Quick At-Home Workout for Toned Legs

If you think leg exercises are going to make you look bulky then you don't know squat! All puns aside, squats and lunges are two of the best exercises to tone your legs. And ladies, women don't tend to build big muscles thanks to lack in testosterone. So, grab your SelectTech Dumbbells or if you're just starting out use your body weight and let's take the first step to getting toned legs with this at-home workout!

Squat

Start by standing with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart, your toes turned out slightly and your arms resting at your sides holding your dumbbells. Bend your knees slowly, pushing your butt and hips out and down behind you as if you are sitting down into a chair. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. As you lower down, raise your arms up and in front of you no higher than parallel to the ground. Straighten your legs to come up, and lower your arms back to your side.

Amy's Tips: Drop down into the heels when you come up. Drive up and extend the hips at the top. Track knees forward, feet forward, and keep the bodyweight in the heels.

Single Leg Squat

Take one foot and bring it next to the other and roll your shoulders back. Lift your right leg off the ground and enter into a squat keeping your bodyweight into the front leg. Bring your body back up to a standing position.

Amy's Tips: The focus is on balance. Feel free to drop your foot down in the middle of the movement. To increase difficulty, float the leg.

Front Lunge into a Reverse Lunge

With dumbbells in hand take a full step forward. Bring the foot back to the starting position. Next, take a step back and finally back up to starting position.

Amy's Tips: A lot of the work is in the leg that isn't moving! To increase difficulty, keep the moving leg in the air during the entire movement from front to back.

Transverse Lunge into Curtsy

Step your right leg back diagonally from the starting position shifting the bodyweight to that leg. The left leg should be almost straight. Push up to the starting position and take the same leg and curtsy behind the standing leg. Stand back up to starting position and repeat.

Amy's Tip: Keep your body square and lengthen the spine. To add difficulty, keep the leg lifted in between the lunge and the curtsy into one fluid movement.