How to Tone Legs

The biggest muscle-surface area on the body is in the legs. Working your leg muscles is a great way to build muscle mass to burn fat at rest. Leg workouts typically are the most difficult, but well worth it! Remember you can not target fat loss to a specific area, but you can build the muscle underneath while similtaneously burning fat on your entire body!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• This workout can be done with or without dumbells, medicine balls, stability balls or machines.
• My suggestion is to MIX IT UP!
• water!! Stay hydrated!
• good sneakers! It is important to have good support for your lower back. A good running sneaker works due to the lightness and support.

1. A Plan: have a concrete plan of what exercises you plan to do, what weights or equipment you plan to use, how many sets and how many reps. This will keep you on track during the course of your workout. Keeping a fitness journal is the most effective (and rewarding) way to track your progress. I suggest at least 2 exercises per major muscle group (quads, hamstrings) and then add 1 for adductor and abbductor (inner and outter thigh) and one for your calves. Do 3 sets of each exercise approx 10-12 reps
2. QUADS: Your Quadracep is the front part of your thigh. Doing combination moves such as lunges or isolation moves such as leg extentions will help tone and strengthen your quads. There are many exercises you can do and I suggest mixing it up!
3. HAMSTRINGS: Your hamstring is the back of your thigh. When doing moves such as squats, make sure to keep your weight on your HEELS...that's where you push from! Stick your butt out like you are sitting in a chair and try to keep your knees from going over your toes. If it is too difficult to do you can place a stability ball against the wall and lean against it doing wall squats. You can also do isolation exercises on a machine like leg curls.
4. ABDUCTORS(outter thigh)&ADDUCTORS(inner thigh): These muscles are important and often neglected. You can do outter leg raises laying on your side and sqwitch to the lower leg raising it towards the sky for inner. You can increase the challenge by adding ankle weights. These can also be done standing using cables or seated on a machine.
5. CALVES: Calf raises can be done 3 ways; toes pointed straight, toes pointed in and toes pointed out. It is best to do 10 reps of each. You can add a challenge by holding weights. You can also add them onto other exercises like squats. Squat down, then when you come up do a calf raise.

Tips & Warnings

• Only do legs once or twice a week. If you do them twice a week make sure there is plenty of recovery time inbetween.
• FEEL THE BURN. If you are doing 12 reps but it doesn't feel difficult or you don't feel a burn by number 10, then you need to increase your weight. If you are using your own body weight do as many as you can.
• Use a mix of combination moves such as lunges and squats as well as isolation moves such as lying leg curls and leg extensions.
• Use a mix of machines, free weights and exercises with your own body weight.
• If you are doing this at home you can add ankle weights to increase your challenge
• FORM IS KEY!! Make sure you have proper form to prevent injury!!