Your legs are the largest muscle group in your body. You weren’t born knowing how to use them. Remember, you had to learn to kick. You had to learn you had feet. You had to build strength so you could push yourself up on them. You had to crawl before you could walk. You had to walk before you could run.
So is it any surprise that you need to really work on your legs if you want to achieve the fitness goal of toned, strong legs that look good and feel great? Here’s a suggested 20 minute leg workout that will help you get your leg muscles back on track towards better fitness. Try this workout 3 to 4 times a week along with a good cardio program.
SQUATS x8
A lot of people don’t like squats, but squats are an excellent workout for your quadriceps, the largest group of muscles in your thighs. The quadriceps is the part of the leg that feels the burn when you are climbing stairs. Squats work the quadriceps, strengthening them and helping to improve their fitness and endurance.
· Be sure to check your form in a mirror, during a squat, your knees should never extend past your toes.
· Begin by standing with your feet spread to hip-width. You might want to hold a chair or a counter for balance support.
· Slowly lower yourself by pushing your buns backward. Imagine sitting down in a chair that is not there.
· Remember do not go so low that your knees extend past the point of your toes.
· Push your weight back up by pressing down your heels and extending your body to the start position.
You will know the squat is being performed correctly if you feel the tightening across your glutes and a mild burning in your quadriceps. At no point should you feel ‘pain.’ If you are feeling pain then halt the exercise and stretch out fully. It may take you some time to actually achieve the exact form of a squat, if you cannot perform the squat fully, perform it to the best of your ability.
LYING HEEL PRESS
This exercise will work your hamstrings. Your hamstrings run along the back of your legs and work in opposition to your quadriceps. It’s important to note that you should always work opposing muscle groups equally. If you work only your quadriceps without strengthening your hamstrings, you run the risk of tearing a hamstring because the opposing force of the quadriceps is too strong.
· Begin by finding a comfortable spot to lie on the floor. You may use an exercise mat or just lay on the carpet. Whatever is the most comfortable for you.
· Lie on your back. Bend your knees and press your feet flat to the floor.
· Lift one foot to lay the ankle over the opposite knee so that you only have one foot on the floor.
· Slowly lift your rear from the floor, pushing your hips up and using the foot that is planted to do the lifting. Be sure to keep your shoulders loose, but firmly planted. Do not use your arms to lift you. You should be stable at all times.
· Lift yourself as far as you are comfortable. Hold the position for a count of four and then lower yourself once more to the floor.
· Repeat this 8 times for each leg.
Again, you will feel a tightening in your rear and lower back. You will feel a ‘pull’ along the back of your leg that is extending to push you upwards. You will feel a mild burn as you complete your set of 8. You should perform this exercise slowly and deliberately. You shouldn’t shove up and down; it’s not a race. The idea behind the lying heel press is to strengthen the hamstrings and you work the muscles both during the lifting and relaxing of the muscles.
CALF RAISES
This exercise works the calf muscles. Shaped and toned calves provide support for when you are working on your tiptoes and for women, help when they are wearing heels. The following exercise can be performed in two ways. I will list both so you can choose which one is more comfortable for you.
Method 1:
· Stand on one foot with the other foot resting slightly behind the first.
· Slowly rise on one leg, shifting your body weight to the ball of the foot.
· Squeeze your calf muscle at the top of the raise. Be sure to keep the off leg steady and the majority of your weight on the leg performing the raise.
· Slowly return to standing position.
· Repeat for a set of 8 and then perform the routine using the other leg.
Method 2:
Locate a doorway in your house that has a slight drop, usually one or two inches.
· Stand in the doorway, using your hands to balance yourself. Make sure your weight rests on the balls of your feet and they are firmly planted on the lip of the doorway.
· Begin by lowering your heels and feeling the stretch along the back of your calves.
· Slowly push up onto the balls of your feet, squeezing your calves at the top of the motion.
· Return slowly to lowering your heels below the lip of the door.
· Perform the calf raises for a set of 8 or 10.
You will feel the tightening in the back of your calves and very quickly, a mild burning as you flex the calf muscle to the full range of motion. Again, it’s important to stress here that it shouldn’t HURT. If it’s HURTING, then stop. Be sure you have stretched out well before beginning every exercise. These exercises will benefit you more if they are performed slowly and deliberately. It’s not a race.
ANKLE CIRCLES
This exercise will work the shin muscles, the opposing muscle group to your calves. Remember what we said earlier, it’s important to work the opposing muscle groups to maintain muscle balance and strength.
· Sit down in a chair with one leg crossed over the other.
· Slowly rotate your foot in a clockwise direction for 10 or 12 revolutions.
· Slowly rotate your foot in a counter-clockwise direction for 10 or 12 revolutions.
· Switch legs and repeat this exercise with the opposite ankle.
When performed correctly, you will feel the tightening and pulling along the front of your shin. You should feel a mild burning sensation, indicating blood flowing into the muscle and muscle activity.
If you are just starting out and adding these leg exercises to your program, you should attempt one set of each for every fitness day devoted to leg exercises. It’s important that you warm up with stretching prior to beginning. When you discover that performing one set of each is easy, step it up to two sets of each and finally to three.
Your goal should be three sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise, which will take you roughly twenty minutes to complete.