Legs workout targets your greatest muscle area, so keeping your legs toned has a lot of advantages. Leg strength enhances balance and coordination, protects joints from injury, and increases metabolism. Legs workout becomes even more vital as you get older to keep your ankles, knees, and hips in good health. Walking is a terrific way to get your heart rate up, but it does not increase muscle tone and focused legs workout.
Try including a legs workout into your strength training program twice a week. You should aim for 10 to 15 repetitions per set and two to three sets every session. Because leg muscles are vast, you should see an immediate improvement in muscular tone. If you have any joint issues, see your doctor before including Legs workout into your fitness program.
Strong legs aid in walking, jumping, and balancing. They also support your body and allow you to participate in daily activities. Follow these leg-toning exercises and recommendations if you want to tone your legs.
Here is the list of the 8 best Legs workouts that will make your legs stronger and harder.
1. Back Squads
One of the popular legs workouts is back squads. The posterior chain, or the back of your body, is targeted by a back squat, including the glutes and hamstrings.
How to Go About It:
- Load a barbell with weights and place it on your traps, shoulder-width apart. Your eyes should be front, your chest should be confident, and your toes pointed out slightly.
- Set your hips back, bend your knees, and lower yourself to the floor. Check that your knees are not caved in but are slightly out.
- Lower your thighs until they are parallel to the ground or as far as your mobility allows. Then, push back up to the starting position.
2. Leg press
While machines do not provide all of the benefits of free-weight workouts, machines such as the leg press allow you to quickly isolate specific muscles – in this example, the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
How to do it:
- Place your back and head flat on the leg press machine’s pad. Put your feet together, hip-width apart. Your legs should be bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Extend your legs and engage your core. Take a breather at the top, but don’t lock your knees.
- Bend your knees and slowly return the plate to its starting position.
3. Leg curls
Some legs workouts need machines. Using the leg curl machine, isolate your hamstrings and calves.
How to do it:
- Place your legs in the leg curl machine, flat on your stomach, with the roller pad just above your heels. Grab the machine’s support bars on either side.
- Lift your feet and engage your core, bringing the pad toward your buttocks.
- Pause at the peak, then slowly return to your starting position.
4. Walking lunges
Walking lunges will test your balance as well as your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
How to do it:
- Begin by putting your feet together. If you want to make a weighted walking lunge, hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Step forward, lunging with your right leg until your thigh is parallel to the ground, keeping your chest proud and your gaze straight ahead.
- Return to the beginning position by pushing up through your right heel.
- With the left leg, continue forward.
Also Read, Squats: Begin training them to get rid of chicken legs
5. Front Squat
A front squat focuses on the front of your body, namely your quads.
How to Go About It:
- Load a barbell with weights appropriate for your strength onto the front of your shoulders and support it with an underhand hold on either side. Maintain your elbows raised and your gaze forward.
- Set your hips back, bend your knees, and lower yourself to the ground. Fight the impulse to fall forward by keeping your knees tracking out and your chest proud.
- Lower your thighs until your thighs are equal in length or as far as your mobility allows, and then push back up to the starting position.
6. Leg extensions
The quadriceps are the big muscles in the front of the thigh targeted by the leg extension.
How to do it:
- Set up the leg extension machine to put the pad at the top of your lower legs, just above your ankles.
- Your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Choose a weight that provides a moderate load for 10 to 12 repetitions.
- Put your hands on the handrails.
- Exhale as you lift the weight until your legs are virtually straight. You should not lock your knees. Maintain a flat back against the backrest and avoid arching your back.
- Exhale and return the weight to its starting position.
- Perform three sets of eight to twelve repetitions.
7. Good mornings
The good morning, a hip-hinge action will wake up your hamstrings.
How to do it:
- Load a barbell upon your traps and stand shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips and steadily lower your torso toward the ground, sending your butt backward. Maintain a straight stare and a proud chest throughout the exercise.
- Lower down until you feel a stretch in your hamstring, then return to the beginning position with your glutes.
8. Sumo Squats
Sumo squats are a version of squats that target similar muscles. Due to the location of your feet, the sumo squat stimulates the adductors (inside thigh) in addition to the quadriceps, glutes, calves, hip flexors, hamstrings, and core.
How to do it:
- Begin by standing with your feet wide apart, and your toes pointed out.
- Starting with your weight in your back heels, lower your hips and bend your knees into a broad squat. Reduce your stance until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Return to a standing position, squeezing your glutes at the top of the action.
- Perform 10-20 reps.
