Latest news with #legday
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Expert Warns This Go-To Squat Isn't Great for Glute Gains
In fitness, plenty of exercises get popular buzz but don't always deliver the results they promise. While most movements can have a place in your leg day, it's important to remember that not every exercise works the same for every body. Genetics, body proportions, and individual mechanics all play a role in how effective a certain exercise will be. Compound lifts like squats and deadlifts are proven builders for your lower body, but it's key to cut through the noise and focus on what really drives progress. Take box squats, for example. They're a popular choice, and you'll often see guys lifting way heavier with these than they do with traditional barbell back squats. It's impressive, sure, but that doesn't always translate to muscle growth. Exercise scientist Mike Israetel, Ph.D., explains that box squats limit your range of motion, which can hold back the gains you're after. "Box squatting literally misses out on that high tension at the deepest stretch, so it's the opposite of what you would want to do to enhance muscle growth," he said in a recent YouTube video. "And because the bands and chains, in addition to that, make that tension really high at the top but lower at the bottom, is not the way to put on muscle size best."That doesn't mean box squats don't have their place. Israetel explains they can be a valuable tool for lifters who are working through plateaus, recovering from injury, or training for specific strength goals, especially powerlifters looking to dial in squat depth and control under heavy loads. But if your main goal is glute or quad growth, you're better off choosing movements that allow for greater range of motion and consistent tension throughout the lift. "A full squat all the way to the bottom with a high-bar position, and that bottom part going as deep as you can and spending about two or three seconds extra at that super, super deep depth with the quad tension activated, that's probably how you get the most jacked from squats," Israetel says. Expert Warns This Go-To Squat Isn't Great for Glute Gains first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 7, 2025
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mikaela Shiffrin's Leg Day Workout Is Brutal
We're back to closely examining the offseason workouts pro skiers post to Instagram, (last time I actually tried Lindsey Vonn's workout) which, if anything, probably means I will be in a world of pain at the gym after giving them a try myself. Ski racing all-time great Mikaela Shiffrin has been spending plenty of off-season time in the gym, and with her fiancé, fellow ski racer Aleksander Kilde. It's likely helpful that these they share a profession. Kilde and Shiffrin are in incredible shape, and regularly do crazy ski racer workouts together. Maybe true love is just being able to keep up with each other in the gym?Last week, Shiffrin revealed that the two had been apart since March. A few days later, the ski racing power couple posted an Instagram Reel together of a series of mobility exercises, and a few of your average skier exercises like single leg squats, lateral squats with 20kg plates on a barbell, dumbbell swings with what looks like something *heavy*, and a handful of other things that make my quads hurt just watching them. Tap or click below to watch Shiffrin workout, and dance, with Kilde in the recent video. Keep reading for Shiffrin's challenging leg day to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. Shiffrin then posted a video to X several days later of her off-season leg day workout. IIt looks like the workout consists of a few sets of barbell squats with 20kg plates, single leg squats with dumbbells, and thrusters with dumbbells. Shiffrin completes the workout with a shot of espresso and a jump in the ocean (lake?).We don't know how many sets or reps Shiffrin is doing, but odds are it's brutal. Notice how she struggles to walk down the stairs to jump in the body of water! Tap or click below to watch. Now that's my kind of leg day. If the espresso and swim are included, I'd actually give this brutal workout a whack, and like Shiffrin, would probably have to take the stairs one step at a time afterwards. With the Olympics coming up, it's exciting to see Shiffrin training so hard, but its also really lovely to see her post about spending some quality time with her fiancé. Even though these workouts seem like they need superhuman strength, its a sweet reminder that pro skiers are people too!Mikaela Shiffrin's Leg Day Workout Is Brutal first appeared on Powder on Jul 2, 2025
