Fitness
Five Essential Lower Body Exercises That Every Woman Should be Doing
Did you know that those hours you’re spending on the treadmill aren’t going to help you get the legs you’re looking for?
It’s true that walking and running are great forms of exercise. But, if you want to have toned, shapely legs, you need to make sure you’re also strength training on a regular basis.
If you’re ready to start building the legs of your dreams, keep reading. Listed below are five of the best lower body exercises for women that will help you do just that!
A Little Secret
Before getting into the actual exercises, there’s a little secret you need to know. The best lower body exercises for women are also the best lower body exercises for men!
When it comes to shaping your lower body, there’s no reason for you to do different exercises than the men in your life.
Don’t let the videos of endless glute kickbacks that you see on Instagram and YouTube fool you.
If you want to get a strong, sculpted lower body, these are the moves you ought to be doing, regardless of your gender.
1. Squats
When it comes to lists of the best lower body exercises for women, squats regularly rank first, and for good reason.
A squat is a compound movement, which means it works multiple muscle groups. Prioritizing compound movements is the best way to build muscle and burn fat.
You can do squats with a barbell, dumbbells, a resistance band, or even just your own body weight if you’re a total beginner.
Be sure to keep these form cues in mind so that you can avoid injuries and see the greatest amount of results from your squats:
- Keep your spine neutral (don’t round or over arch your back)
- Keep your chest and shoulders lifted (try looking at a spot on the wall in front of you)
- Avoid letting your knees cave in
- Try to get your thighs parallel to the ground, if not lower
Must Read: 6 Reasons Why You Should Be Squatting Everyday
2. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are another essential compound exercise.
They work almost all the muscles in the posterior chain — all the muscles on the back side of the body, such as the calves, hamstrings, low back, and glutes. Because of this, they’re one of the most effective exercises for women who want to build strong, defined legs.
If you do deadlifts regularly, you’re also less likely to injure yourself in your daily life when you’re bending over to pick things up or set them down.
There are tons of different deadlift variations out there. Some of the most common include conventional deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, and Romanian deadlifts.
The setup for each version is slightly different. But, these cues will help you master any type of deadlift you attempt:
- Keep your weight in your heels and midfoot
- Don’t let your hips rise before your chest when lifting the weight
- Keep the weight close to your body at all times
- Squeeze your glutes as you lift, but don’t hyperextend your knees and low back when you reach the top
- Keep your core engaged as you lower the weight
Deadlifts are usually not as familiar as squats to people who are new to the gym. When you’re first getting started, don’t be afraid to use just the bar or a pair of light dumbbells. This will allow you to nail the form and avoid injuring yourself.
3. Bulgarian Split Squats
A Bulgarian split squat is a great single-leg exercise that works the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. During this exercise, you have one leg in front of you in a lunge position while your back leg is elevated with your foot resting on a box or bench.
To do a Bulgarian split squat correctly, make sure you’re keeping these cues in mind:
- Sit your hips back the same you would while doing a regular squat
- Bend your back leg deeply (you should be aiming for your knee to almost touch the floor)
- Keep your chest and shoulders lifted
- Drive through your front heel when you stand up and don’t let your knee cave in
Most people find that Bulgarian splits squats are plenty difficult when performed with just their body weight, although you can always add dumbbells or a barbell if you need an extra challenge.
Also See: 6 Best Things You Should Do Before Starting A Workout Routine
4. Barbell Hip Thrusts
If you want to have great glutes, barbell hip thrusts are a must.
The hip thrust is a foreign exercise for most people and can be a little intimidating at first. But, in addition to major compound lifts, it’s one of the best exercises for women who want to grow their glutes.
When you’re getting set up for a hip thrust, make sure your barbell is parallel to the bench. Then, sit on the floor and make sure your shoulders and shoulder blades are resting on the bench. Roll the barbell so it’s over your legs and sitting directly on your hips.
Once you’re set up, you’re ready to hip thrust. To get the most out of the somewhat awkward exercise, be sure to do the following:
- Keep your spine neutral and your chin tucked slightly
- Push your heels and squeeze your glutes tightly to lift the barbell
- Keep your core engaged, especially when you lower the weight
If you find this exercise to be painful, try placing a rolled-up yoga mat under the bar to create some extra cushion between it and your hips.
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5. Calf Raises
Your calves will get some attention when you’re doing exercises like deadlifts. But, if you really want to fill out your legs, you should also work them on their own with bodyweight or weighted calf raises.
The calf raise is a pretty simple exercise — you just raise yourself up onto your toes. But there are lots of things you can do to help you get more out of the movement:
- Alternate between having your toes pointed forward, turned in, and turned out
- Avoid letting your ankles roll out when you rise up (think of keeping your weight on your big and middle toes)
- Change up your speed when you raise and lower yourself down to mix things up
- Stand on one foot and do single-leg calf raises to challenge your balance
If you have any mobility issues, you can also try standing on a bench or step to get a larger range of motion.
Final Thoughts
Remember, there’s no need for you to be afraid of lifting weights. So many women are afraid of getting “bulky” or “big” if they lift heavy, but it’s very hard for that to actually happen.
Don’t lift so heavy that your form suffers, of course. But, remember that lifting heavy weights will help you build muscle, which will speed up your metabolism and help you burn fat easier. It’s a win-win!
Start incorporating these lower body exercises into your workout routine today, and you’ll see amazing results before you know it!
Author Bio: Natalie Thongrit is a freelance writer who focuses primarily on fitness, health, and wellness-related content. You can connect with her on Twitter or LinkedIn, or check out her portfolio to read more of her work.
Sporting goods, also known as sports equipment, are all the materials, tools, clothing, and paraphernalia used to play a sport, and vary greatly depending on the particular sport. The equipment ranges from nets, balls, gloves, and other protective gear such as full-body protective clothes for extreme sports like mountain climbing or running faster in marathons. Other equipment may be more aesthetic, like flip-flops for beach volleyball, or functional, such as running shoes.
Categories of Sporting Goods
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There is a wide variety of sporting goods available to consumers. Some are necessities, such as cleats for basketball players and padding for high school football players. You can apply finish line coupons and get lots of latest fashion footwear at a very reasonable price. Other kinds of equipment would be more fun, such as wetsuits for surfing or skateboarding, or golf clubs or tennis racquets. While some sports require specialized athletic footwear, many products for everyday wear can be purchased at reasonable prices and found at most sporting goods retailers.
Athletic and Fitness Equipment
In recent years, the international supply market for athletic and fitness equipment products has increased significantly. This has been particularly true of the US sporting goods market. The increase in cross-country skiers, snowboarders, mountain bikers, runners, weight lifters, and other athletes has created a huge demand for a variety of athletic apparel and accessories. As supply has risen, demand has decreased. For this reason, the US sporting goods industry has traditionally operated on a large size. This has given the consumer a much larger selection of products from which to choose, which has led to an increased consumer spending power.
Different Types of Exercise Equipment
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Athletic Footwear
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In today’s modern world, it is very important to focus on self care. Whether you want to care for your body, mind, or heart, there are many ways to go about finding what you need for a successful year. Here are three ideas to help get you started.
Find Your Fitness Path
Fitness comes in many forms, so it is important to find what works for you and your body in order to best focus on your physical health. Working out should also be something you enjoy doing. Consider multiple options for getting in or staying in shape. Join a tennis club, start swimming, play on a local softball team, or hire a personal trainer Northern CA to help you get started on your fitness journey.
Start Something New
Goals are very important for having a good relationship with yourself. The goal you choose can be a challenge, like running an 8-minute mile, or something for you personally, like quitting smoking. Whatever you decide to work on, make sure it reflects a positive change in your life. Besides quitting bad habits, you could also focus on starting new good habits, like journaling every day, reaching out to your parents or siblings once a week, or saving money more frequently.
Make Time for Rest
People are getting busier and busier in today’s world. Between work, raising children, and other family obligations, there can be little time to relax. Rest is pivotal for taking care of yourself, so make sure to set aside time to unwind and get a healthy night of sleep. It is also beneficial to find time during the busy day for a quiet moment for yourself. There are many apps you can download on your phone that will lead you through breathing exercises, meditations, or daily prayers.
Take time for your personal health and wellness, and you will have a better year than the last.
Some people think that anabolic steroids such as hilma biocare are only for putting on bulk. Certainly, these are very helpful in bulking phase to build muscle, but not supportive in cutting cycles.
To gain a lot from your supplement and workout routine, you can use specific fat burning supplements in cutting phase. Several steroids are designed for total weight loss only and a few to sharpen the physique and maintain lean mass.
Which Are Best Weight Loss Steroids?
Many natural steroids are formulated to shed only fat content, but it is not as simple as using an anabolic supplement and waiting for miracles to take place. The best popular natural steroids are Winstrol, Anavar, and Trenbolone. To turn expectations [melting pounds rapidly] into reality, it is necessary to blend proper nutrition and right steroid stack.
Ignoring the significance of proper stacking, users get attracted to popular ones and add them to the stack. This can hinder their cutting cycle progress. As mentioned above some steroids just support weight loss, but a few enhance your fat trimming cycle and take it to the next level.
Testosterone is crucial component of a good stack, even during the trimming cycle.
Best Steroids For Cutting
1. Clenbuterol
Clen was designed for patients suffering from asthma or breathing disorders. Soon, it became popular in the sports arena because of its anti-catabolic properties. It means fat gets burnt without affecting the muscles. Clen is thermogenic, so raises body temperature, which in turn increases metabolism. This increase in metabolic level helps convert stored calories into energy.
2. T3 Cytomel
Sometimes, Clen is stacked with T3 Cytomel. Cytomel [Liothyronine] is used in treating hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and enlarged thyroid glands. Cytomel is formulated to replace thyroid hormone. However, people with normal thyroid functionality apply it for weight loss. FDA strictly warns not to use T3 for obesity treatment or in weight loss program. There are many other natural steroids available, why take the risk.
3. Anavar
It is highly popular because of its negligible low side effects and efficiency in maintaining lean muscle gains in the cutting phase. Users can reduce their caloric diet without any concern about destroying lean muscle mass.
4. Winstrol
Winstrol is a powerful performance enhancer and helps to perk up muscle mass definition by shedding belly fat effectively. Body holds the gain and strength level, which can often creep in during cutting cycle.
Make sure to take right kind of steroid stack to create a toned physique. Follow proper dosage and cycle duration to eliminate the potential risk of side effects.
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