Having a toned pair of legs improves your appearance and minimizes the appearance of cellulite. The legs are comprised of a large group of muscles and therefore, when you train the legs, you burn a large amount of calories. Although large pieces of home exercise equipment are effective for toning the muscles of the legs, smaller pieces of equipment are just as effective. In addition to regular strength training, cardiovascular exercise and healthy eating go a long way to improving muscle tone in the legs.
Dumbbells
Dumbbells come in several different weight denominations and are easy to store, making home exercise convenient. With dumbbells you can perform exercises like lunges and squats that target the muscles of the legs. When using sturdy chairs at home without wheels, you can also perform exercises like step-ups to strengthen the muscles of the legs and buttocks.
Resistance Tubes
Resistance tubes come in a variety of tensions indicating resistance level. Darker color resistance tubes indicate heavy tension while lighter color resistance tubes indicate light tension. Resistance tubes are great to train legs at home because they are light and take up less space than traditional home exercise equipment. With resistance tubes, you can perform exercises like squats, glute extensions, hamstring curls and calf raises.
Pilates Ring
Pilates rings are most often used during Pilates classes but you can buy rings at any major retailer for home use. Pilates rings are great for targeting the muscles of the inner and outer thighs, problem areas for women. Pilates rings take up very little space in a home and offer a variety of workout options using the chair, and floor exercises for the legs.
Body Weight
You bodyweight is the least expensive and most effective piece of equipment available for home exercise. With your bodyweight, you can perform squats, lunges and plyometric exercises like squat jumps to tone the muscles of the legs. If you have stairs in your home, you can run up and down the stairs for cardiovascular exercise and to strengthen and tone the muscles of the lower body. Your bodyweight doesn't occupy any additional space in your home and you can take it with you anywhere.
References
- "Strength Training Anatomy 2nd edition;" Frederic Delavier; 2006
- "Men's Health Power Training;" Robert dos Remedios, MA, CSCS; 2007
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