There are big benefits of keeping your legs toned because you work the largest muscle group in the body through leg exercises. Leg strength can help in improving coordination and balance, give your metabolism a boost and also protect your joints from injury. As you start aging, leg exercises become even more important for keeping your hips, knees and ankles in good shape. Adding leg exercises to your workout routine is a smart move, but which ones should you do? Some of the best exercises for toned legs are highlighted below.
Squats
One of the best exercises you can do for toning your legs are squats. They can also help in sculpting your abs, hips and butt. If you have back problems, squats are an excellent exercise because they have to be done standing up and do not need extra weight, which means you will not strain your back. For extra support or balance, you can perform your squats standing next to a wall.
Lunges
This particular exercise is great for working your abs, butt and thighs. You can use both your legs and arms at the same time when you perform lunges, which makes it a wonderful exercise for stronger legs and arms.
Single-leg deadlifts
Performing a single-leg deadlift is great for sculpting your upper legs, hips and butt. If you have trouble staying balanced, you can place your hands on a chair or a wall.
Plank leg lifts
When you perform regular planks, you will be able to target the hips, core and upper body, but adding leg lifts to planks can help in strengthening your upper legs and butt.
Step-ups
This particular exercise is similar to one-legged squats. Performing this repetitive movement allows you to focus on your hips, thighs and butt. Bear in mind that you will require a raised platform, or knee-height plyometric box for this exercise. It is recommended that you step onto the center of the box to avoid putting stress on your knees.
Stability ball knee tucks
You can tone your legs quickly when you use a stability ball for doing knee tucks. This exercise works your abs, shins and calves, but you need a properly inflated stability ball for performing it.
Box jumps
A plyometric box can also be used to do box jumps. It is an explosive workout that proves to be highly effective for toning your butt, legs and core. Every time you land on the box, you should absorb the force by dropping your hips. Do not lock your quads and knees because this could hurt the latter.
Resistance band leg presses
If you do not have a machine for leg presses, you can simply use a resistance band to mimic the movement. You can target your calves, hamstrings, quads and butt through this exercise. It is recommended that you use a shorter or thicker band to make the exercise more challenging.
With these exercises, you will be able to strengthen and tone your leg muscles effectively and enjoy better balance.
