Leg Exercises

Get Strong Legs With 6 Simple Leg Exercises

Many of us take our legs for granted. Most times, it is when we cannot use our legs that we realise their importance in our lives. Our legs carry us everywhere and take us anywhere we want to go. Having healthy legs means being able to do whatever you want to and this is why it is important to have strength in your legs. And the good news is that the leg muscles are the fastest to respond to whatever conditioning you give it, thus through proper and regular exercise, you may get to see your legs trimmed and toned, and stronger and healthier in as little as ten days.

One of the greatest myths to do with leg exercise is that if you exercise your legs, you will end up with tough, bulky, masculine legs. This couldn’t be further from the truth, not to mention impossible! When you exercise your legs, they will get stronger, and this means that they become toned, thus giving you lean and beautiful legs, as opposed to bulky and masculine. So go ahead, don’t be afraid to work out your legs. You can opt for cardio training, which a wonderful way to burn fat and calories while at the same time, trim and tone your legs. However doing cardio exercises alone will not define or shape your legs. To do this, you need to target specific muscles through exercises that can get your muscles to work harder. Here are some exercises that can get you started. Try to fit in these routines into your everyday schedule and you will soon see how fantastic your legs can be!

Strengthen your legs: six simple moves

1) The lunge

Lunges are one of the most favoured exercises with trainers all over. Do you know why? It’s because lunges can work all the leg muscles through one simple move. No fancy footwork or equipment needed. How do you do a lunge? First, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Then with your right foot, take a giant step forward. Now put your arms on your hips to balance yourself and slowly lower your body. Go down until your back leg forms a right angle at the knee. Now remember to use your leg muscles and slowly raise your body back to the starting position. Do this for three sets of 30 repetitions for each leg. Keep in mind that you have to keep your upper body aligned over the bent knee. And go slow so that you can get maximum benefit.

A word of caution to those with bad or sore knees. You can modify the lunge by taking a smaller step forward. And only go down to as low as you’re comfortable with. Do not push yourself and put extra strain on your knees. Although lunges are the greatest exercise ever, they can be especially challenging for people with bad or sore knees, who may decide to skip them entirely. Don’t fret. There are other exercises out there that can help to strengthen the legs without putting too much of a stress on your knees. Below are some moves that you can try. Or as an alternative you could talk to a trainer or a professional so that you too can find a way to tone and strengthen your lower body and your legs.

2) Plies for your thighs

Wait, come back! Don’t run away just because it sounds foreign. And no, you don’t have to know ballet to do this move. Plies are a great way to work out and tone your outer and inner thighs. As plies places less stress on joints, you can pick the intensity of your workout. Start by standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Then take a small step out with both left and right foot and turn your feet outward (think ducks).put your hands on your hips or hold on to the back of a chair to support yourself. Now slowly lower your body down about six inches and slowly come up again. You can do this for three sets of 30 repetitions each. Remember to move slowly so that you force your thigh muscles to work minus the help of momentum, thus making them stronger. Another good thing about plies is that you can modify them almost endlessly. Feel free to drop down more (or less) depending on what you need and what you can do. Or put your feet closer or maybe even further apart. Or you could even work out your core muscles by doing plies like a ballerina – with one arm curved over the head and the other in front of your body.

You could even try this out for a greater challenge. Perform one full set of thirty repetitions and on this last repetition, hold your lowered body in this position for about 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, gently pulse your body up and down (only for a few inches) for about 30 seconds. This will force your muscles to work harder longer and will define and tone them faster.

3) Heel raises

If you’re always on the go, heel raises is the perfect move for you. It can be done almost anywhere, and it will not be so obvious that it will attract the attention of others. Heel raises target your calf muscles, which for most people is a great problem area. However, calves can respond very well to conditioning. As a matter of fact, you can see the difference in just a few days, which is great news for all! First stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. You can place your hands on your hips to balance yourself. Now all you have to do is to simply raise your body up and stand on tiptoes. Now hold for a few seconds, before lowering your body slowly back down again. Do this for three sets of 40 repetitions. You can even do this while standing in line at the supermarket and no one will even bat an eyelid. How great is that? Exercise on the go!

4) Calf Raises

Work out your lower legs with calf raises, probably one of the best ways to firm up your calves. Stand straight up, then slowly lift your body as if you are standing on your tippy toes. Slowly lower yourself and repeat. You should feel a strong burn in your calves within 20-25 reps.

5) Squats

Great for toning your thighs, squats can be hard to do if you’re just getting started. Take it easy at first to make sure you don’t hurt yourself!

Again from a standing position, lower yourself down as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Using your thighs, slowly return to a standing position. Keep your back as straight as possible the entire time.

6) Hip Swing

Another great upper leg exercise. This time, lie on one side, supporting yourself with the lower-side arm. Raise the high-side leg (if you’re lying on your right side, raise the left leg) and point the toe away from your body. Slowly swing the leg forward until you can’t move it without your hips moving, then slowly swing the leg as far back as possible. Repeat several times, then flip over and repeat with the other leg.

Once you find that you can do the move easily, you could graduate to a bigger challenge. You could try standing on the edge of a stair or a sturdy elevated surface. Then let your heels hang off the edge of the stair or the surface. Now, slowly raise and lower your body. Do this for three sets of 25 repetitions. This will demand greater work from your calves and you can feel this almost immediately. You can even try this move at work by taking the stairs, and instead of stepping fully on the step, try only halfway. This will demand extra work on your calves and will make your muscles work harder. Now, great looking legs is no longer a problem.

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