We’ve all been to the gym and seen that one person who has forgotten about leg day, and we’ve probably all joked about it. But the truth is that we do often neglect our bottom halves when we go for a workout. And it’s easy to see why. We aspire to have flat abs, bulging Pecs and built up biceps as these are the areas people look at first. But not giving the entire body attention makes for a disproportionate look.
Some basic leg exercises will give tone, but to actually build muscle from exercise alone, the real exercises require pressure and resistance in graduated, built up routines. Cycling is a great way to develop upper and lower leg muscles. The constant rotating leg movements give a full leg workout, but as with all exercise, actually making work for yourself is key. A brisk cycle on a straight road is great cardio, but higher gears at a high speed and a routine based around hills and ascents will build the legs up.
Gym wise, the usual routines are a given. Leg weights will always, always build up all bottom half muscles, including the gluteals, giving a toned, built look that doesn’t stop at the backside. There are a ton of ways we can workout with our legs that involve upper half work too. Dumbbell and barbell squats and lunges respectively are dead certs, as well as curls and extensions in the absence of weights.
If it’s more tone than muscle you want, the possibilities are far greater. Again, curls and extensions are excellent, but cross training, spin cycling and good old fashioned running will move you more towards a toned look if you don’t want an overtly muscular look.
The key is to try and incorporate leg building exercises into a daily or at least regular workout regime. They often get forgotten in the pursuit of a perfect upper half but the legs are a relatively low maintenance area to work on. Try and get the leg workout to run alongside your regular workout and you’ll be toned and proportionate.
