You may be using winter as an excuse to cover every inch of your body with clothing, including your legs. Spring and summer are just around the corner. Before you know it, it’s short and swimsuit season again. That means it’s the perfect time to start toning your legs and give them more definition. These leg workouts are the way to do it. You’ll get great results if you’re consistent. You can trim your thighs, tone your calves, and get rid of cankles in less than an hour every other day.
You can reduce cellulite and tone your thighs for a slimmer look in shorts and jeans.
Cellulite won’t completely disappear from exercise, but you can make it far smoother and less noticeable when you strengthen and tone the muscle tissues. Squats and lunges can help you do that. There are all types of squats to work different muscles and work muscles on different planes. A goblet squat starts with feet wider. Instead of knees going straight ahead when you squat, you push them out to the side. They work the inner thighs and regular squats work the outer thighs and the rest of the legs. Lunges are also good for the thighs and have several variations, like the side lunge.
Tone all parts of your legs, front, back, and sides.
Doing jumping plyometric squats is hard, but well worth the effort. It’s a variation of the squat. Jump up, then drop down into a squat position. Immediately jump up again and repeat in rapid succession. You’ll be out of breath but will work every muscle in your leg. Jumping lunges are similar to walking lunges, but instead of walking forward in a lunge position, you jump as you switch the forward leg to the back and the back leg forward.
You can tone your calves while you tone your ankles.
Many of the same exercises for your calves also improve the ankles. Calf raises can help tone the ankles. Calf raises can be hard to do at first. Start with simple calf raises, standing with feet shoulder-width apart. Push your weight down onto the balls of your feet while raising your body by lifting your heels. Once you have the technique, you can hold weights for weighted calf raises or do calf raises on stairs. You can even do seated calf raises.
To work the entire leg, leg circles are excellent. Lay on your back with your legs straight. Lift one leg, pointing the toe toward the ceiling, and make large circles, first clockwise and then counterclockwise.
If you’re overweight, losing weight should be part of your program to tone your legs. No matter how toned your legs are, if you have excess weight, it will make it impossible to see your hard work.
You can tone your legs by taking the steps instead of the elevator. You’ll also burn calories and build aerobic endurance. Running up the stairs may seem difficult, but don’t be fooled. Running back down tones your legs too.
Jumping rope is another at-home leisure activity you can do to tone your legs. It helps tone the ankles, thighs, and calves. Planks are also excellent for leg toning and toning the entire body.