Best Toning Exercises for Legs
Performing some toning exercises for legs is the best and fast way to get perfectly-shaped legs. This article presents some exercises for toned legs.
FitnessVigil Staff
Want to have slim, sexy, and perfectly shaped legs? Tired of following a strict diet for maintaining those toned legs? Then you are definitely missing on the exercises for toning legs. Remember, it is never late in life to tone up your legs, you can anytime start doing toning exercises for legs if you want to have tight and right shaped legs. All you need to do is indulge in a proper exercise program routine.
Eight Exercises for Your Legs
Heel Raises
This is a prominent area for which most of the women perform various exercises for toning legs so as to get shapely calf muscles. To start with heel raises, make sure that all movements are slow and controlled, and feel free to hold on to a fixed rod for balance until you are comfortable. Lift heels up and bring them down, remember to stand tall and straight. Raise up as much as possible and perform the exercise slowly, wait a few seconds before touching the heels down. Perform 25 reps and three sets of this exercise.
Step Ups
Step ups are equivalent to a long walk with a huge heavy bag on your back. Hold some weight in your hand, let them hang at your sides, and start stepping up on a bench. This bench has to be higher than your usual steps. The legs are not used to movements of this fashion, and hence, they feel challenged. Perform 3 sets of this exercise for ten minutes each.
Plies
It places less stress on the joints and can be an intense or moderate workout as you require. Stand with your feet slightly apart and turn your feet outward like a duck, pointing the toes outwards. Keep your pelvis neutral and tucked in, shoulders away from your ears, and chest straight. As you dip downwards, make sure that your knees don't go past your toes. Go down as far as you are comfortable and come back up. Press your feet through the floor while standing up. Perform 3 sets of this leg exercise with 20 repetitions in each set.
Sprinting
You might be going for a jog everyday, but still your legs might not be as lean as you want them to be. If you want to tone your legs fast, then you should start sprinting. It is one of the best ways to burn fat, and it really helps tone your legs and butt. Sprinting is a very explosive exercise and gives faster results. You can switch from a slow jog, which you do everyday for an hour to 20 minutes of sprinting, three times a week. This is amongst those exercises which will help you burn fat, experience weight loss, and have firm and toned legs.
Weighted Squats
This exercise includes adding some resistance to your legs, which is very essential if you want to change their shape. Remember that your legs have the strongest group of muscles in the entire body. Hence, unless you push and challenge them, it won't help in toning them. Weighted squats are one of the best thigh toning exercises for women. To perform weighted squats, stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang at your sides. Begin by squatting and come to a position as you are going to sit down in a chair. Return to the original position and repeat. While performing the squats, keep your back upright and straight. Keep your feet flat on the surface while the knees should point to the same direction as the feet throughout the exercise. Perform 10-12 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Jumping Squats
Jumping squats is amongst the effective exercises for legs and butts. It is not only a perfect workout for your entire lower body, but your abs as well. It helps lose some fat while toning your legs. Stand with your feet apart and tighten your abdominal muscles. To perform jumping squats, lower your hips and come to a position as if you are sitting in a chair. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor. Lean forward a bit from your lower back and place your hands on your hips or on the front, parallel to your thighs. Leaving your arms at your sides will be easier in performing this exercise. Jump up, straightening your legs as your feet leave the floor. Now, return to the original position when you land, heels on the floor, feet apart and hips back. Remember that your knees should not come ahead or over the top of your toes when you land. Be careful not to give jerks to your shoulders with wild arm movements. Perform 10-12 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Lunge
To start with lunges, a perfect exercise for thighs, hold dumbbells in your hands and keep them on your sides. Take a long stride forward with your right leg and raise your left heel. The toes should touch the floor. Keep your shoulders back, chin up, and slowly lower your body by flexing your right knee and hip. Continue your descent until your left knee almost touches the floor. Now, slowly come back to the initial position. Forcibly extend the right hip and knee until you return to the starting position. Perform 10 reps, and repeat the same procedure with your left leg forward. Perform 3 sets of this exercise for great legs.
Walking Lunges
This exercise is all about balance. Most of the people end up looking down while performing this exercise, but your gaze needs to be out. Take a long stride with your right leg. As you take a long stride, remember your knee should never go past your toe. Also, the back knee (knee of the left leg) should not touch the floor. Go as far as you can go, but you must keep the back knee pointed down towards the floor. Clasping hands together and holding them in front of you will help keep yourself balanced. Now take a stride with your left leg in the same fashion. Lift up between each lunge which will prevent swinging and will keep your form in check. Keep going straight till you finish taking 25 steps and perform 3 sets of this exercise.
Performing the aforementioned leg exercises regularly will definitely help you have firm, lean, and toned legs. During the first 2-3 days of performing these exercises, the hamstrings, and quadriceps will be completely stiff, and you will struggle to walk. Also, your calf muscles might be tight and sore. Moving slowly while performing the exercise will force the muscles to work harder, and this will help increase their strength. Dedicate a time slot in your routine for the above toning exercises which will help you have a more defined lower body.
Disclaimer: This FitnessVigil article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
Eight Exercises for Your Legs
Heel Raises
This is a prominent area for which most of the women perform various exercises for toning legs so as to get shapely calf muscles. To start with heel raises, make sure that all movements are slow and controlled, and feel free to hold on to a fixed rod for balance until you are comfortable. Lift heels up and bring them down, remember to stand tall and straight. Raise up as much as possible and perform the exercise slowly, wait a few seconds before touching the heels down. Perform 25 reps and three sets of this exercise.
Step Ups
Step ups are equivalent to a long walk with a huge heavy bag on your back. Hold some weight in your hand, let them hang at your sides, and start stepping up on a bench. This bench has to be higher than your usual steps. The legs are not used to movements of this fashion, and hence, they feel challenged. Perform 3 sets of this exercise for ten minutes each.
Plies
It places less stress on the joints and can be an intense or moderate workout as you require. Stand with your feet slightly apart and turn your feet outward like a duck, pointing the toes outwards. Keep your pelvis neutral and tucked in, shoulders away from your ears, and chest straight. As you dip downwards, make sure that your knees don't go past your toes. Go down as far as you are comfortable and come back up. Press your feet through the floor while standing up. Perform 3 sets of this leg exercise with 20 repetitions in each set.
Sprinting
You might be going for a jog everyday, but still your legs might not be as lean as you want them to be. If you want to tone your legs fast, then you should start sprinting. It is one of the best ways to burn fat, and it really helps tone your legs and butt. Sprinting is a very explosive exercise and gives faster results. You can switch from a slow jog, which you do everyday for an hour to 20 minutes of sprinting, three times a week. This is amongst those exercises which will help you burn fat, experience weight loss, and have firm and toned legs.
Weighted Squats
This exercise includes adding some resistance to your legs, which is very essential if you want to change their shape. Remember that your legs have the strongest group of muscles in the entire body. Hence, unless you push and challenge them, it won't help in toning them. Weighted squats are one of the best thigh toning exercises for women. To perform weighted squats, stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang at your sides. Begin by squatting and come to a position as you are going to sit down in a chair. Return to the original position and repeat. While performing the squats, keep your back upright and straight. Keep your feet flat on the surface while the knees should point to the same direction as the feet throughout the exercise. Perform 10-12 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Jumping Squats
Jumping squats is amongst the effective exercises for legs and butts. It is not only a perfect workout for your entire lower body, but your abs as well. It helps lose some fat while toning your legs. Stand with your feet apart and tighten your abdominal muscles. To perform jumping squats, lower your hips and come to a position as if you are sitting in a chair. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor. Lean forward a bit from your lower back and place your hands on your hips or on the front, parallel to your thighs. Leaving your arms at your sides will be easier in performing this exercise. Jump up, straightening your legs as your feet leave the floor. Now, return to the original position when you land, heels on the floor, feet apart and hips back. Remember that your knees should not come ahead or over the top of your toes when you land. Be careful not to give jerks to your shoulders with wild arm movements. Perform 10-12 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Lunge
To start with lunges, a perfect exercise for thighs, hold dumbbells in your hands and keep them on your sides. Take a long stride forward with your right leg and raise your left heel. The toes should touch the floor. Keep your shoulders back, chin up, and slowly lower your body by flexing your right knee and hip. Continue your descent until your left knee almost touches the floor. Now, slowly come back to the initial position. Forcibly extend the right hip and knee until you return to the starting position. Perform 10 reps, and repeat the same procedure with your left leg forward. Perform 3 sets of this exercise for great legs.
Walking Lunges
This exercise is all about balance. Most of the people end up looking down while performing this exercise, but your gaze needs to be out. Take a long stride with your right leg. As you take a long stride, remember your knee should never go past your toe. Also, the back knee (knee of the left leg) should not touch the floor. Go as far as you can go, but you must keep the back knee pointed down towards the floor. Clasping hands together and holding them in front of you will help keep yourself balanced. Now take a stride with your left leg in the same fashion. Lift up between each lunge which will prevent swinging and will keep your form in check. Keep going straight till you finish taking 25 steps and perform 3 sets of this exercise.
Performing the aforementioned leg exercises regularly will definitely help you have firm, lean, and toned legs. During the first 2-3 days of performing these exercises, the hamstrings, and quadriceps will be completely stiff, and you will struggle to walk. Also, your calf muscles might be tight and sore. Moving slowly while performing the exercise will force the muscles to work harder, and this will help increase their strength. Dedicate a time slot in your routine for the above toning exercises which will help you have a more defined lower body.
Disclaimer: This FitnessVigil article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
