Five Leg Exercises
To Tone Your Lower Body
The following five leg exercises will help you shape up your legs and get rid of any extra jiggle or lumps and bumps that may be lurking in the wrong places.
- Squats
- Lunges
- Step Ups
- Crab Walk
- Mountain Climbers
Choose three out of the five exercises above and work them into your regular workouts twice per week. Switch the exercises up to keep your legs guessing. If you wish to raise your level of intensity try increasing the number of repetitions and/or sets, or adding additional weight, or try the super challenge giant set below.
Super Challenge Giant Set- Combine the following exercises in one giant set and perform 3 sets:
- Bosu squats with medicine ball – fifteen repetitions
- Walking lunges – ten per side
- Crab walk – ten per side
Click on the
Leg Exercise Details
page for complete instructions on how to perform each exercise.
Working the problem area first will help fatigue the muscles prior to them being used as secondary targets in your remaining exercises. So work your legs first, if that’s the area you want to target.
Using high intensity, medium duration exercises work best for toning your legs as you get a great burn in the target area before moving on to the rest of your workout.
There’s truth to the old adage: Variety is the spice of life. Working your muscles from different angles and using a variety of exercises during each workout will keep the muscles guessing and adjusting to the new routines. This will limit the tendency of your muscles to become accustomed to the same movement, workout after workout, enhancing your progress over time. And hey, adding variety to your workout will keep it fresh and keep you interested – so spice things up!
Balance is another important issue. For every movement there is an agonist and an antagonist. In the case of your legs these are your quadriceps (front of the thigh) and hamstrings (back of the thigh). When performing a lunge, you contract your quadriceps and stretch your hamstrings and vice versa during different parts of the movement. Said another way, your quadriceps are used during ‘pushing’ exercises and your hamstrings are used during ‘pulling’ exercises. While one muscle group is contracting its antagonist is stretching. In order to create balance, you need to work both sides of the equation.
Click here for more information on Functional Squats
Try some butt busting exercises
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The contents of this site are the opinions of Michele Tse unless otherwise noted. The information on this site is intended for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or nutritional advice or treatment. Please consult your health care practitioner before beginning any fitness program.
