissa Roth), the author of the original article, decided to experiment. Despite the fear of pump feet like Schwarzenegger, it has incorporated into its training program for dozens of squats and lunges, and climbs the stairs and veloaerobiku (spinning). Subsequently, the study of the feet showed that the amount of fat in 4 weeks decreased by 10 percent. After 8 weeks of training and diet (1500 kcal per day), decreased volume of the hips about size.
The main thing is that research has shown - as a result of a combination of diet and exercise did not decrease the amount of muscle tissue as it would be a means of weight loss diet alone.
Squats, lunges, climbs the stairs and veloaerobika not only lead to an increase in the volume of the legs, but also improves their structure - the proportion of fat is reduced and muscle increases.
Another myth among women: training of the lower leg ankle will make less graceful.
In fact, the area between the ankles and calves - this is not a muscle and Achilles tendon, Which connects the two parts. In some women, the transition in this area more pronounced, others - calf is not so sharp moves in the ankle. But the tendon is not increased as a result of exercise. Its shape and volume depend only on genetics. In general, the thickness of this region - quite a subjective thing. Look at the models, whose feet are like sticks without significant transition from the lower leg in the ankle.
If you want to become the owner of fine legs, including your ankles, your choice - a combination of diet, cardio and strength training.
Strong and durable legs - the path to harmony as a whole: they facilitate all kinds of physical activity during the day. You become more mobile and burn more calories. Studies show that there is a connection between the deduction of the weight lost after dieting and strong legs. And statistics show that the volume of the thighs of women is reduced if they lead an active lifestyle.
A few ideas for the slender legs
- 100 sit-ups for beautiful legs and taut priests.
- Killer workout for the legs.
- Exercises for the feet of Men's Health.
- Beach workout for the legs and the press.
- Exercises with massage roller leg.