Who doesn't love bouncing around? This next leg workout requires some one-legged jumping, but be sure to keep the standing knee slightly soft the entire time, not locked or hyperextended. Mathews also recommends bringing the jumping heel down while performing each of the jumps.
Step 1: Stand with your feet and legs together. Raise one knee and balance on the other leg.
Step 2: Without touching your raised leg to the ground, jump forward and backwards ten times.
Step 3: Now jump right to left ten times (your lifted leg still not touching ground).
Step 4: Jump straight up and down ten times.
Step 5: Complete ten calf raises on the standing leg (the opposite still raised). To do so, go up onto your tip toes and then back down to a flat foot. Feel free to use a chair or wall for balance.
Step 6: Repeat entire sequence three times on each leg.
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Leg Exercise No. 5: Seated Straddle Circles
Don't let the "seated" name fool you. This leg workout will still have your pretty legs burning by the end. To sculpt your stems via straddle circles:
Step 1: Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward and wide apart.
Step 2: Place both hands close in front of you, fingertips touching the floor (for an advanced move, keep palms firmly planted on the floor). Keep your right leg straight with toes pointed as you raise the leg straight up off the floor.
Step 3: Perform 10 small circles with your toes clockwise and counter clockwise. Repeat the 10 small circles with the other leg.
Step 4: For those who want it more advanced, try to perform the circles with both legs extended up off the floor.
Step 5: Complete three sets for each leg (or together).
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Leg Exercise No. 6: Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Into Single Squat
This last move will give the quads a serious burn and might induce some tipping over for the not-so-stable. If you tend to struggle with balance, feel free to use the back of a chair for stability.
Step 1: Stand with your feet and legs together. Extend your right leg straight back with your toes touching the floor for balance.
Step 2: With a slight bend in your left leg, slowly bend forward at the hips (pushing hips back as far as possible), and hold for three seconds. Your toes should still be lightly touching the floor.
Step 3: Push up through your heel to come back up to the start position.
Step 4: Repeat this ten times on each leg.
Step 5: From there, go straight into single leg squats. Start with your right leg back and go into a Romanian deadlift, and hold.
Step 6: Start to bend both your knees, and send your hips even farther back until your right knee is gently touching the floor. This should put you into a reverse lunge. Hold for three seconds, and then come back up to the starting position. Repeat ten times on each leg.
And there you have it. The six best leg exercises for getting toned legs (and a serious a burn). Pizza anyone?
Wish you had legs like Taylor Swift or Kendall Jenner? Or maybe just legs you'd feel confident showing off in shorts or dresses this summer? Yeah, us too. That's why we talked to Yumi Lee Mathews, fitness expert and co-owner of the Reebok Crossfit Lab in West Hollywood, to give us the leg workouts for women that actually work -- and work fast.
So what did we find? Well, after having a candid conversation with the Crossfit queen, we were sold on these leg exercises. Yes, you can get your legs looking toned, lean, and dare we say it -- sexy -- in time for bikini season (reminder: girl, you always have a bikini body).
"I love these leg workouts because they can be done anywhere with no equipment, and each of them works every muscle in the lower body, all the way from your butt down to your calves," Mathews says. "They also get your heart rate up for fitness conditioning, which helps burn fat."
Ready to get the sexy legs of your dreams? Here are the six leg workouts that'll give you immediate results.
Image via Imaxtree
BY
KRISTEN OLDHAM GIORDANI, JESSICA AMARIS |
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