Leg Toning Exercises
Women tend to focus on their thigh muscles when doing leg toning exercises, but he calf muscles need to be toned also. At one time, shapely calves were one of the features beautiful women flaunted. A famous poster of Betty Gable in her bathing suit has her posing with her back and calves displayed. To have shapely and well-defined legs, all the leg muscles must be toned. Lean thighs will actually look odd if the calf muscles are not sculpted also.
Leg toning exercises include the following:
- Squats with a barbell
- Dumbbell squats
- Ballet squat with feet wider than shoulder width
- Dumbbell lunge
- Calf raise
The calf muscles are composed of two muscles called the gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles are used to flex the knee and foot and work the leg. The calf muscles are probably the easiest muscles to develop. They get used every time you walk, so they are exercised regularly. Unfortunately, leg, ankle and foot problems are common in women who are active. This can be due to improper shoe fit or leg alignment issues. Leg toning exercises can help prevent some of the problems such as pain from muscle overuse.
Calf exercises are leg toning exercises that are intended to improve leg balance and strength. They also improve leg stability. They should be just as much a part of your exercise program as any other set of exercises. Before beginning exercises involving the legs, make sure you do plenty of stretching. The calf muscles are long and need to be stretched before exercising to improve flexibility.
Using the weights with leg toning exercises adds stress on the lower back, but as long as you keep your form, the extra weight is beneficial. The weight adds to the leg toning and also works the lower back and hip muscles. In addition, balance and coordination are developed.
If you want to begin your leg toning exercises without weight, the weights can be added at a later date after building strength. Weight sizes can also be increased over time. It is critical that good form be developed for the leg exercises in order to receive the benefits of the exercises. This is especially true for the squats and lunges. Always keep the back straight and the head up.
There are additional exercises such as the leg press that can be done with gym equipment. But you can do plenty of leg toning exercises with just the barbells. The important point is to do the exercises faithfully. Overall conditioning requires attention to all the muscles in the body including the legs. Your rewards will include shapely legs and strong ankles.
