Three Easy Moves for Great Legs!

As a teenager, I really hated my legs.  My mother used to say that I had her "piano legs"... heavy thighs with fat around my knee and skinny, weeny calfs. That was then.  Now, with years of running, my legs are strong, muscular and much more evenly balanced.  I can see the muscles in my thighs. And the fat around the middle?  Well, it's not totally gone - but it's much reduced!

This summer I've decided to supplement my running with more cross-training like swimming, but I also want to start doing some exercises that target specific areas of my body - like my legs - to achieve more tone and gain additional strength.

Here are the three easy exercises I plan to do several days a week before my run to improve my lower body:

One: Leg Lifts
This move targets your butt, hamstring muscles and abdominals:

Set a high back chair about a foot and a half in front of you.

Hold the back of the chair and "hing" forward, keeping a flat back.

Bend your left knee and tighten your abs, squeeze your glutes and lift your right leg behind you.  Do 12 repeats, one set with toes pointed, and one set with your foot flexed.

Switch legs and repeat.

Two: Ballet Lift
This move targets abs, quads and hamstring muscles:

Hold the chair in front of you and hinge forward until back is flat and parallel to floor

Keep your abs engaged and your shoulders down

Lift your right leg behind you, foot flexed, left knee slightly bent 

Keeping your head down, bring your right knee towards your chest, then quickly kick it back out

Do 12 times and switch legs

Three: Rock-Kick
This final exercise targets abs. glutes and hamstrings:

Place your left hand on the chair and point the toes on your right leg

Engage your abs and lift your right leg back while hinging forward

Touch the floor with your right hand, then pull your body up and lower your right leg (like a seesaw)

Do 12 twelve times, then switch legs

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