Totorus

Photo credit by -Jeffrey-

A lot of people are under the mistaken impression that leg muscles can only be toned in a gym. That is not the case. In fact, there are a number of ways to strengthen and tone the muscles in your legs without ever going near any type of health club. Best of all, you don’t even need any type of special equipment or weights to manage this process. If this sounds good to you, here are some of the best leg exercises you can do that require no weights or equipment of any kind.

One of the most basic of all leg exercises is something you already do: walking. The difference is that when you want to tone your legs with walking, you move with a little more intensity than just walking down the street. Set a faster pace, and make sure that you keep up that pace for at least a half-hour. You not only give your legs a low-impact workout that helps strengthen every muscle in your legs, you also give yourself a decent cardiovascular workout. At the same time, the walk will do your mind a world of good, allowing you to put some distance between the cares of the day and your evening activities.

Along with the walking, you can try what is known as hill sprinting. The idea is a very simple one. As you go on your walk, make sure that you include an area with a hill or at least a decent incline. When you come to the base of this hill, sprint up the hill as quickly as possible. Once you reach the top, revert to walking once again. If your route has several small hills, try sprinting up each one in turn; if not, you may want to sprint up the one, walk down the other side, then reverse the process to get in a couple of extra repetitions. You will burn leg fat as well as tone muscle.

One of the best leg exercises you can do is the basic squat. Many people will remember the squat from their school days, as part of the warm up routine during Physical Education classes. There are several ways to do the squat, with one basic approach involving stretching the arms outward to help maintain balance, then simply easing into the squat, holding the position for a count of five, then rising until your legs are straight once more. A set of ten of these is a good start; you can always add more repetitions as your leg strength increases.

For those who want a bit of Eastern flair for their workouts, consider adding yoga sessions to your workout time. When performed properly, yoga is a great way to tone the legs as well as the buttocks, the lower back, and even the abdomen and chest. If you are not familiar with yoga, it’s a good idea to find a trainer who can help you select the right exercises for your needs, and who can help you learn the correct process associated with each exercise. This will help you reap the benefits of the yoga, without running the risk of taking on something a little too ambitious and possibly causing some type of harm to your muscles.

While there is nothing wrong with using weights in a gym to get your legs in shape, don’t think that you have to carve out time to pack a bag and head off to a health club in order to have toned legs. There are plenty of ways to get the strong and attractive legs you want, simply by taking a walk after the evening meal and doing a few exercises while watching television before bed. By trying these basic exercises, you’ll begin to notice a difference in the way your legs look and feel within a matter of days.