The Best Exercises to Tone your Legs Without Getting Bulky
Do you want great legs without all of the muscle bulk? These exercises will help tone your legs while not getting your muscles too big.
Best part: They can all be done at home and require no weights or extra equipment.
4 Simple exercises for strengthening your legs
So here they are, 4 incredibly simple yet effective exercises for toning your legs. I describe each of these in great detail later in the article and include videos demonstrating each.
- Reaching Shuffle Lunge
- Hip Bridge
- Army Crawl Leg Extension
- Crossing Lunge Exercise
Will these exercises help me if I’m out of good shape?
Yes, but consult a physician if you have an existing medical condition before starting. If you begin to feel uncomfortable, stop. If you’re too sore for your next workout then you’ve done too much.
What equipment do I need for these exercises?
As I mentioned, you don’t need any exercise equipment to perform these exercises. However, I recommend purchasing (or borrowing) a thick yoga mat for added comfort and to reduce slipping.
As you get stronger, you may should consider using a resistance band or ankle weights. Most bands apply anywhere from 2-10 .lbs of resistance — start and are sometimes available in sets of 5.
Reaching Shuffle Lunge Exercise
Reaching Shuffle Lunge is an awesome butt for strengthening outer thighs, quads, and core
How to do a Shuffle Lunge
- For this exercise, you may begin with legs should length apart, placing your hands facing each other, relaxed at waist.
- Bend both legs to approximately 45 degrees.
- Take a two steps (shuffles) with your left foot to the left side while maintaining 45 degree bend. Keep feet close to ground
- Extend left arm away from body. Stretch and hold for 3 seconds
- Return left arm back to waist level
- Perform same motion with right leg and right All of this counts as a single rep.
- Perform 8-15 repetitions
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Hip Bridge
Hip Bridge helps you your core, arms, and legs. If you haven’t done it before, go slow.
Army Crawl Leg Extension
Army Crawl Leg Extension is a super exercise because it targets several major muscle groups: abs, lower back, legs, arms and chest.
Steps to perform the Army Crawl Leg Extension Exercise
First Step – Just keep down your body in the sleep position and your tummy and chest touch the ground.
Second Step – You are going to pull your right knee up as high as you can towards your right shoulder.
Third Step – When you are ready you are going to push up and when you push up you are going to lift your knee off the ground and extend it up behind you as you position yourself over your left knee.
Fourth Step – Drop down your body slightly, then push up your body and lift up your right leg and notice that your hands are under your armpits as you lower yourself down.
Crossing Lunge Exercise
The Crossing lunge is a fun exercise that will quickly tone your legs and glutes.
It’s a powerful three step exercise that strengthens and tones your lower bum quickly and after a few weeks should be an essential part of your exercise routine.
How to do a Cross Lunge
First Step – Bring your hands onto the hips and turn your torso to the right 45 degrees. Step forward with your left foot to a 30-degree bend into that front knee.
Second Step – Now set back to the center and now for the other side, step forward with the right foot bending both knees with the same angle and come back to the center.
Third Step – Now for a little squat, bend your knees to 30 degrees and jump up. Return to the starting position.
Fourth Step – Repeat steps 1-3 but start with the right foot
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Frequently Asked questions about toning your legs
Legs
No, this exercise will not make your leg muscles large. This is because you’re lifting only your body weight and performing several repetitions per set your legs will tone and not get bulky.
We recommend a kettle ball or dumbbell for this exercise. If you do not own any weights, you can start with no weights
No weights is needed for this exercise, but I recommend using a quality yoga mat.
Remember that proper form is the most important aspect to concentrate on as you gain strength. Make sure to move your body smoothly through all of the movements described above.
4-5 sets
30-60 seconds per set
2-3 times per week
Conclusion
Yes, it’s definitely possible to get fantastically toned legs at home without getting bulky muscles. Follow the advance above and remember to focus on proper form and repetitions
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be used or interpreted as such. You should always consult a medical professional before making drastic changes to your diet and physical exercise
Further reading
