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Now there’s no excuse not to work out
your legs more often
1 - Calf Raise and Bounce:
Stand up straight, holding on to a door handle
or chair. Pull yourself up on to your tiptoes then lower yourself all the
way down until you’re sitting on your heels. Then, when you have reached
the ground, bounce on your heels four times. Slowly pull back up to a
standing position. Repeat four times. Concentrate on using your legs to do
the pushing: don’t be tempted to let the door handle take the strain.
2 - Single Leg Raises: Still
holding on to the handle, take the leg furthest from the handle and lift
it out to the side, pausing in three places on the way up, about 15 cm (6
inches) apart each time, and then again on the way down. As you lift your
leg, remember that the third stage is supposed to be the hardest. Swap
sides. Repeat each side four times. Keep an eye on your posture
throughout: don’t lean forward as you lift your leg and put it back
down.1505
3 - High Skips:
This is another good exercise to do when you’re
out performing your walking exercises. Try skipping for a while instead of
walking – it will increase your heart rate and will also give your legs a
more strenuous workout. The higher you bring your knees, the more work
they will be doing. Even though you will be raising your legs quite high,
try to keep the skips fairly close together so that you can fit in the
maximum number.
4 - Bunny Hops:
You will need about 20-30 m (65-100 feet) of
unobstructed grass in order to do this properly. Start on all fours, then
jump your feet in so that they’re next to your hands, then spring your
hands forward another length, bring your feet up to join them and so on.
Aim to do around twenty bunny hops. This exercise will also give your arms
a bit of a workout, but it shouldn’t be attempted if you have weak wrists:
if in doubt, jump on the spot or skip instead.
5 - Leg Curl: This exercise
works the hamstrings (the muscles situated at the backs of the thighs).
Your legs should be fully extended, ankles on top of a cushioned pad and
your back at right angles to your legs. Slowly bend your legs so that
you’re in a normal sitting position, pause, then return your legs to their
outstretched staring position. Remember to exhale as you lift the weights
and inhale as you lower them. The whole exercise should take around four
to six seconds.
6 - Leg Extension: This works
the quadriceps (at the fronts of the thighs). With your ankles secured
behind the cushioned pad and toes pointing straight ahead, slowly extend
your legs until they are stretching straight out in front of you, hold and
then lower them back down. To get maximum benefit, go slowly and exhale as
you’re lifting your legs up. Do as many reps as you can manage. After two
or three sessions, see whether you can slightly increase the ‘hold’ when
your legs are stretched out.
7 - Leg Lifts: Extend one leg
so that it is parallel with the other knee. Flex the raised foot, then
bounce the raised leg up and down. The smaller the movement, the more
effective it will be. Aim for about twenty small bounces, then slowly
squeeze the leg back to its original position and swap legs. To target the
inner and outer thigh muscles, repeat the exercise but move your leg out
to the side and back instead of up and down. For the inner thigh muscles
specifically, turn your foot out to the side when you flex it; your ankle
should be pointing towards the ceiling.
8 - Lower Leg Stretches: Lift
up your leg so that again it stretches straight out in front of you.
Imagine you are pulling your foot back in towards your body, so that your
heel is the most protruding part and your toes are almost pointing
backwards towards your body. This should enable you to feel a strong
stretch in your calf; make sure that this is a comfortable stretch for
you. Now, keeping that stretch, point your toes forward and count to ten.
Repeat twice on each leg.
9 - Yoga Downward Facing Dog:
Position yourself on all fours, your palms flat to the floor, slightly
further apart than your shoulders, fingers spread wide. Your feet are on
tiptoes. Your spine is arched and your head hangs towards the floor. Feel
your spine lengthen and stretch out because of the weight of your head.
Now, slowly lower your heels to the floor and feel the stretch all the way
down your leg. Taking each foot in turn, lift the heels off the floor and
then as it hits the ground again, lift the other foot off simultaneously.
Stay like this, or with the heels flat to the floor, for a minute or so,
or as long as is comfortable.
10 - Yoga dancer’s pose:
Standing straight, focus on a spot on the wall to help you balance. Lift
your right arm, fingers pointing forward, until it is just above shoulder
height, and lift your left leg out behind you, as far up as you can, until
you can balance easily. It takes practice – focusing on a fixed spot
certainly helps.
For a great leg workout, you need to warm up with some light cardio first.
Walk, Run, or ride a bike for about 10 minutes to get the blood pumping
and to loosen up. Stretch your legs out and get ready for the hard work to
come.
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