Do you want mini-skirt sexy legs? Or maybe a beautifully sculpted strong female legs that will carry you across a marathon finish line? Whatever your desire, perfectly toned legs can be attained with just a few different exercises at the gym.
Perfect Female Legs: Exercise Motivation and Inspiration
Women with strong legs are hot. Just look at Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Lopez. There are even rumors that Tay Tay has even insured her legs for $40 million. While insuring your legs for millions of dollars is ridiculous, working hard to tone and strengthen your legs is not. Your legs are made up of numerous large and small muscles that support, balance, and move your body every day. Don’t focus so much on the aesthetics of your legs, but rather building strength and balance in your legs. Strong is beautiful.
Best Workouts for Women: Good Routines, Great Results
Working your legs is quite easy. You probably do it already in the gym with the leg press machine, lunges, and the Stairmaster. But, there is a “right” way to tone your legs. Skip all the fancy gym machines and use the natural force of gravity and your bodyweight to do most of the work.
How to Get the Perfect Legs
Exercise is essential in toning your legs, but a clean, healthy diet is just as important. Due to our hormones and baby making abilities, women tend to store extra fat in their butts and thighs. But, don’t fret. Strong and curvy is the new skinny.
A healthy diet filled with an abundance of fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean proteins will not only help you reduce your overall body fat percentage, but it will fuel your muscles so you can rock your next workout. Lean protein, like a protein shake or grilled chicken breast, can help your legs recover faster after a tough hour of squats, lunges, and sprints.
Exercises to Get Beautiful, Toned Legs
If you want to know how to get perfect legs, prepare yourself for a little hard work. Your legs are comprised of several key muscles that can be worked with just a few simple exercises. During each leg workout for perfect legs, you want to focus on your quads, hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and soleus. These four muscles are the primary movers and the most visible leg muscles. You will want to check this 30 day thigh challenge to get perfect legs.
If your goal is to create strong female legs, then you will need to lift heavier weights with lower reps (4-6). If you’d rather just get your heart rate up and burn some calories, you can use higher reps (10-15) with lighter weights.
Barbell Squat
Don’t be afraid to lift heavy, it’s a necessary part of a workout for perfect legs. Women who lift heavy are strong and sleek, not bulky and masculine. That’s an Old Wives’ tale. Ask all women with strong legs which core lifts they do and, chances are, they all include squats in their workouts. The barbell squat is an excellent exercise that develops strength in your quadriceps, calves, glutes, and hamstrings.
If you’ve never done a barbell squat, it’s best to hire a personal trainer for a session or two to show you the correct technique to reduce chance of injury and how the equipment works. Always start light. This could mean just the barbell without weight, which weighs about 45 pounds itself. Once you’ve master the barbell squat with confidence, slowly start adding weight to challenge your legs.
Dumbbell Lunges
A guide on how to get perfect legs would not be complete without lunges. Dumbbell lunges are a simple exercise that primarily works your quads. Lunges come in a variety of styles. Start with dumbbell lunges and once these seem too easy or you need a little variety in your workout, try other lunges, like the walking lunge, the star lunge, or the side lunge to target your leg muscles in different spots.
Trainer Tip: Skip the adductor machines at the gym. The machines don’t do anything and are just plain awkward. Instead, do side lunges to work your adductor longus, adductor brevis and adductor magnus. These three muscles make up your inner thigh muscles. Side lunges not only work these muscles, but you will also get in a good stretch. Win, win for you!
Single-Leg Deadlift
The single-leg deadlift works your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This can be a tough exercise if you don’t have good balance, but it is a great hamstring exercise. Single-leg deadlifts can be done with just bodyweight (perfect if you’re just starting out), dumbbells, or a kettlebell.
Start with the weight in your left hand. Stand on your left leg and slowly start bending at the hip. As your left hand slowly drops to the floor, your right leg will extend backward until you are parallel to the floor. Return to the start position and repeat for your number of reps before switching to the other side.
Standing Calf Raises
Strong female legs don’t stop at the thighs — remember to give those calves some loving too. Standing calf raises target your calf muscles and can be done just about everywhere from the gym to your stairs at home. Stand with your toes on the edge of a machine, a box, or your stairs. Lift your heels so you’re standing on your tippy toes as you keep your legs straight. Pause, then slowly lower your heels until they are lower than the step or platform. Pause and return to the starting position.
By working your legs three times a week with this workout for perfect legs, you’ll be rocking that miniskirt and killer pair of heels in no time. Taylor Swift will be begging for your legs!
Image Source: Instagram @taylorswift
1. Taylor Swift
Tay Tay’s legs just go on for days. She has reportedly insured her legs for $40 million.
Image Source: Instagram @jlo
2. Jennifer Lopez
This 47-year old superstar just gets better with age. Most known for her killer booty, Jenny from the Block also has gorgeous legs to match.
Image Source: Instagram @carrieunderwood
3. Carrie Underwood
After the birth of her beautiful son, this powerhouse momma is not shy about showing off her post-baby body and has even created her own line of workout clothes.
Image Source: Instagram @blakelively
4. Blake Lively
Now we see where this blonde bombshell gets her good looks! Before filming The Green Lantern, Blake worked out four days a week for 90 minutes with celebrity trainer, Bobby Strom. She’s a big fan of circuit-style strength workouts.
Image Source: Instagram @heidiklum
5. Heidi Klum
Not only does this former supermodel run her own empire, but she loves to give back. In her spare time, she enjoys running along the Hudson River on the Westside Highway in the Big Apple.
Image Source: Instagram @kendalljenner
6. Kendall Jenner
Because one Kardashian sister isn’t enough. Kendall has made headlines in her own right this year. This 21-year- old 5’10” model has walked for top designers like Chanel, Vera Wang, and Versace. With legs like hers, no wonder she is in high demand!
Image Source: Instagram @beyonce
7. Beyonce
Who runs the world? Beyonce! This superstar loves to get sweaty with boxing and sprints. Beyonce’s trainer, Marco Borges, recommends the kettlebell squat-and- press for total body toning.
Image Source: Instagram @gisele
8. Gisele Bundchen
At 5’11” this supermodel’s legs really are a mile long. To keep in shape, Gisele loves yoga and Kung Fu.
Image Source: Instagram @madonna
9. Madonna
This ageless beauty is known for her holistic health approach. She follows the military diet, loves yoga, Pilates, and horseback riding.
Image Source: Instagram @stacykeibler
10. Stacy Keibler
Former professional WWE wrestler, Stacy Keibler, earned the nickname “The Weapon of Mass Seduction” on Dancing with the Stars because of her mile-long legs. Even during pregnancy, she is staying fit by doing this plank challenge.
Image Source: Instagram @serenawilliams
11. Serena Williams
This tennis superstar knows how to use her legs on the court. Off the court, she loves to sing and dance.
Image Source: Instagram @anja_rubik
12. Anja Rubik
Polish model Anja Rubik is known for her long sexy thighs.
Image Source: Instagram @iamjhud
13. Jennifer Hudson
This curvy girl isn’t afraid to show off her beautiful legs.
Image Source: Instagram @mileycyrus
14. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus certainly has a unique style. But with legs like those, she can get away with anything. Her favorite workout – yoga!
Image Source: Instagram @khloekardashian
15. Khloe Kardashian
A Russian woman named Svetlana Pankratova once had the world’s longest legs at 51.9 inches. Khloe just might give her a run for her money!
Image Source: Instagram @leamichele
16. Lea Michele
This pint-size multi-talented beauty eats vegan and loves hot yoga and SoulCycle.
Image Source: Instagram @nastialiukin
17. Nastia Liukin
This 5’3” Olympic Gold Medalist gymnast has a killer set of legs.
Image Source: Instagram @annarawson
18. Anna Rawson
This former professional golfer is now a model and an MBA student. Who says that golf is an old man’s sport?
Image Source: Instagram @mistyonpointe
19. Misty Copeland
Professional dancers spend over twenty hours a week just dancing. No wonder Misty Copeland has beautifully strong legs!
Image Source: Instagram @sally_fitz
20. Sally Fitzgibbons
Sally Fitzgibbons is an Australian professional surfer with her own fitness app to get you in shape.
Image Source: Instagram @mariepurvis
21. Marie Purvis
Marie Purvis is the Nike Master Trainer who helped develop the N+TC fitness app.
Image Source: Instagram @gypsetgoddess
22. Caitlin Turner
Caitlin Turner, or the Gypset Goddess, is a fitness influencer who loves to practice yoga outside.
Image Source: Instagram @hannahbronfman
23. Hannah Bronfman
This DJ turned fitness lover shares some of her fitness tips and secrets to her 335,000 followers on Instagram daily.
Image Source: Instagram @natalieuhling
24. Natalie Uhling
Under Armour athlete, NUFit creator, and DBC Master Trainer, Natalie Uhling, knows a thing or two to stay in shape.
Image Source: Instagram @blogilates
25. Casey Ho
POP Pilates and PIIT28 founder, Casey Ho, has been inspiring women around the world to join her 1,000-squat challenges on YouTube.
Image Source: Instagram @emilyskyefit
26. Emily Skype
This beautiful fitness inspiration blogger shares tons of tips on food and fitness of her daily blog.
Image Source: Instagram @laurenconrad
27. Lauren Conrad
This former MTV reality star has transformed herself into a multi-talented entrepreneur, but she always finds time to sneak a circuit style workout in at least three times a week.
Image Source: Instagram @fleshmanflyer
28. Lauren Fleshman
This elite runner and coach knows a thing or two about strong legs. She was a 15-time All-American and five-time NCAA champion at Stanford University.
Image Source: Instagram @ladygaga
29. Lady Gaga
Known for her killer abs, Lady Gaga also has an amazing set of legs to match.
Image Source: Instagram @kchenoweth
30. Kristin Chenoweth
This pint-size singing powerhouse knows how to belt the tunes and rock a pair of heels.
