7-Days Challenge – Get strong, Lean Legs with These 13 Exercises

There’s no denying that a nice pair of legs can make any outfit look quite amazing. With summer in full gear, it is time to put the jeans away for the season, tone up those legs that have been hibernating during winter, and break out the Daisy Dukes you have been dying to wear!

Here is your 5 day workout to get you on your way to delicious, jiggle free legs:

Monday
10 Lunges
20 Calf Raises
30 High Knees
20 Plie Squats
10 Toe Touches

Tuesday
10 Jumping Jacks
20 Mountain Climbers
30 Second Wall Sit
20 Calf Raises
10 Side Lunges

Wednesday
10 Plie Squats
20 High Knees
30 Toe Touches
20 Calf Raises
10 Lunges

Thursday
10 Sumo Squats
20 Side Lunges
30 Second Wall Sit
20 Jumping Jacks
10 Mountain Climbers

Friday
10 High Knees
20 Second Wall Sit
30 Plie Squats
20 Calf Raises
10 Toe Touches

Demos

Side Lunges

•    Stand with your feet set about twice shoulder width apart, your feet facing straight ahead.
•    Clasp your hands in front your chest.
•    Shift your weight over to your right leg as you push your hips backward and lower your body by dropping your hips and bending your knees.
•    Your lower right leg should remain nearly perpendicular to the floor.
•    Your left foot should remain flat on the floor.
•    Without raising yourself back up to a standing position, reverse the movement to the left. Alternate back and forth.

Wall Sit

Stand in front of a wall (about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it.
•    Slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles and hold, keeping the abs contracted, for 60 seconds.
•    Come back to start and repeat, holding the squat at different angles to work the lower body in different ways.

Lunges

•    Stand up straight, with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips. Flex your abdominal muscles inward and upward.
•    Step forward with your right foot approximately 2 or 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9m). The taller you are, the further you will need to step forward. Keep your back straight as your body moves forward.
•    Lift your left foot up slightly, so that the toe is in contact with the floor, but your heel is not.
•    Bend both of your knees at the same time. The aim is to make both of your knees stop at a 90 degree angle. Make sure your right knee does not go over your toe line.
•    Pause in this position for 1 to 5 seconds. Stopping your forward momentum will help you to put more effort into rising from the lunge.
•    Push off of your right heel to rise. Return your right leg to its starting position. Repeat with the left leg.

Squats

•    Plant your feet flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart.
•    Point your feet slightly outward, not straight ahead.
•    Never let your knees extend beyond your toes.
•    Look straight ahead. Bend at your knees as if you were going to sit back in a chair, keeping your heels on the floor.
•    Pull in your abs, and keep your lower back in a near neutral position (a slightly arched back might be unavoidable).
•    Tighten your whole body when you perform the squat.
•    Lower yourself. In a controlled manner slowly lower yourself down and back so that your upper legs are nearly parallel with the floor. Extend your arms for balance.
•    Keep the upper body tight at all times.

Plie Squats

•    Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with toes turned out, holding lighter dumbbells vertically in front of thighs.
•    Keeping abs tight and torso tall, bend knees 90 degrees; keep knees aligned between second and third toes and weight in heels.
•    Press back to start; squeeze your glutes.

Jumping Jacks

•    Assume an erect position, with feet together and arms at your side.
•    Slightly bend your knees, and propel yourself a few inches into the air.
•    While in air, bring your legs out to the side about shoulder width or slightly wider.
•    As you are moving your legs outward, you should raise your arms up over your head; arms should be slightly bent throughout the entire in-air movement.
•    Your feet should land shoulder width or wider as your hands meet above your head with arms slightly bent

High Knees

In basic high knees, you need to stand still with your feet hip-width apart. Pull your right knee towards your chest and keep it there for 3 seconds. Now move it back to the original position and then repeat the step.
•    Now do the same gesture with the left knee.

Toe Touches

•     Lie on your back on an exercise mat on the floor with your legs touching and fully extended and your arms extended outward with palms down.
•     With your knees slightly bent, raise your legs straight up in the air until your feet are parallel with the floor.
•    Reach your arms toward your feet, forming a 45 degree angle. Your head should still be on the floor. This is your starting position.
•    Roll forward as you exhale, lifting your torso off the floor as you try to touch your toes with your fingers.
•    Inhale as you slowly reverse the motion back to the starting position.
•    Repeat for a complete set.

Calf Raises

•    Stand on the edge of a step.
•    Stand tall with your abdominals pulled in, the balls of your feet firmly planted on the step, and your heels hanging over the edge.Rest your hands against a wall or a sturdy object for balance.
•    Raise your heels a few inches above the edge of the step so that you’re on your tiptoes.
•    Hold the position for a moment, and then lower your heels below the platform, feeling a stretch in your calf muscles.

Mountain Climbers

•    Start the exercise by lying face down on the floor.
•    Straighten out your arms and then touch your knees down to the ground or floor.
•    Now you are ready to lift yourself up into position. When doing this, be sure that your hands are directly under your chest at a width that is slightly more than your shoulder length distance.
•    Once you have settled into position and checked the position of your hands you should be sure to keep your legs stretched out, ensuring that they are properly lined up with the rest of your body. Pay special attention to your knees as many people tend to create a gap here but that should be avoided. If the recommended position is uncomfortable for you, it is alright to modify it slightly as long as you maintain the correct posture.
•    Now you should stretch out your left leg for stability. Bend your right knee and bring it up in the direction of your right hand. At this point, you should be in a similar position to the one you would be in if you were climbing a mountain or tree (hence the name) except horizontal instead of vertical.
•    After bringing your right knee up, return it to the original position and do the previous step with your left leg. (Once again, bend the left knee and bring it up towards the left hand mimicking the actions of a mountain climber)

Sumo Squats

•    Stand with your feet 6-12 inches wider than your shoulders and point your toes outward at around a 45° angle.
•    Keeping your weight in your heels, slowly lower your bodyweight down.
•    Make sure that your knees do not go over your toes.
•    Lower your hips until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground (or as close as you can get), then slowly return to a standing position.