I still remember being a teenager learning martial arts. My instructor was very creative and was constantly coming up with new ways to get us in shape. He taught us that simple things could deliver large dividends. When it comes to leg workouts, it is very easy to be creative.

For example, the parking lot to our Tae Kwon Do school was almost the length of a football field. He would sit in his large boat of a car and have us push it around the lot. It was very fun to do this as he would play some corny 80s music. We did not even think about the fact we were working out our legs something fierce. Our explosion and leg endurance was rather impressive and this played a huge part in it.

Don’t feel like pushing a car around the lot? There are other ways to be creative. For example, dragging your kids around the yard on one of the plastic discs used for sledding is not only a great workout for your legs, it is fun for them. Not to mention the “faster daddy!” they will be yelling at you will give you an extra boost of adrenaline.

Another idea could be to tie a rope around a concrete block or two and drag it on a dirt road or field. Use your imagination and think of something to drag and/or push.

Why? When you are pushing something you are pushing your muscles beyond a normal set of leg lifts at the gym. Machines and free weights are excellent mechanisms to build muscle, but each rep only lasts a few seconds. When you are pushing a car around a parking lot the rep does not simply end. These types of exercises will tax you on a different level. These exercises build endurance and explosion very quickly.

I still remember pushing that car from end of the lot and then we would sprint the length of the lot and back. I felt as if I was five times faster than before. It tricked our minds into thinking we were faster and actually took some time off of our 100 yard dashes. Doing different and creative workouts actually trick your muscle’s memory and help you to bust past a plateau you may have reached.

Working out on machines is very, well, mechanical. Your muscles know what is going to happen next and they start to get into a routine like an old married couple watching Jeopardy. However when you throw a couple of kids onto a sled and drag t hem through the yard, it is like turning the channel to a MMA fight. It shakes up the routine.

Next time you start to plateau or simply want to add some excitement to leg day, think of a creative way you can push or pull something. You will not be happy for a few days after the event, but when you see the increased endurance you will be.