The following post has been contributed by Nick Clipton from Building Body Muscles. Nick likes to write about building muscle and gaining healthy weight. Nick also reviews bodybuilding and muscle building programs. These days he is focusing on a program called 7 Minute Muscle.
If you’re looking to reshape your lower body, figuring out the best exercises for toning your legs should be a priority. For many people, the legs are the one area that does tend to be quite a trouble spot as we naturally tend to store fat there and have a bit harder of a time losing the fat from this area.
Women especially tend to maintain higher levels of body fat in the hips and thigh region, so if this is where you’re noticing the fat gain taking place, take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. Most women do have this same problem are also have to work just as hard to combat it.
Here are a few of the smart methods that you should know about in order to tone your legs.
Consider Uphill Walking
The very first thing that you should consider doing if you want to tone your legs is uphill walking. Since you’re fighting against resistance as you do this activity you’re going to find that you are increasing the overall strength level in the glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
Since these are the primary muscles that make up the lower body, you’ll be getting a full body toner all in one while also helping to rapidly burn up more calories.
This style of training is also a lot more effective than flat walking or even running in terms of getting you in the best physical condition possible so if you’re looking to get in shape, definitely the one you want to be doing.
Utilize Higher Rep Walking Lunges
Second, the next method for really toning the legs is to perform higher rep walking lunges. This is going to also firm the quads, glutes, and hamstring area and you’ll also find you get a bit of a cardio since it definitely will get your heart rate up.
Be sure that you’re performing walking lunges though over stationary lunges as these will be slightly better in terms of overall toning benefits.
Perform High Intensity Bursts Of Exercise
Third, another great method for toning the legs if you are more into cardio training than weight lifting is performing plenty of high intensity bursts of exercise. This could be done on the treadmill using sprinting or else on the bike as well.
The goal here is to work as hard as you possibly can for a brief period, say 20-30 seconds and then rest for a period twice as long as that. Then you are to repeat the process again for 6-10 more intervals to complete the entire workout session.
Be Sure To Rest
Finally the last thing to know about toning your legs is that you should also be making sure to get enough rest. This is vital so that the muscles can recover in time and for your next workout. If you aren’t giving them the rest they need, you’re just going to break down the muscles further and further and that could eventually lead to lean muscle mass loss.
So be sure that you keep these tips in mind for toning your legs. If you can incorporate just a few of these into your program, you will definitely notice results starting to show.