We all want a sweet booty, but there is more reason to work the lower half than you think. The largest muscle on our body is the gluteus maximus, and when we lift heavy weight and or stress that muscle the body essentially is adapting and rebuilding a stronger muscle. In order for your body to do this, it requires more blood cells, glycogen, and protein synthesis. AKA: It needs more energy, therefore burning more calories throughout your day.  Performing multi-joint exercises such as squats, dead lifts and lunges are going to burn the most calories, because you are working all the major muscle groups. Creating a strong lower body also helps prevent injury and helps sustain balance. And once you’ve built up a strong posterior , your over all body mass has increased…which means you’ve officially given your metabolism a major boost. The bigger the car, the more gas you burn.

Here’s the three calorie burning must do’s on leg day:

Dead lift                                           Lunge                                        Squat