Why you should NEVER skip Leg Day

Yes, we all know that no training day is as painful on the bottom line as Leg Day. And yet there's no way around it as part of a sensible training program - that much is certain. So you should see leg training less as a necessary evil and more as an honor in the fact that you can hardly take one step in front of the other the morning after. However, leg training is not only necessary to provide your body with a strong foundation, but can also help your brain to become more efficient. So there's more than one good reason to do the Leg Day not to be canceled.

A healthy mind lives in a healthy body

Mens sana in corpore sano - a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. This Latin phrase testifies to the fact that even the ancient Romans were aware of the connection between physical and mental fitness. In our modern world, too, direct links between physical fitness and the health of our gray processor have been suspected and established for decades. A new study by Kings College of London recently revealed that there is a very specific link between brain performance and the presence of strong legs. As part of this long-term study, the British researchers observed pairs of identical twins over a period of ten years and focused on the connection between physical strength and cognitive abilities. Surprisingly, they found that the twins with the stronger leg muscles were more cognitively efficient after a period of ten years and that their brains showed significantly fewer signs of ageing compared to their twins.

Independent researchers support the British findings

Sheena Aurora, a professor of neurology and neuroscience at Stanford University in the US, who was not involved in the study, confirms the findings of the British researchers and supports the theory that leg strength can be directly linked to cognitive performance. This of course raises the question of how training the legs can influence the brain, as our thinking organ is not a muscle. The comparison with a muscle is not even that misplaced, because based on the principles of function and adaptation, it is fair to say that the performance of the brain can be improved just like that of a muscle through constant training. It is no coincidence that the market for games and programs designed to keep our gray matter on its toes is booming. However, the secret of the connection between muscles and brain lies in the fact that the brain is extremely challenged and thus strengthened by learning motor skills, for example by learning and perfecting exercise sequences. The more complex the exercise, the greater the training effect. In addition, exercise increases the general blood flow so that the brain can be supplied with energy in the form of carbohydrates and oxygen much better.

Why do the legs of all things have such a big influence?

On balance, this conclusion sounds logical, but why leg fitness in particular has such an immense influence on brain performance is not entirely clear. However, the fact that there is a statistically significant correlation was not only suggested by the Kings College studies, as numerous studies with endurance athletes had already found that their brain performance improved significantly as a result of regular training. However, the effect was also strongest in those athletes who had particularly strong legs. The British researchers assume that the influence of the legs is so great because they are by far the largest muscle group in the body and also the comparatively easiest to train. The study therefore not only suggests that strong legs have a positive effect on brain performance, but also that this potential is not genetically predetermined, but can be actively controlled before you do it. So if you train your legs today, you are also doing something for your cognitive performance to the same extent.

Conclusion

So at the end of the day, it's not just your physical performance that you're missing out on by skipping a leg day, but also the considerable development potential of your gray matter, which helps you to always give 100 percent at school, university or work. So, are you going to skip another Leg Day?