Leg Exercise

When a person is trying to exercise and get in shape, leg exercises are very important.  Not only do the legs carry all of your weight all day long, they also make it possible for you to exercise many other parts of the body as well.  Without leg strength it is difficult to strengthen any other parts of the body.  Leg exercises can also give you the trim, lean look that desire.

 One excellent exercise is the outer thigh lift.  The goal of the outer thigh lift is to strengthen the hip and the outer thigh.  You should lie on the floor or on a mat on your right side with the right arm stretched out under the head.  Place your left arm in front of the chest, palm down, and hold yourself up.  Keep the hips aligned and bend the right leg for support.  You should lift the leg up and out.  This should be done several times before switching legs and repeating the exercise on the other side.

 Another excellent exercise for the outer thigh is the outer thigh press.  This exercise will strengthen the hip and the outer thigh muscles by contracting them through a very short range of motion.  With this exercise you should begin on the floor the same way you did the outer thigh lift.  You should lift the leg up several inches for a short range of motion then return the starting position.  As with any exercise it is important to breathe.  If you are a beginner and the leg begins to get fatigued, you should stop.  You do not want to over exert the muscle.

 A third exercise for the thigh muscles is the butt and thigh press.  In this exercise the outer thigh and hip muscles are in contraction.  The muscles in the front of the thigh called the quadriceps and the muscles in the buttocks known as the glutes, perform the movement that extends the leg at the hip and the knee.  You should lie on the floor the same way as with the other two thigh muscle exercises.  You should lift the leg so that the knee is parallel to the floor and the foot is about four inches from the floor.  You should bend your hip and knee at the joints and raise the leg very slowly using a very short range of motion.  Repeat this ten times before switching sides.  Again, with this exercise, if the muscle becomes fatigued, you should stop.  Over working the muscle is not beneficial.

The compound joint press is an excellent leg exercise.  It is called a compound because it uses more than one joint action it will strengthen the outer thigh, the hip, the front of the thigh and also the buttocks.  You should lie on the floor as with the other thigh exercises.  You should lift the leg from the hip joint in a slow easy motion.  While the leg is lifted, bend at the knee and count two counts before straightening.  This should be done ten times before switching sides.  It is important that you keep you abdominal muscles tightened while doing this exercise. 

The inner thigh lift is an excellent exercise.  This exercise conditions the muscles on the opposite side of the outer thigh lift.  It will strengthen the inner thigh by requiring the leg to move toward the middle of the body.  You should lie on the floor as with all other thigh exercises, however, you should place your left foot on the floor to hold yourself up.  You should raise the right leg making sure to press up.  You should then lower the leg and attempt to resist the movement on the way down.  Repeat this ten times before switching to the other side.

The inner thigh squeeze is an excellent exercise for the inner thighs.  It also allows you to lie on your back and relax while you tone the muscles.  If you feel that your hamstrings are tight, you should keep your knees relaxed.  You should lie with your arms by your side and raise your legs up to the ceiling.  Close and open the legs slowly, however, not going out past the hip line.  This should be done between ten and twenty times.  As your muscles become stronger over time, you should do more repetitions of this exercise.

Performing these leg exercise on a regular basis can give you the lean and tones legs that you have always wanted.  They will also keep you strong so that you can work other parts of the body as well.