Struggling to meet your fitness goals? Building lower body strength has many sporting benefits, especially for activities that involve running, jumping or kicking. Whether it’s powering your sprints for a better PB or building your strength to run further for longer, training your legs will do wonders for your running. Time spent in the saddle will reap the benefits, too, both during indoor cycling sessions and out on the open road. Add to this, increased muscle tone and a shapelier silhouette, it’s clear that factoring in time on your mat to build leg strength will pay dividends. First up, a little anatomy.
LEGS 101
Along with the largest muscle group in the body, the quads (see muscle focus, below), the other main muscles of the thighs are the hamstrings (semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris), which flex the knee joint, extend the hip and turn the lower leg
