7 steps to great legs
LEG day in the gym is the day many women dread, just because of the sheer amount of work that goes into getting well-toned gams. Fact is, perfect legs won’t be achieved by just eating right and exercising — you’ll have to target the area with specific exercises to get those to-die-for ‘legs for days’.
What are some of the routines that will get you looking good in the shortest shorts? Here are some of the best leg sculpters.
Chair squat
Stand with your back to the chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your weight centred on your heel and draw in your abs. Then slowly lower yourself to the chair, pause just before you sit, then get up. Do four sets of 30 repetitions.
Low lunge
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Put your right foot back then lower into lunge stance, keeping your left knee over your ankle. Bring your arms over your head — they should be in line with your ears. Then hold three breaths before going back to start position. Repeat this move four times.
Walking lunge
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart then step forward with your right foot as far as possible. Bend your left foot, ensuring that your knee does not pass your toes. Then bring your left foot forward and bend your right knee. Do five sets of 20 repetitions.
Jump squat
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, keeping your arms at your sides. Stoop down in a crouching position, then jump up with your arms up in the air and land softly. Do five sets of 20 repetitions.
Dead lifts
Hold your knees together within shoulder width, bending your knees slightly. Stretch down and come back up, and while coming back up, squeeze your glutes.
Front squat
Set a barbell on a power rack at about shoulder height. Grab the power rack with an overhand grip at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your fingertips — your elbows should be all the way up throughout the movement. Then step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned out slightly. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your feet. Do four sets of 12 repetitions of any weight you can manage.
Bulgarian split squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest the top of your left foot on the bench behind you. Then lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Do four sets of 12 repetitions with a dumbbell you can manage. Rest in between sets for 45 seconds.
