Leg Toning Exercises
All too common you see people constantly skipping leg workouts… This is a big mistake! Your legs contain some of your largest muscle groups that burn the most calories (among other things). Check out these leg toning exercises that you can add today!
Check out these leg toning exercises
Tom Kelso, a strength and training coach from the U.S pleads with you, to ‘not be that guy with chicken legs’.
If you don’t know what he is talking about, chicken legs refer to the size of an individual’s legs when compared to their upper body. It often occurs when they focus on working out their upper body muscles but neglect their legs.
This has become a common sight and people need to start realizing that a training plan is not complete without a routine that strengthens and tones your legs, and NO, cardio is not one of them!
3 Reasons To Train Your Legs
- When you work out the upper body and leave out the legs, you will start to look odd and unhealthy. Chicken legs if you still haven’t pictured it in your head, is a similar sight to having the body of a bull and the legs of a chicken. While you may look physically fit with your baggy pants on, in a pair of jeans, shorts, or swimming bathers you will look lopsided.
- If you are building your physique for a body-building contest, you will never win as the judges do not just concentrate on the upper body. They look at the whole body package. They consider its proportion and symmetry. There is even a score for each part of the body and when it’s time to score your legs, you will score zero.
- Strong and well-built legs are also good for athletics, especially for sprinting. You absolutely need strong legs to thrust your body forward at a high speed. In fact, the strength of your legs is directly linked to the speed at which you can run. To verify this, compare the legs of long-distance runners to sprinters. You will notice that sprinters have much, bigger legs.
Top 4 Leg Exercises
1. Step-Up
1. Step-UpTo perform this exercise, you need to stand square to the bench. Place an entire foot on the bench and try to step up while pushing through your heels. You should push through until the leg is fully straight. While you are still in this form, lower your body back to the starting position. You can continue a straight set with one leg before you switch to your other leg.
This exercise will really fire the glutes and quads into action. For a more intense workout try carrying a weighted plate while performing the exercise or raise the step higher.
2. Plie Squat
While standing upright, move your feet so that you assume the “plie” position. Your toes will be pointing out, your core very tight and your legs will be wide apart. While keeping your pelvis and upper body straight, you lower your body until your laps are close and parallel to the ground.
Stay like this for about 20 seconds before you return to your starting position.
This exercise really fires the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves into action. For a more intense workout try carrying a weighted plate or slow the speed that you descend/ascend.
3. Calf Raise
Stand tall with feet wide apart, and raise your body until you are standing on the tips of your toes. Your core should be kept taut while doing this. You also need to squeeze your calves in the process. Stay for about 10 seconds before returning to the starting position. Repeat this move several times.
This exercise really fires the calves into action. For a more intense workout try carrying a weighted plate.
4. Split Squat
Facing away from the bench, stand a stride away. Put the idle leg on the bench. While standing tall, lower your body until the knee of the leg is in use, and folds to an angle of 90 degrees. You can place your hands on your hip to achieve this. Now, return to the starting point while pushing through your heel.
This exercise really fires the glutes and quads into action. For a more intense workout try carrying a weighted plate or slow the speed that you descend/ascend.
Wrap-Up
Try performing these 4 leg toning exercises each with 4 sets / 8 reps.
If this is your first time performing these exercises, you may experience soreness in those muscles worked out.
This is common and is known as Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS), it can happen up to 72 hours after the workout and you can naturally reduce this pain with some of these helpful methods.
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