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Reprintable Article – Work Those Legs To Look Better At The Beach

Summary:
Don’t be that guy or gal at the beach this year that has the great upper body but tiny chicken legs. Make sure you get some good leg workouts in before Summer gets here.

Work Those Legs To Look Better At The Beach
by Jackie Burgmann, author of “Hot at Home” – The Transformation Solution for People Who Hate The Gym

Working out is important, we all know that by now. But when you get around to your workout, do you work out with a purpose and a plan? Or, do you just tromp around and grind away on whatever happens to strike your fancy?

Or, are you guilty of working the hardest on the body parts you enjoy getting a pump in the most?

If you don’t have a plan you might be doing yourself a huge disservice. Do you have any idea what happens when you don’t work out all your muscle groups evenly?

That’s right! You wind up with your body all out of balance.

Do you really want to be that guy or gal you see every year on the beach that has the fantastic upper body but as soon as they’re in their shorts all you can see is those skinny little chicken legs?

Yah, those beach-goers are a funny looking group, aren’t they? And I’m thinking you probably don’t want to be ‘that guy’.

So, for pete’s sakes make sure you’re working your lower body as hard as you’re working those arm, chest, shoulder and back muscles.

In short: don’t forget your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.

Here are some great lower body exercises so you don’t wind up looking like Mr. or Ms. Chicken Legs at the beach this year:

Squats

Squats are a great move to work your quadriceps. You can do squats in several different ways. Bodyweight squats are great for beginners and don’t require any equipment at all. Just squat, and stand. That’s all there is to it! Just make sure your form is right to get the most benefit from this move. It’s hard to learn at first but worth it in the end.

If you’re interested in stepping it up a notch, you can add some weight to the move either by holding dumbbells at your sides or on your shoulders, or by holding a barbell on your back or front of your shoulders.

Add some variety to your squats by trying Split Squats, Sumo Squats, Curtsy Squats, Plie Squats, Bulgarian Squats or Hindu Squats.

Glute Hamstring Raises

The name of this exercise should clue you in on which muscle group you’re going to work with this one. That’s right. Your hamstrings and your glutes as a bonus. In spite of common misperceptions, you don’t actually need an expensive piece of equipment to get your hamstring work done.

If you work out exclusively at home like I do, try some Glute Ham Raises. Get on your knees and anchor down your feet (a friend can hold them or you can hook them under a heavy piece of furniture like a couch) then slowly let your upper body move towards the floor as far as possible until your hamstrings can’t hold on anymore. Catch yourself by allowing yourself to fall forward landing on your hands in front of your chest, to prevent yourself from landing face first on the floor.

Then, use your hands and arms to raise yourself up to where you can feel your hamstrings begin to engage again, then use your hamstrings to raise yourself back up to the starting position. You can add weight to this move as well if you hold a dumbbell in your hands while doing it. Practice getting as close to the floor as possible without needing your hands to catch you.

Lunges

Another great move for quads and hamstrings is lunges. This is also an exercise you can do with just bodyweight if you are a beginner. To accomplish this move simply start in a standing position, take a bit step forward with one foot and once that foot is on the ground in front of you and the back knee is bent and brushing the ground, push back to standing position, repeat with the opposite leg.

Cool variations on the lunge are walking lunges (just keep moving forward instead of coming back to the standing position) or backward lunges (do the move backward instead of forward).

You can also add weight to lunges by holding dumbbells or a barbell.

Calf Raises

This calf exercise is super simple. All you need is a ledge or a stair and something to hang on to (even a wall will do). Just stand on the ledge with your heels hanging off the edge and raise and while balancing on the balls of your feet, lower your heels. And yes, you can even weight this one too, merely by holding on to a dumbbell with one hand (you’ll need the other hand to keep your balance by holding on to that wall).

Now that you know some great lower body exercises you won’t be that guy or gal at the beach with the scrawny stick legs on the shapely and toned upper body.

Byline:
Ready to say goodbye to the inconsiderate meatheads, time-sucking commutes, and crazy crowds at the gym forever? Get “Hot at Home” instead! “Hot at Home” is Jackie’s Transformation Solution for People Who Hate The Gym!

Keywords:
leg muscles, leg exercises, squat variations, how to do lunges, how to build muscle

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