When I say ‘strong legs’ and ‘sexy bum’, you think: ‘YES, please!’ Help is here, ladies! The good news is that we can all achieve this with the right training. In this blog post, I’ll be showing you 5 exercises that effectively tone leg and bum muscles (as well as stomach muscles to some degree), while boosting your overall metabolism. Here’s betting you’ll have killer legs in no time! Outfits: HKMX sports collection
This exercise is the next step up from the traditional squat, and with good reason! The squat jump trains your strength, speed and conditioning; you’ll see the pay-off in your hamstrings and quadriceps.
1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your toes pointed straight ahead. Keep your back straight, face slightly upward and hold your arms out in front of you.
2. Inhale and lower yourself down slowly (maintaining control), as if sitting but without allowing your knees to stick out past your toes.
3. Now here comes the jump! Jump energetically as high as you possibly can, straightening your body out as you exhale.
4. Land with a bounce, bending your knees straight into another squat jump
This exercise is, once again, the next step up from traditional lunges. The addition of the jump adds to its explosiveness and helps you slim down and tone your legs even faster!
1. Stand with your feet side by side, then take one large step forward. Hold your body as straight as possible and position the thigh of your forward leg so that it is parallel to the floor (without extending your knee beyond your toes). Place your hands on your hips.
2. Inhale and jump energetically upward from your lunge position. Jump as high as possible, while switching your leg positions mid-air and landing in the lunge position with your other leg extended forward.
3. Bounce into position with the other leg thrust forward and jump immediately back up into the next lunge!
We’re going to keep jumping! Remember how much fun you used to have jumping rope on the schoolyard? That childhood nostalgia can now help you burn more calories with this single exercise than with many others.
1. Stand with your body straight up. Hold the jump rope with your elbows against your body at a 45-degree angle and your palms facing upward.
2. Now here comes the jump! Jump a few inches up from the ground with your knees slightly bent, so that the rope has room to pass under your feet. Note: The rotating force comes from your wrists and forearms!
You gotta love burpees! This is an effective exercise for toning legs, but also tones secondary muscle groups, such as the arms, stomach, chest and back!
1. Stand with your body straight up. Bend down through your knees as if performing a squat (see explanation under exercise 1, step #2) and place your hands on the ground. Stretch your legs out behind you, landing in a beginning push-up position.
2. You are now at the lowest position for this exercise. Do 1 push-up and then pull your legs back up under you. Stand up and repeat the burpee!
The more strength training you do for your lower body, the more energetic your jumps will be! This is another energetic exercise designed to boost the strength, conditioning and speed in your legs and lift your rear end!
1. Grab 2 sticks, stones or other objects to mark the starting and ending points for your sprint. Sprint for 10 seconds, placing an object at the starting and finishing points.
2. Sprint back and forth one time: this counts as 1 set. Take a 30-second break and then move on to the next set.
TIP: Contract your stomach muscles during all of the exercises.
Good luck, ladies, and check out the Foodie-ness blog for more tips and tricks. Ready… Set… GOOOO!
Love, Carolina
@foodie_ness
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