Legs are the largest, most powerful muscle group in the human body and many times the most ignored. Heck, you walk around just fine right? Well if the opportunity to go with some friends fishing to an extreme totally gnarly honey hole arises you might just be surprised how much your legs will hurt for the next few days after. Of course were assuming you can make it at all. Or maybe it might be the leg power you need to battle a black marlin from the back of a charter boat. Conditioning your legs will save you!
I know the two fishing conditions above may be out of your zone, but they are just a couple of examples about the importance of this topic for anyone, not just fishing folk. Strong leg muscles will set the tempo for any strenuous activity, and many fishing experiences are filled with the need for endurance.
I am going to describe a couple of exercises to help you add tensile strength for your leg muscles. These are simple, easy to do, and will not go unnoticed if done regularly. Be prepared for a little soreness a day or two after the first session, but the discomfort should go away, and not return if you keep it up. These exercises are low impact. You should experience no joint strain. It will also help if you begin with a few minutes of cardio to get the body’s temperature, and pulse rate up a little.
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- This is the target position
This is the correct position
First exercise is to stand back against a wall. Your feet should be placed a comfortable distance away from the wall. Take two, slow, big breaths, and then slide down the wall until you feel your thigh muscles respond. They will begin to become tight. Your goal is to have the thigh muscles parallel to the floor, but don’t despair if you can only make it half way. Hold this position for a count of 5 and then stand back up.
- This is the target position
- Second exercise is to turn around and place your finger tips as high on the wall as you can reach flat footed. Raise up on your toes and count 5 again. You will do this exercise 5 times in a row. Remember to rest briefly between ex1 and ex2 and so on. Maybe rest as much as 20-30 seconds, or maybe enough time to get a drink of water.
- Third exercise is a repeat of ex1, but this time you will hold the position for a 10 count and then prepare to repeat ex2.
- Ex2 is more even better is standing on something like a book
Calve extensions. Extend the heels over the edge if standing on something
The goal for these exercises is to get through 5 sets of them adding an extra 5 count to each of the positions for the first exercise. Don’t worry if you can’t hold the fourth and fifth set. After a couple sessions like this you will be able to increase your hold count. Don’t do these every day either. Do them every two or three days. You will notice the strength in your legs increasing almost immediately. After all the legs have the largest and strongest muscles in the human body. They respond to stimuli very quickly.