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In the face of the glossy cover models of numerous fitness magazines, it is not surprising that most women strive for perfectly toned legs and pull out all the stops to achieve this goal. However, it is these same athletes who are under the misapprehension that cardio alone will help to tone the legs and thus bring the number one female problem area into flawless shape. In this article, we'll show you five great exercises that will help your legs become much firmer in just a few weeks.

Leg training offers many advantages

As is the case with most male exercisers, strength training for the legs also receives too little attention from many women and is limited - if at all - to the excessive practice of cardio training or the use of the adductor machine. In this context, it is thus often neglected that the musculature of the lower extremities is the largest synergically working muscle network of the body, which consumes large amounts of energy. Accordingly, targeted strength training of the upper and lower legs leads not only to an optical tightening of the legs, but also, due to the associated muscle growth, to a significantly higher energy consumption, which, under the condition of a targeted diet, considerably boosts fat burning. A consistent and planned strength training for the legs helps you accordingly with the shaping of the problem zones, as the globally increased fat burning also in the area of the thighs and the buttocks allows excess fat deposits to melt. Furthermore, the moderate muscle growth leads to the fact that firm muscle tissue makes both the skin and the connective tissue significantly tighter and unsightly phenomena such as cellulite a thing of the past.

Squats and front squats

To achieve the best possible results, it's not enough to do a few laps on the bike or sweat hour after hour on the cross trainer. What will bring you closer to your goal of perfectly toned legs are basic weight training exercises that work the rest of the skeletal muscles in addition to the thighs. Probably the most effective exercise is the classic squat, which is performed with a barbell. In order to take full advantage of the squat, you should make sure that you stand about shoulder-width apart and make sure that you bend as deeply as the anatomy of your hip joint allows. This is the only way to recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers. In contrast to the classic squat, which focuses on the buttocks, the front squat primarily works the anterior thigh muscles (quadriceps femoris), so ideally you should combine these two exercises. Also, when performing front squats, make sure you bend as deeply as you can for best results.

Cross lift with legs extended, adductor machine and calf raise

The deadlift with extended legs directs the training focus away from the front part of the thigh to the often neglected leg biceps, which in many people is severely shortened due to predominantly sedentary activities and restricts the freedom of movement of the leg. In order not to put undue strain on the intervertebral discs, it is important to pay attention to a few things during the execution. The starting position is similar to that of the squat, except that there is no flexion in the knee joint during the movement. In addition, you should make sure that during the execution of the exercise you always keep your lower back under tension and in a slight hollow back to guarantee maximum safety. Even though some female exercisers already use the adductor machine, in most gyms it ekes out a sad existence between the ab trainer and the dumbbell area. The targeted training of the adductors on the adductor machine provides for the visible tightening of the inner thigh, which gives the entire thigh a significantly tighter and more athletic overall appearance. In the course of performing it, you should make sure not to use too much weight and to perform the movement slowly and in a controlled manner, in order to guarantee an optimal hypertrophy stimulus and avoid unnecessary injuries. The calves, which contribute significantly to the overall toned appearance of the legs, are also often criminally neglected. To compensate for this deficit, you should definitely practice calf raises either on a machine or with free weights. Make sure that your feet are parallel to each other during the exercise so that there is not too much rotation in the ankle joint, which can lead to incorrect loading of the calf. Furthermore, you should use the full range of motion to achieve the best possible result.

Conclusion

As you can see, strength training is of central importance in order to get closer to the ideal of perfectly toned legs. Since most of the exercises selected are challenging free weight exercises, you should first train the movement sequences with little weight until you have mastered them flawlessly and can use them in training. So if you want to tone your legs, you should immediately integrate some of these exercises into your training plan.