Everybody tends to think that perfectly toned legs take months of hardcore exercising. Good
news, folks - all you actually need is to know your leg shape, do 3 exercises specifically
catered to it, and you’re all set! So let’s get right into it…
There are four main leg shapes: bow-legged, knock-kneed, false curvature, and normal.
To figure out which one of them is yours, stand straight with your feet together, and
look in the mirror to see where your legs touch. Don’t forget to pay attention to
your thighs, knees, calves, and ankles.
Bow-legged shape If you notice your knees bending slightly
outward, you probably have a bow-legged shape. The main goal for this leg type is to pull
the knees closer by strengthening the muscles and then stretch the muscles to pull the knees
out. Thankfully, these 3 simple exercises can do the trick!
Pistol squats Pistol squats are basically one-leg squats.
These guys give a great workout to tons of your leg muscles, including your hamstrings,
gluteus maximus, calves, and the insides of your thighs.
So to perform a pistol squat, stand straight and lift your right leg up. From this position
lower down, squatting on your left leg, and come back up. Repeat the same thing 10 times
for each leg. The key to this exercise is to engage your
core, while keeping your knees soft. It’s okay if you need to use a wall or a chair
for some balance - with time you’ll build enough strength to do pistol squats on your
own.
Figure 4 stretch This exercise is kinda crazy but it’s unbelievably
effective for a bow-legged shape. It mainly targets your hip’s internal rotators, improving
the flexibility of your hip muscles. To start the exercise, lay on your back and
place your right ankle on top of your left knee. Now bring the legs up and grab your
left leg right below the knee. Hold this pose for about 30 seconds, return to the initial
position, and repeat the same thing for the other leg.
Don’t forget to breathe correctly - inhale deeply through your nose, pause for a moment,
and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Toe touching Toe touching is really quick and easy - you
can do it anywhere, anytime, no special equipment necessary. It mainly focuses on stretching
your hamstrings and outer thighs. So begin by standing straight and placing
your feet a bit apart. Bend down and try to reach your toes, keeping your knees together
and straight. Freeze for a sec and come back up. Do the same thing 10 more times, and your
workout is over! If you need help keeping your knees together,
roll up the towel and hold it with your knees. And on the contrary, if the exercise feels
way too easy, make sure to elevate your heels a little bit.
Knock-kneed shape When you stand still, are your thighs close
to each other but your shins don't touch at all? Then you have knock-kneed legs or, as
they are often called X-shaped legs. This leg shape means that you have weak muscles
on the outside of your hips and thighs but very tight ones on the inside. And we’re
gonna work on that!
Side lunges This is one of the most popular leg exercises,
and it’s perfect for knock-kneed legs. Side lunges target your inner and outer thighs
as well as your hips, making your legs nice and slim.
Stand straight and place your hands on your hips. Then take a big step to your right,
bending your right leg, while keeping your left leg straight. Return to the initial position
and do the same thing for your left leg. Make sure to do at least 10 side lunges for each
leg. You can also use dumbbells to make the exercise
even more challenging and effective.
Lying hip abduction Knock-kneed leg shape basically suggests that
you lack hip strength, and the lying hip abduction exercise takes care of it. It makes your outer
thighs and hips work, balancing everything out.
It’s pretty easy to do as well - just lay on your side, raise your top leg up, hold
it like this for a sec, and lower it back down. Repeat the same thing 10 times for each
leg, and that's it! Keep in mind that both of your legs should
be either perfectly straight or only slightly bent.
Side step-ups Here’s another exercise to get the outer
thighs made of steel! Moreover, this type of step-up can effortlessly improve your balance
and protect your lower back. Stand near a bench (you can use a chair if
you’re doing this exercise at home), place your right foot on it, and lift up your body,
placing your second foot on the bench or chair as well. Then go right back to the initial
position. As always, 10 times for each side should be your minimum.
Make sure to keep a steady breathing pattern throughout the exercise, by the way. Inhale
when in a starting position and exhale as you go up on the bench.
False curvature If your knees touch but your lower legs actually
go outward and look way too skinny, you’re probably in the false curvature group. To
correct this you just have to increase the muscle bulk in your lower legs, and these
3 exercises can help you do just that!
Heel raises Heel raises are the easiest exercise you can
think of - just stand straight and raise up on your tip-toes at least 10 times. This simple
movement significantly increases your calf strength, gradually changing your leg shape.
If you have trouble keeping balance, you can hold a chair or stand next to a wall.
Walking or running stairs Walking, and especially running stairs is
a great cardio workout. It makes your glutes, calves, and hamstrings way stronger, toning
up your legs. So next time you have a work break, just walk a flight of stairs to really
make your muscles work!
Deep knee bends The biggest advantage of this exercise is
that it causes your muscles to contract. This process boosts your blood flow and doubles
your results, while also preventing strains. To perform it you have to place your feet
shoulder-width apart and squat as low as you can, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
Make sure to do about 10 deep knee bends every single day.
If the exercise feels too easy, try to elevate your heels slightly or add dumbbells to your
workout.
Normal shape And finally, if your legs touch each other
at the upper thighs, knees, calves, and ankles and have only one tiny gap from the ankles
all the way up to the middle of the calves, you fall into the last leg shape category.
Nobody bothered to create a proper name for it, so it’s just considered to be normal.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make your legs look even more fabulous! So
I have 3 cool exercises for you too...
Squats Squats are probably the most effective leg
exercise ever created! They cover multiple crucial muscle groups, including hamstrings,
calves, abs, and glutes. Your starting position for this one should
be standing up with your feet shoulder-width apart. Now squat down, keeping your back straight.
Stay in this position for a couple of seconds and come back up.
If you wanna get to your final goal faster, use weights and repeat this exercise at least
10 times every single day. One week in and you’ll see your legs transforming!
Glute bridge Glute bridges mainly work on your abs (cool!),
your hamstrings (even better), and your glutes (obviously).
So to get all these muscles working, lay flat on the floor and bend your knees so that your
feet are directly under your knees. Then lift your hips up, hold this pose for 2-3 seconds,
and return back to the initial position. For the best results, pay attention to your
breathing pattern (inhale in the starting position and exhale as you raise your hips)
and squeeze your glutes each time you perform a bridge.
Walking lunges This precious exercise doesn’t just target
a couple of muscle groups like most exercises do - it works your entire leg! Your thigh
muscles count as well, so it's basically the most symmetrical leg toning you can get.
To do a walking lunge, stand straight, keeping your feet together. From here take a big step
forward and lower your body into a lunge. Push your back foot up and step next to your
front foot. Do 10 walking lunges forward, then turn around and do 10 more back to your
starting point. The only thing you have to remember is to
keep your knees at a 90-degree angle.
And there you go! If you do all the exercises from your leg shape group regularly, it won’t
be long ‘till you see the first positive results. Good luck!
And how do you keep your legs in shape? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned
something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend.
But – hey! – don’t go anywhere just yet! We have over 2,000 cool videos for you
to check out. All you have to do is pick the left or right video, click on it, and enjoy!
Stay on the Bright Side of life!