Spot reduction is a fitness fallacy. Burning overall body fat is the only way to reduce the size of your legs, but aerobic exercise and muscle toning need not be mutually exclusive. Certain aerobic activities also use the major muscle groups of the legs. These workouts offer the best of both worlds. They decrease your overall level of body fat, while sculpting and defining your hamstrings, quadriceps, and inner and outer thigh muscles. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week. Cross-training with these exercise modes prevents overuse injuries, boredom and burnout.
Step Aerobics
Step aerobic exercise involves stepping up and down on a 6- to 12-inch platform. The up-and-down movements work the hamstrings and quadriceps, and the movements that travel across the platform tone the inner and outer thighs. Maximize caloric expenditure and muscle endurance benefits by adding repeaters, which involve stepping on to the platform with one leg and lifting the opposite leg three times. A 150-pound person potentially burns between 357 and 540 calories during a 45-minute stepping routine.
Elliptical Training
There's a reason why there's often a line for the elliptical machines at your local fitness center. These versatile machines provide efficient and effective aerobic exercise, while toning the hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteal muscles. Some machines enable you to increase the incline. Others have a reverse-direction feature. Both of these modes increase hamstring muscle activation. A 150-pound person burns approximately 580 calories during a 45-minute elliptical training workout.
Slide Board Training
Slide board training is challenging, which may explain why it never became a fitness industry trend. Most people are not accustomed to lateral movement, but this is exactly why slide training is beneficial. This aerobic modality strengthens the inner and outer thigh muscles. The Carbowatch website calorie calculator shows that a 150-pound person potentially burns 225 calories during a 30-minute basic sliding session. Cross-train by performing a 30-minute slide workout on alternate days from your 45-minute step or elliptical training sessions.
References
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Cardiopulmonary Responses to Slideboard Exercise
- Health Status: Calories Burned Estimator
- Journal of Athletic Training: Physiologic Considerations of Therapeutic Slideboard Rehabilitation With an External Loading Device
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity & Public Health Guidelines
- Carbowatch: Calorie Expenditure by Intensity
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