ROUTINE 2. Leg

Leg training

Quadriceps stretching 

You can do this at the park.  Put yourself next to a wall or a surface on which you can support, stand up at a prudential distance just to support yourself, hold the leg that you’re stretching with the hand of the same side, just as shown in the picture; try that the legs are not that separated from each other horizontally speaking, and vertically speaking try that they are about at the same distance, so pull your instep with the bar (bend the knee of the leg that is on the ground and lean a little bit forward) and you’re going to feel the stretching in the front part of the leg (the quadriceps); hold for 20 seconds and then repeat the procedure for the other leg, once only per each of these. 

Femoral biceps stretching

If you do this at the park you can do it on a bar or a step of a handrail, raise your leg as high as you can without the needing of holding too much from other place. 

Place it mostly at your heel level, with your leg bent by the knee for a start, you must approach your trunk all that you can towards your leg, hold the position for about 10 seconds, then stretch a little bit more your leg, keep on approaching your trunk and hold for another 10 seconds, then, again, stretch a little bit more your leg, keep on approaching your trunk and hold for another 10 seconds, then stretch all that you can your leg and pull backwards your instep with any of your hands and try to approach your trunk as much as you can towards your leg, try to touch your shin with your forehead, hold this maximal position for 20 seconds.  Repeat all the procedure for the other leg.  This stretching you’re going to feel it not only on the femoral but in all the rear leg as well, it is very good for your flexibility.  Perform the whole procedure just once per each leg. 

Starting or warming up position

Final position

Abductors stretching

It is the same as for the former exercise, it’s just that this time you turn your foot towards the inner side, in a way that this is lying over the bar or step, also in a way that your instep is stuck with the vertical bar that holds the step.  Try to spread the legs as much as you can without compromising your knees safety, try to approach your body towards your upper leg, put it away, lean it backwards, forward, then push your crotch forward, lean backwards once again, forward again and hold the position for at least 20 seconds.  Do it only once per leg. 

Abductors stretching in handrails or parallels

Alternative:

Try to place yourself with your buttocks against a supporting point such as a wall and put yourself in the open squats position taught before, spread a little bit more your legs, but with care of not separating all your sole from the floor.  Go as low as you can separating each time more your knees from each other while you’re doing it, remember that it is important that your knees are always pointing in the same direction as your feet fingertips.  Once you feel too much tension in your abductors go up again without losing your feet position  to loosen up a little bit and then go back again trying to get even lower than the last time and when you reach your lowest point hold it or at least 10 seconds.  Do it once only.  For this exercise there are not illustrations, since it is very descriptive itself. 

Lower back stretching in bench or similar

It is the same as in routine 1, just that now it is over a bench, if you have no access to this one you can just do it on the floor or over your bed. 

22nd   Leg, jumps into bench or tire. 

This exercise works out mostly the abductors, buttocks and the femoral biceps, it is worked out in an indirect way, as well, the quadriceps, which is the most worked out at the end of stories, because at all moment it is present, even in an indirect way.  

This exercise you must do it in an explosive way, it helps a lot in the sports, to improve the skills, such as jumping higher, running faster, etc.  It also helps to the muscle development, through the muscular fibers stimulation due to the explosiveness of the same. 

Try to find a flat or plane surface, it is more probable that you find a bench, that it is at approximately two quarters from the ground, but it is still better if you find a tire such as that one of the video because it is more flexible than a bench, when you jump it helps you keeping the inertia and it is better for your joints because it cushions the fall of the jump onto the tire. 

Start up with an open squat and launch in an explosive way until you reach the peak of the tire, gathering both your feet once up, from half your sole, then go back to the starting position cushioning the fall with the foot, so, support slightly the foot tip first on the ground before supporting the heel, once you have supported the whole heel you repeat the whole procedure. 

Once you had concluded the indicated repetitions or those ones that you can actually resist of this exercise, immediately you must proceed to the “scissor squats”: start with one foot on top of the tire, supported by the heel as well, and the other one supported mostly from the foot ball, get up making the strength with the heel of the leg on top and in an explosive way, you must help yourself with the lower leg a little bit if needed and in the little hop you switch legs and so on until you conclude with the indicated repetitions number for each leg.  When you descend do it always with the foot tip for the leg that is going to be on the ground, to cushion the fall.  Keep your lower back straight to improve the muscle concentration of those that you want to work out as well as for helping not losing the balance. 

Perform 5 sets of 5 to 12 reps per each exercise and per each leg (in the “scissor squats”).

The link for this exercise is the next one:

Leg, jumps into bench or tire

23rd.  Multi-positions squat 

Just as in routine 1.  Perform 5 sets of 10 to 20 reps per each side and per each type. 

Quadriceps, femoral biceps, abductors and lower back stretching

(Repetition). Perform each stretching per 20 seconds, per each side.