The Muscles: An Overview

The muscles of your legs are integral to most daily activities: walking, running, bending…really, any kind of full-body movement. However, despite their hard work, our legs are often the recipient of much hatred and disgust.

Sure with the right kind of camouflage you may feel secure enough to walk around without fear of reprisal, but how likely are you to bare these parts freely and with confidence? Do you really like the way your legs look? Most of us don’t. According to a recent Fitness Magazine survey only 28% of respondents said they love their legs.

Our legs are composed of many different muscles, but for the purposes of this sheet, we will focus on your quadriceps (the big thigh muscles in the front), the hamstrings (the large muscles in the back) and your calves (the muscles on the lower half of your legs).


Fortunately there is a solution and it doesn’t involve expensive treatments, fancy equipment or surgery: exercise. When done regularly (along with cardio and a proper diet) you’ll soon be looking for opportunities to flaunt your toned, lean, legs.

The Workout

The following workout requires minimal equipment and can be done in the comfort of your own home. Or, take this sheet with you when you travel and you’ll be sure to stay fit no matter where you find yourself.

Warm Up

Before you start any type of sculpting routine be sure to warm up. Warm muscles respond better to exercise and a warm up will also help prevent any injuries. Spend about 5-10 minutes jumping rope, climbing the stairs, doing star jumps or jogging in place. Or if you’re feeling frisky, turn on some music and get moving.

Now that you’re warm, let’s get started

Squats

• Stand holding a hand weight or something heavy in each hand. Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet angled slightly outward. Pull your shoulders back slightly and look straight ahead.

• Slowly bend at the knees, leaning your chest forward slightly and lower until your thighs are just above parallel to the ground. Don't bounce at the bottom, but don't stop either.

• Push through your heels to drive yourself back up to starting position (don’t lock your knees). Inhale and repeat.

• Continue until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).

Tip: Be sure not to put any pressure on your knees; the whole movement is executed through your glutes by pushing through your heels.

Front Lunge

• Position your feet about shoulder width apart, with your feet pointing straight ahead. Pick up a pair of hand weights (or something heavy in each hand).

• Step your left foot forward, keeping your leg centered over your ankle. Make sure your knee doesn't go beyond your toes or you'll place extreme tension on the tendons of your knee.

• Bend your knee until it is at a 90-degree angle. Pushing off with your heel (not your knees), straighten your leg.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), then switch legs.

Back Lunge

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, left foot several inches behind your back. Be sure to keep your knees in alignment. Pick up a pair of hand weights (or something heavy in each hand).

• Lower your body slowly keeping your weight evenly distributed. (You can imagine you are riding a horse on a merry-go-round, you go straight up and down, not back and forth.)

• Hold at the bottom (several inches off the floor).

• Press with your heels and squeeze glutes to lift up.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), then switch legs.

Side Lunge Slide

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, left foot resting on a paper plate (piece of paper, anything slippery). Pick up a pair of hand weights (or something heavy in each hand).

• Bend the right leg while sliding the left foot to the side, torso upright and abs pulled in.

• Slowly slide left foot back to starting position.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), then switch legs.

Leg Circles

Inner thigh focus

• Lie on your back on the floor imagining your entire body is glued to the floor.

• Extend your right leg straight into the air, reaching tall as if you are trying to touch the ceiling with your foot.

• Turn toes out as if it’s 00:10 AFTER on the clock.

• Imagining you have a pencil on your big toe, draw circles going across your chest, leading with your inner thigh.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), then switch legs.

Note: for the left leg, turn toes out as if it were 00:10 OF on the clock.

Outer-thigh focus

• Lie on your back on the floor imagining your entire body is glued to the floor.

• Extend your right leg straight into the air, reaching tall as if you are trying to touch the ceiling with your foot.

• Turn toes in and heel out as if it’s 00:25 AFTER on the clock.

• Imagining you have a pencil on your big toe, draw circles going across your chest, leading with your outer thigh/hip.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), then switch legs.

Note: for the left leg, turn toes in and heel out as if it were 00:25 OF on the clock.

Tip: These are more challenging than the inner circles, be sure to keep your body glued to the floor and do not rock your hips. You can make the circles smaller if need be.

Seated Hand Push

• Sit on a sturdy chair.

• Rest your feet on the floor with your knees bent at 90-degree angles.

• Place your palms on the outsides of your knees. While keeping your palms and arms stationary, push your knees outward against your palms, as if you were trying to push your palms away. At the same time, press inward with your hands, preventing your thighs from pushing them outward.

• Hold this isometric contraction for 1 minute, breathing normally.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form.

Standing Calf Raise

• Grab hand weights or something heavy. Stand on a step (or book) with your arches and heels extending off.

• Raise heels by extending ankles as high as possible.

• Lower heels by bending ankles until calves are stretched.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form),

Work towards completing 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps of each exercise. Don’t rush through the movements; make sure you are doing them with good form. Remember, speed doesn’t count, form does!

Stretching

After you’ve worked your muscles, it’s important to stretch them. Stretching after strength training is imperative to help prevent injury and for the muscles to recover quicker. Plus, it feels good.

Stretch #1

• Lie on your back, lift legs in the air and bend the right leg to place the right ankle on the opposite knee.

• Use the flexed leg to push the crossed leg back until you feel a stretch in your buttocks.

• Hold stretch and breathe deeply; switch legs.

Stretch #2

• Lie down on the floor with your right leg straight.

• Bend your left leg and lower it across your body, holding the knee down toward the floor with your right hand.

• Place your left arm comfortably beside you and turn your head to the left. Imagine you have a weight tied to your tailbone. Let your tailbone fall back toward the floor as your chest reaches in the opposite direction to stretch your lower back.

• Hold stretch and breathe deeply; switch legs.

By doing these exercises on a regular basis with at least 24 hours of rest time in between workouts, you will help build your lower body and give you a rock solid lower body in no time.

Remember to consistently improve muscle strength and the impact of your workouts, you need to keep things fresh: frequently add some variety to your routine and don’t be afraid to shake things up by trying new things. One of the easiest ways to do that is to change the order of your routine. That simple modification can make a big difference in your results.