Your legs contain several large muscles, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. Your waist consists of the rectus abdominis and obliques, which run diagonally along the sides of the stomach. Toning these areas will not only give you a boost in self-confidence but also more strength. From a physical standpoint, you will then be able to do daily tasks with more efficiency.
Warmup
A thorough warmup is important before you start to exercise. If you go into a workout with tight muscles, you run the risk of getting a strain or some other form of injury. Your best option is to do five to 10 minutes of light cardio followed by a series of dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches involve movement through a range of motion. This allows you to acclimate your body to exercising movements and prevents injury. Perform stretches like leg swings, ankle bounces, forward bends, alternating toe touches, spinal rotations and knee-high raises.
Exercise Selection
Exercises either isolate one muscle or work more than one muscle at a time. The latter are known as compound exercises, and they produce a high amount of muscle fiber recruitment. Base your workout around these exercises to make the fastest progress. Perform squats, lunges, stepups and leg presses for your legs. The goal with your waist is to target the lower abs, upper abs and obliques independently to achieve the highest amount of development. Do exercises like hanging knee raises, Russian twists, bicycle maneuvers and stability-ball crunches.
Proper Technique
Proper technique is important when you perform your workout. If you use sloppy form, you will not fully work your muscles and risk getting injured. Take lunges, for example. A common mistake is made when an exerciser lets her knees move past her toes when she lowers her body. This places excess stress on the knee joint. Begin the exercise from a standing position with your feet together and dumbbells held at your sides. Keeping your back straight and abs tight, step forward with your left foot and lower yourself down by bending your knees 90 degrees. Your back knee should be right above the floor at this point. Steadily rise back up, lunge forward with your right foot and continue to alternate back and forth.
Workout Details
The way to achieve toned muscles is not by lifting weights for high repetitions. That will increase muscular endurance but not give you much shape. With all of your leg exercises, use a weight that you can only lift eight to 12 times with proper form. With your ab exercises, aim for 15 to 20 repetitions. Do four or five sets of each exercise and work out three days a week on nonconsecutive days.
About Cardio
If you have excess fat on your legs and waist, be aware that weight training will only take you so far. To effectively see your muscles and create tone, you need to melt the fat away with cardiovascular training. Choose cardio exercises that you enjoy and that involve your legs, such as running, indoor cycling, stair climbing, rowing, brisk walking or elliptical training. Aim for three days of cardio each week on non-weight-training days for 45 to 60 minutes each workout.
Member Comments