PT shares his winning formula to tone up your legs and burn thigh fat in time for your summer holiday
HOT summer season also equals legs-out season, with shorts and skirts firmly at the front of our wardrobes.
Whilst there’s no pressure to hit the gym before flashing the flesh, you might be inclined to throw in some leg exercises to help shape up for the bare-leg weather.
Rowan Clift, Personal Trainer and training specialist at Freeletics has got you covered.
He’s put together a workout consisting of five exercises – a mixture of weighted and also body weight – which will help to not only build muscle in your legs but also burn fat: the winning formula to shapely, svelte legs.
These exercises can be done at home or at the gym and the whole workout should take no longer than 25 minutes in total.
If you have dumbbells or weighted items accessible, you’ll need them for a few of the exercises.
Adding resistance puts muscles under more strain and makes them work harder, in turn helping them grow.
But don’t worry, you won’t ‘bulk up’ or have legs reminiscent of The Incredible Hulk.
Instead, your pins will appear slimmer and more toned. Let’s get started.
1. High Knees on The Spot
Stand upright and keep your core tight.
Then, jog on the spot but as you do so, drive your knees upwards towards your chest and pump your arms.
Aim to do three rounds high knees, 15 seconds each with a 15 second break in between.
You should feel out of breath by the time your 15 seconds of work is up!
2. Wide Jump Squats
Next, it’s time for some plyometric work.
According to Rowan, plyometric exercises are essentially exercises that involve jumps.
They’re high intensity, working the muscles in the legs while helping to torch calories and burn fat.
Take a wide stance, drop into a squat by pushing your bum back, bending the knees and keeping a flat back.
Explode upwards, before landing back down softly into a squat.
Can’t jump? Simply remove the jump and drop into a wide squat instead.
Aim to do five rounds of 12 reps, with a 15 second break between each.
3. Reverse Lunges
If you can, grab one dumbbell for this exercise and hold it in your left hand.
To drop into a lunge, stand upright with feet hip width apart.
Step back with your left leg and bend both knees as you drop the back knee down to the floor. There should be a 90-degree bend in both your knees.
Then, push up through the front right heel to come up to standing.
Find this too easy? Try using two dumbbells and holding one in each hand.
If it’s too hard, take the weight away and use your body weight.
Complete three rounds of 12 reps on each leg, with a 30 second break between rounds.
4. Goblet Squat
Rowan explains that this exercise is similar to the plyometric squat explained above, however this time, you’re holding one heavy dumbbell and removing the jump element of the exercise.
For this exercise, hold your dumbbell with both hands, in front of your chest.
Ideally, go for the heaviest dumbbell you can, but don’t go so heavy that you can’t complete the reps with good form.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Then, keeping a flat back, bend both knees and push your hips back, dropping into a squat so your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Rowan says: “Be mindful of your knees and don’t allow them to cave in.”
Next, push up through your heels and come back up to standing.
Do five rounds of 12 reps, with a 30 second rest between each.
5. Single Leg Glute Bridge
Lie on the floor with your right knee bent and right foot on the floor.
Your left leg should be straight out in front of you.
If you have a dumbbell, hold it in your right hand and rest it gently in the crease between your torso and right thigh.
Push through your right foot as you drive your hips upright, lifting your left leg at the same time.
You should feel this in your hamstring, the muscle that runs along the back of your thigh.
Then lower back down before repeating the move.
Aim to do three rounds of 12 reps on each side, with a 30 second rest between each round.
Make sure you repeat the same number of reps for each leg.
Boost your leg toning
Our legs are made up of several large muscles including our hamstrings, which run along the back of our thighs; quads, which run along the front of our thighs; glutes, the largest muscle in the body which essentially makes up our butt; and our calves, which run along the back of our lower legs.
Working these muscles won’t just leave you feeling more confident as you notice your legs shaping up, but you’ll also benefit hugely from many positives that come from strong, toned leg muscles.
Our legs carry us through life, as we walk, run, jog, squat and jump, so having strong legs means a lower chance of injury.
Plus, muscles protect our joints, so working to strengthen the leg muscles can mean that joints such as the knees, ankles and hips, become stronger and more supported.
The 5 best exercises to zap belly fat fast
Agonising sit ups aren’t the only way to blast belly fat.
London-based personal trainer Will Duru shared five exercises to get a trimmer tummy this summer.
1. Knee tucks
Lie on your back and place your hands in a V shape at the bottom of your spine for support.
Lift your legs off the ground and bend them in towards your chest, before extending them out in front of you.
Do four sets of these, with 20 reps in each.
2. Plank side-to-side twist
Get into a plank position, resting on your forearms with your body in a straight line.
Twist from one side to the other, dipping your hips.
Do four sets of 20 reps.
3. Mountain climbers
Start in a plank position, weight resting on your palms and making sure your bum isn’t sticking up.
Alternate bringing one knee into your chest and back out again.
You can do these slowly with control, or speed up to a ‘running’ pace.
Do four sets, 40 seconds each.
4. Toe touches
Lie on your back and extend your legs at a 45 degree angle in front of you.
Extend your arms towards your toes and curl your torso off the floor, engaging your core to do this.
Repeat the movement 20 times. Do four sets in total.
5. Butterfly sit ups
Lie on the floor, bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together so your legs are ‘butterflying’ out.
Stretch your arms above your head, resting them on the floor, or out in front of your chest.
Sit all the way up, bracing your core, and bring your hands as close to your feet as possible, before curling back into the floor.
Do four sets of 10.
Watch Will demonstrate how to do the exercises here.
To further boost your leg toning, be sure to eat plenty of muscle supporting foods.
After your workout, enjoy a snack or meal that contains protein, as this helps muscles repair after a workout as well as helping them grow.
Muscle growth will help you achieve a more toned look.
Good sources of protein include chicken, turkey, eggs, tofu, legumes and dairy such as Greek yoghurt.
Try eggs on wholemeal toast, Greek yoghurt with oats and berries or enjoy cottage cheese on rice cakes.