Legs To Die For

Once upon a time, a ragtag group of Pinoy Village People look-alikes composed an ode to the most notable parts of a woman’s body: her legs. A triumph of pure, unadulterated camp (admit it, you know the chorus by heart) this song reminds us even today of the importance of muscular, well-maintained lower limbs.

Men should be aware that most women look at men’s legs as well. In the gym, seldom do you see men sweating it out for their lower body. Most guys work so hard trying to make their upper torso firm and big that they forget to take into consideration body proportion and so they end up looking like a bad version of the cartoon character Johnny Bravo.

So for legs, legs, legs na nakakasilaw, just take these three exercises to heart.

Charlie squats

Get a pair of dumbbells, the weight of which depends on your comfort and endurance. Stand with feet apart, shoulder-width distance between them and toes pointing outwards. Maintain a straight back during the whole exercise. Hold the dumbbells in front just below your waist area. Slowly bend knees until they reach a 90-degree angle, inhaling as you go down. Then pull up to original position. Exhale.

Stiff-legged dead lifts

Get a barbell. Again, the weight depends on your choosing. Starting on a standing position, grip the barbell with both hands and hold it out front just below your waist area. Maintain correct posture (back straight, bottoms tucked in and chest out) throughout the exercise. Inhale. Lower the barbell until you feel your hamstring tightening. Knees maybe bent but not beyond 15 degrees. Exhale going up to starting position.

Standing leg kickbacks

Get an elastic band about 2 meters long. Tie both ends to make a loop. Hook the loop to a pole or any support with ample resistance. Put one leg inside the loop, band should be right by the heels. Facing the support, move away until band is taut. Lift leg backward until desired tension. Count to 5 and lower leg to original position.

Try doing this simple routine at least once a day consisting of 3 sets of 10 slow repetitions each, to keep your lower body tight and fit. Because when you’re out at the mall, or just walking around in your shorts, you’ll never know who might be checking you out.