Who doesn’t want great looking legs? It’s a goal of both men and women. At LIV Fitness in Dublin, CA, our workouts focus on balance, variety and avoiding both plateauing and repetitive strain injuries. There are a huge number of exercises to help tone legs, some of which focus on thighs, while others on calves and ankles. If you’re trying to reduce the size of thighs or increase the size of calves to balance with the rest of the body, there are exercises that help.
Start with the ankle.
Do you have cankles? Cankles are ankles that are the same size as calves and particularly obvious when wearing heels. There are exercises that can change that appearance. Weighted calf raises are the perfect exercise for reducing the size of ankles and giving that sculpted look. Weighted calf raises, either using weights or resistance bands and stair calf raises using a five inch or larger stair, are two ways to shape your ankles. Jumping rope is also a great opportunity to shape ankles, calves and burn calories.
Calves need toning to look your best, whether you’re a man or woman.
If you have skinny legs and a great upper torso, whether you’re a man or a woman you’ll look out of balance. The term often used is chicken legs. By the same token, excess weight on the calves also deters from appearance. Some exercises help both. The calf raises that help eliminate fat ankles also help sculpt calves. You can adjust the positions of your feet to work all muscles. Ballerinas use five plie positions, which are basically squats with feet pointed open in different angles. You can modify your squats to get the same effect.
Thighs need to look sleek and not full of cellulite.
You won’t get rid of all cellulite with exercise, but you can make your thighs look smoother and more attractive. The answer is to get back to basics and do squats or lunges. There are numerous types of squats, but a goblet squat, keeping feet wider than regular squats, is one of the best. Your knees are facing outward, so when you squat, they go outward instead of forward. Doing lunges in all directions, side lunges, front and reverse lunges, tone all muscles in the thigh.
- Weighted seated calf raises can be done at work or at home. If you have a baby, sit the baby on your lap to provide weight or use a heavy object. Push your toes to the ground and lift your heels to raise the weight on your lap.
- To loosen your calves and tone your muscles, do calf stretches against a wall. Putting hands on the wall, place one foot about 12 inches behind the other foot. Bend the knee of the leg closest to the wall, pushing the heel furthest away down into the floor, stretching the calf.
- Work all sides of the legs. If you’re up to it, jumping plyometric squats are excellent for the legs, but tough. Jump up and drop down to squat position, then immediately repeat. Explosive lunges also work all leg muscles.
- Many leg exercises tone all parts of the leg and also the glutes. One exercise that’s good for legs, glutes and abs is the bridge. Lay on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor and hold. Squeeze your butt cheeks together as you do.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness