Having a toned butt and legs can help boost your confidence, reach your fitness goals, and allow you to walk along the beach in your favorite swimsuit with your head held high. The butt and thighs can become a problem area if your body accumulates excess fat there. Toning these two areas can be achieved by burning excess body fat through cardiovascular exercises and building the muscles with strength training.
Cardio
Excess fat hides toned muscles. Cardio exercise enables you to burn calories and fat to achieve a toned figure. Cardio exercise can be performed at a moderate intensity or a high intensity during interval training. According to Shape Fit, the best cardio exercises include running, the elliptical trainer, swimming, step aerobics, and cycling. When performed at a moderate intensity, cardio can be sustained for 30 to 45 minutes and burns fat from the body. Low intensity cardio requires effort, but you should be able to talk through the entire session.
Interval training burns calories instead of fat and increases your metabolism. During interval training, you alternate between high and low intensity intervals for 30 to 90 seconds for a total of 15 to 25 minutes. During the high intensity period, you should be using most of your effort. The low intensity periods allow you to work at a resting pace, which requires minimal effort.
Butt Toning Exercises
Butt toning exercises help tone your butt by targeting the gluteus muscles. Take a moment to find these muscles: focus on your butt, and try to squeeze your muscles together. The tightening sensation you feel is your gluteus muscles becoming engaged. During butt toning exercises it is important that you focus on actively engaging these muscles. You can perform exercises for this area two to three days a week for 30 to 40 minutes. For each exercise you complete, work until you cannot complete one full repetition. This is known as muscle failure and signifies the end of your ability to work these muscles.
Lunges are beneficial for toning the butt muscles. A standard lunge involves stepping forward with one leg, bending both knees to sink downward into a lunge and pushing off with the forward leg to return to the starting position. You can perform lunges to the side and rear as well and hold dumbbells in your hands while doing them for increased intensity.
Glute kickbacks also focus on the butt. To perform this exercise, start on your hands and knees, lift one leg into the air with your foot parallel to the ground, and pulse your foot upward. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Thigh Toning Exercises
Your thighs are composed of your quadricep (front of the thigh) and hamstring (back of the thigh) muscles. When these muscles are toned, your legs will appear lean and defined. Building muscle mass in your thighs can be done with low repetition and high weight training. This means you will complete six to eight repetitions during each exercise with a high weight.
Squats are a fairly common exercise but are also a very effective thigh toning movement. To perform a squat, stand with your feet hip-width apart, rest your weight in your heels, bend your knees, squat as low as you can or until your thighs are level with the floor, and return to standing position. Try holding dumbbells to increase the challenge on your thigh muscles.
Leg curls can be done in various positions to target your hamstrings or quadriceps. On a leg curl machine where you lie down on your stomach, position the leg pad on the back of your ankle. Then, curl your legs towards your butt to target your hamstrings. The seated leg curl allows you to place the leg pad on the front of your ankle, lift the weight upward, and target your quadriceps.
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