Not wanting to look like a gym bro, but want to make sure your legs are toned? Your quads are a great place to start! Let’s jump in!

What are your quadriceps? 

The quadriceps, also known as the "quads," are a group of muscles in the front of the thigh. 

They consist of four distinct muscles: the rectus femoris, the vastus lateralis, the vastus intermedius, and the vastus medialis.These muscles are responsible for extending and straightening the knee joint. Strengthening your quads can help improve your athletic performance, prevent injuries, and improve your overall physical health.

How can you strengthen your quadriceps?

• Squats

1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, then lower your body as if you were sitting back into a chair.

2. Keep your back straight and your knees in line with your toes - creating a 90 degree angle.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat.

    

Too easy? Try:

• Adding weight: Adding weight to your squats can increase the resistance and make the exercise more challenging. You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell, or a weighted vest to add resistance.
• Increasing reps and sets: If you're not ready to add weight, you can increase the number of reps and sets you do. For example, instead of doing three sets of 10 reps, you could do four sets of 12 reps.
• Changing the tempo: Slowing down the tempo of your squats can make the exercise more challenging. You could try slowing down the lowering phase, holding the bottom position for a few seconds, and then pushing up quickly.
• Adding a pause at the bottom: Adding a pause at the bottom of your squat can increase the time under tension and make the exercise more challenging. Try holding the bottom position for two to three seconds before pushing back up.
• Changing the type of squat: There are many variations of the squat that can make the exercise more challenging. For example, you could try a front squat, a single-leg squat, or a Bulgarian split squat.
• Increasing the range of motion: If you're comfortable with a standard squat, you could try increasing the range of motion by squatting deeper or elevating your heels.

Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

• Lunges

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then take a step forward with one foot, lowering your body until your back knee is just above the ground.

2. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Too easy? Try:

• Adding weight: Just like with squats, adding weight to your lunges can make the exercise more challenging. You can hold dumbbells in each hand or wear a weighted vest to add resistance.
• Increasing the range of motion: You can increase the range of motion by stepping forward into a deeper lunge or stepping backward into a reverse lunge.
• Walking lunges: Walking lunges involve taking steps forward with each lunge, which requires more balance and stability than stationary lunges.
• Adding a plyometric component: Adding a jump or explosive movement to your lunges can increase the intensity of the exercise. For example, you could do jumping lunges or switch lunges.
• Holding a static lunge: Instead of stepping forward or backward with each lunge, hold a static lunge position for a set amount of time before switching legs. This will increase the time under tension and make the exercise more challenging.
• Doing Bulgarian split squats: Bulgarian split squats are similar to lunges but require more balance and stability. They involve placing one foot behind you on a bench or step and lowering down into a lunge position with the other leg.

Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

• Step-Ups

1. Start by standing in front of a bench or step, then step up onto the bench with one foot.

2. Lower your body back down and repeat with the other foot.

Too easy? Try:

• Adding weight: Just like with lunges and squats, adding weight to your step-ups can make the exercise more challenging. You can hold dumbbells in each hand, wear a weighted vest, or use a barbell across your shoulders.
• Increasing the height of the step: Using a higher step can increase the intensity of the exercise. Just make sure the step is stable and secure before stepping up.
• Doing step-up jumps: Step-up jumps involve explosively jumping up onto the step with both feet, then stepping back down. This can increase the intensity of the exercise and provide a cardiovascular challenge.
• Adding a knee raise: Adding a knee raise to your step-ups can increase the difficulty of the exercise and work your core. After stepping up onto the step, lift your opposite knee up towards your chest before stepping back down.
• Doing single-leg step-ups: Performing step-ups on one leg at a time can increase the challenge and work on balance and stability. Make sure to perform an equal number of reps on each leg.
• Doing a lateral step-up: Lateral step-ups involve stepping sideways onto the step instead of stepping forward. This can increase the challenge and work on different muscles.

Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

If you do have a leg press machine, leg presses are another great way to strengthen your quads! To properly execute a leg press, sit on the leg press machine with your foot on the footplate, then press the weight away from your body using your quads. Be sure to keep your back flat against the seat and your knees in line with your toes creating a 90 degree angle! 

Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

Why is it important to strengthen your quadriceps?

Strengthening your quadriceps muscles (quads) can provide a number of benefits for your overall health and fitness.  Why would you not want to improve your functional movement? Enhance sports performance? Prevent knee injuries and maybe reduce knee pain? How about improving balance and stability?

The quads are involved in many movements that we do every day, such as walking, climbing stairs, and getting up from a seated position. Through strengthening your quads, it can help alleviate knee pain caused by conditions such as osteoarthritis or patellofemoral pain syndrome. It can also help stabilize your knee joint and can help prevent knee injuries such as ACL tears and meniscus injuries. If you struggle with balance and stability, strong quads will help reduce the risk of falls.

Overall, strengthening your quads can provide numerous benefits for your health and fitness. It's important to incorporate exercises that target the quads into your fitness routine to achieve these benefits. 

If you want to read more of our Body Focus Articles see below:

Glutes

Lower Back

Hip Flexor

Are you wanting to strengthen your quads and so much more? Please reach out to Body Renovation Fitness Center. Our experts specialize in personal training and nutrition plans to meet your every goal! Feel free to schedule a free evaluation at our website or give us a call at 214-368-3539.

Who says you have to eat unhealthy food at a Super Bowl party? Yes, is it normal to grab chips and dip and take it easily to a Super Bowl party? ABSOLUTELY! In fact, the number one most consumed food during the Super Bowl is chicken wings followed by pizza and chips and dip.

What about all those healthy choices you have been making leading up to the big game? Or maybe that New Year’s Resolution that is still going on strong? You can still get your fixes on these foods without going over the top and blowing everything you have been working towards. 

Here is how:

 - Instead of Queso go for Guacamole 

This swap is an easy one. Guacamole is the healthier option for a multitude of reasons. It is made with fresh ingredients such as avocado, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro while queso is made with processed cheese.

Additionally, avocados are nutrient dense due to their high vitamin D levels, high fiber content, minerals, and phytonutrients. When looking at fat, some may say that avocados are high in fat. Yes, they are but it is a monounsaturated fat that aids brain function and health while being great for your heart and may aid in lowering your risk of heart disease.

So, reach for the guac over the queso, and your brain and heart will thank you later!

- Instead of Chips go for the Veggie Tray

Many people find themselves reaching for the chips not because they like the taste of them, but rather because they craving of crunch or salt. Let’s break that mindset and get some vitamins while craving the crunch!

For Super Bowl, many pair their chips with dips, and an easy switch to still get that crunch with the dip is by using veggies as the base! A major upside to switching to veggies instead of chips is that they usually won’t break in the dip. Win-win situation.

Some of our favorite choices include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, and zucchini rounds!

- Instead of Fried Chicken Wings go for Oven Baked Chicken Wings

Chicken wings in themselves are not bad, but how they are prepared is where it gets dicey. Once fried and battered, the nutrition shifts from healthy to unhealthy.  

If you are still craving wings for the big game, there are healthy ways around it! Let’s dive in!! The increase in sugar, carbs, fat, and sodium shows up when you add dipping sauces and the hidden calories in the batter. Monitoring how much sauce you intake as well as refraining from deep frying them is key. Regarding the batter, switch from flour-based wet batter to dry seasoning and baking or air-frying them.

Need a recipe to get started? Click here. 

Some of our favorite healthy game day recipes also include:

• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Air Fryer Loaded Zucchini Skins
• Bunless Burger Bites
• Zucchini Pizza Bites
• Jalapeno Popper Crisps

Now after the Super Bowl, if you are looking to hit your weight loss goals with a focus on nutrition with an addition of a more personalized workout plan? Please reach out to Body Renovation Fitness Center. Our experts specialize in personal training and nutrition plans to meet your every goal! Feel free to schedule a free evaluation at our website or give us a call at 214-368-3539.

Strengthening your body is extremely important! Let’s talk about a smaller muscle that controls the majority of your movement: the hip flexor! 

What is Your Hip Flexor?

Hip flexors help your body move every day! The simple movements of stepping, squatting and sitting are all controlled by your hip flexors. That being said, everytime you are tight while doing any of these simple movements, your hip flexors are the culprit!

They are located at the front of your body. Consisting of two muscles, the Psoas and Iliacus which attach to the lumbar spine, pelvis and femur. Sitting for long periods of time can cause your hip flexors to become tight.

How can you strengthen your hip flexor muscles?

Let’s walk through 2 different movements that will help strengthen your hip flexors:

1. Supine Hip Flexor Activation

For this exercise, lay on your back with one of your knees bent in at a right angle, the opposite leg straight, and a neutral spine.

1. Your thigh should be positioned so your hip is just past a 90 degree angle toward your chest.

2. Begin to contract your deep hip flexors by lightly driving your straight leg towards your chest. This will lift your foot away from the ground.

3. At the same time, your other leg should be counteracting the motion by straightening and pressing down hard into the ground while keeping your back straight.

4. Hold for 3 seconds and then release to the starting position.

5. Perform 5-10 repetitions for 1-3 sets per leg or until fatigued.

Need a little help executing this movement? Watch this video.

2. Psoas March

For this exercise, lay on your back with your knees bent in at a right

angle and a neutral spine.

1. Wrap a tension band around your feet, keeping tension throughout the exercise.

2. Extend one leg and slowly bring the leg back,then repeat on the other side.

3. Complete 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions. 

Need a little help executing this movement? Watch this video.

Why is it important to strengthen your hip flexor muscles?

Now that you know what hip flexors are and ways to strengthen them, let's talk about what it is important to strengthen them! 

One of the main reasons it is important to strengthen your hip flexors is to alleviate tight and weak hip flexors which can cause lower back pain, hip pain, and even injury! This helps cut down on hip replacements and hip arthroscopy which is a procedure used to diagnose joint issues. 

Just by working a few minutes a day on your hip flexors, it will help diminish the possibility of getting hurt while doing simple movements such as lifting, pushing and pulling and potentially having to have a surgery!

Wanting to strengthen your hip flexors and so much more? Please reach out to Body Renovation Fitness Center. Our experts specialize in personal training and nutrition plans to meet your every goal! Feel free to schedule a free evaluation at our website or give us a call at 214-368-3539.

Many may see the word glutes and automatically think of the Kardashians, but what about the actual muscle that you can strengthen yourself! The gluteal muscles are the strongest muscles in your body and have many different functions, so let’s dive in!

What are your Glutes?

The gluteal muscles, often called glutes, are a muscle group which is made up of three muscles. These are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus. The bulk and tone of these muscles is attributed to exercise. All three of these muscles help with extension, abduction and internal and external rotation of the hip joint. Additionally, the gluteus maximus supports the extended knee.

How can you strengthen your glutes?

1. Glute Bridges

1. Lay on your back with your knees bent and pointing towards the ceiling.

2. Lift your hips up and squeeze your glutes.

3. Hold that position for 5 seconds and then reset.

Too easy? Try adding a dumbbell over the hips for added weight or lifting one leg up on one side at a time.

Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

2. Bulgarian Split Squats

1. Set-up in a lunge where one leg is back and the opposite foot is forward.

2. Sink down into a lunge position, keeping the forward knee at a 90-degree angle where your ankle lines up with your bent knee.

3. Repeat with the other side.

 Too easy? Add dumbbells or do the Bulgarian split squat. 

 Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

3. Glute Kickbacks

1. Set-up on all fours, with a straight spine, and contract your core muscles.

2. Extend your right leg back and up until your thigh is parallel to the ground. The sole of your right foot should be facing the ceiling.

3. Contract your glute at the top of the move and hold for a beat.

4. Return to your starting position without touching your knee to the ground and repeat.

5. Do 12 to 20 repetitions, then switch sides.

Having trouble visualizing this movement? Watch this video.

Why is it important to strengthen your glutes? 

The glutes main job is to keep the body upright and to push your body forward. They are important for proper pelvic alignment, propulsion while walking and running, and even down to standing on one foot. When lifting, your glutes help support your lower back and help prevent knee injuries.

If your glutes are weak, it can cause strain on the hip as well as knees and ankles. All of this can be avoided by simply taking a few minutes everyday and doing easy movements that require no equipment!

Are you wanting to strengthen your glutes and so much more? Please reach out to Body Renovation Fitness Center. Our experts specialize in personal training and nutrition plans to meet your every goal! Feel free to schedule a free evaluation at our website or give us a call at 214-368-3539.