photo credit: © sunflour

Calf muscles are very important to a gal. They are often on display when wearing shorts or a skirt and look fantastic when they are toned, tight and well shaped. Well one of the best ways to tone your calf muscles is with the calf raise. This time and tested exercise is easy to do and super effective.

How to do the calf raise

Here is a simple instructional video that we made to show you how to do the calf raise. All you need is an elevated platform (that is very stable!) and something to hold on to. Check it out.

You should start of doing around 20 repetitions and then have a break and perform another set. Once you become stronger and more adept at the exercise you can start to add weight to your body by wearing a heavy backpack or holding some dumbbells. This really kicks the muscles into overdrive!

Make sure you warm and and warm down before doing this exercise as the deep stretch you feel at the bottom of the motion can sometimes be too much for your muscles if they are not properly prepared. Enjoy.

The triceps dip is one of the best exercises for toning the triceps muscles. It is extremely easy to do – you can do it at the gym or at home on your lounge room table. In this post I will show you an instructional video as well as a step by step guide for how to do the perfect triceps dip.

Triceps Dips Instructions:

1. Warm up
Start with a light warm up in order to get the muscles warmed up and the blood flowing.

2. Position your hands
Place your hands on the bench around shoulder width apart. Every woman has a different comfort zone when it comes to triceps dips so make sure you find yours. If your positioning is too wide, however, you will injure your shoulders.

3. Extend your legs
You can place your feet on the ground out in front of you or you can put them up on another bench in order to make the exercise harder. Make sure you are well balanced.

4. Dip
Use your triceps muscles to hold your body while breathe in and dip down. Do not dip so far that you feel a big stretch in your shoulders. There should be some stretch but not too much.

5. Push up
Push your body back up slightly faster than you dipped down whilst breathing out and tensing your triceps muscles.

Here is a great little instructional video on how to do a perfect squat. Squats are one of the best exercises out there for toning your butt, thighs and calf muscles and are also an excellent cardio exercise. However, many women perform them incorrectly. Take a look at this video and pay particular attention to the position of the knees.

Pushups are one of the best exercises for toning flabby arms and making your bust bigger. Here is a great instructional video on how to do a push up. Make sure you take notice of the technique details.

photo credit: madaboutasia

Would you like to have sexier legs? Do you want to turn your soft and chunky legs in to smooth, firm and toned ones? Well it is possible. In this post I am going to show you how to use some simple exercises and diet tips to make your legs sexy.

Exercises for Sexy Legs

The first thing you need to do if you want to get some sexy legs is start a regular exercise program. This exercise program needs to be made up of:

• Basic weight training
• High intensity cardio; and
• Simple stretching

Now I am not talking about a lot of exercise. Four times a week should be enough. But, the more time you can devote to your training the better your results will be. Be careful not to over train, however, as this will lead to exhaustion and poor muscle recovery.

Basic weight training
First we will look at the weight training aspect of getting sexy legs. There are certain exercises you can do that shape and build the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings, thighs and calf muscles. It is vital to do weights. Weight training not only makes your legs stronger and firmer, it burns a hell of a lot of fat.

Do not buy in to the myth that weight training will make your bulky. It won’t. Women simply do not have enough testosterone in their body to cause excessive muscle growth. Weight training is used to burn fat, increase the metabolism and strengthen the muscles.

Here are the exercises you need to do:

• The weighted squat:
  This exercise is the best exercise you can do for your lower body. It uses every muscle below your waist and is a fantastic way to burn fat and develop your firmer muscles.
• The weighted step up:
  This exercise is done by taking some medium heavy dumb bells and stepping up on to a stable bench or table. It is especially good for the glutes and thighs and is an essential exercise for sexy legs.
• The jumping squat:
  This exercise is done by squatting down to the ground with one foot forward and then springing in to the air as high as you can. Whilst in the air, change your feet so the back one is now in the front and repeat. This exercise is tough but brings super fast results.

Beginners should start with a light weight and perform as many sets as they feel comfortable doing. As you master the technique and become stronger you should add more weight and/or more repetitions so that your muscle development does not stagnate.

High intensity cardio
I always choose high intensity cardio over low intensity cardio. Why? Because it is so much better!

High intensity cardio like sprinting, stair runs, martial arts, boxing, etc. burn more calories. They also cause your heart rate to stay elevated long after the exercise session has finished meaning you will be burning fat long after you leave the gym.

The main advantage of HIC is that you can do everything you need in under 30 minutes. No more jogging on the treadmill for an hour and a half – just bang out 25 minutes of boxing class and you will have achieved so much more!

If you want to get sexy legs it is a good idea to choose HIC that targets your legs. For example, stair sprinting, running up hills and kickboxing are all excellent choices. If you want more traditional gym exercises you could do fast paced exercise bike riding, stair master or sprinting on the treadmill.

Try and do three sessions like this per week in order to get the maximum benefit.

Simple stretching

photo credit: k4dordy

The last piece in the exercise part of our ‘sexy legs puzzle’ is some simple stretching. Stretching is extremely important to the health of your legs and will keep them limber and firm. Take a look at the legs of any gymnast, martial artist or yoga instructor!

Yoga is my favorite way of stretching my legs because it is also extremely good for your health and mind. It is relaxing at the same time as being challenging. Some of the best workouts I have ever had have been in a yoga class as we did deep stance poses and stretches. You legs always feel rejuvenated and healthy after a good yoga class.

For a real challenge I recommend Hatha or Bikram Yoga. If you don’t feel like a new person after a yoga class I will personally write you an apology.

Diet tips for sexy legs

photo credit: mela sogono

The best thing you can do if you want to have sexy legs is forget about whatever diet you are on. Forget about fad diets and milkshakes. Forget it all and start eating healthier.

Most diets either promote no fat or no carbs. Both of these are extreme. We need some fat to be healthy. We need some carbs to be healthy. The diet you need to be on is an all natural one.

If you want to get sexy legs (or just lose weight!) you should replace man made foods like chips, pasta, baked good, snack bars, candy, soda, etc. with natural foods like nuts, fruit, vegetables, water, milk, eggs, etc. When you do this you will find you get the perfect balance of proteins, carbs and fats and you will burn fat without even trying.

And you will become healthy. How many women do you know who have become sick, gaunt or moody when on a low carb diet? It happens for a reason – their body isn’t happy. Forget diets and go natural. This is the best thing you can do for your body.

You can get sexy and toned legs!

With a little bit of commitment, dedication and the right information you can have some extremely sexy and toned legs. Perform regular weights, cardio and stretching sessions and eat a natural diet. These are the secrets that you have always wanted.

Not as tough as you might have thought!