Village Gym’s Essential Leg Workouts For Women: A Short Guide
We’ve all wanted to skip a leg day, which isn’t surprising! Working out the legs can make everything more difficult in the short term after a gym session, but the long term benefits of leg exercise far outweigh the temporary discomfort in the hours immediately after a workout.
Fun Fact: did you know that the CDC reported, from their data set in 2016, that 42% of sports-related injuries are reported in lower extremities? That being, the thighs, knees, calves, and feet?
It’s clear that having a solid leg workout routine is important, not just for overall health but for injury reduction both inside and outside of the gym. No matter if you are a beginner to the gym or you’ve been around the block a few times, let’s dive into our essential leg workouts for women.
Curate a leg day that’s perfect for you;
Some of The Best Leg Exercises For Women:
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Squats
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Lunges
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Calf Raises
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Hamstring Stretches
1. Squats
Squats are a phenomenal exercise to include in any workout routine. Not only are they ideal for working the legs, they also help expand your range of movement in your hip joints and waist.
What makes them so popular as a leg toning exercise for women is that they are a low-intensity exercise solution that can be completed anywhere. For those who want to workout at home, squats will be your best friend.
Top Tip: when looking to progress your squats, you can do weighted squats by holding or attaching weights to your body. This is a more advanced exercise and should ideally be completed under professional guidance, such as with a personal trainer.
How to do squats:
Step by Step Instructions:
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Begin by standing with your feet roughly shoulder width apart. Your feet should be parallel with your shoulders and should not be wider than your shoulder width as this will make them harder to do.
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Bend at your hip joint, keeping your back straight, and squat down as if sitting into a chair; always bend your knees while squatting. Your bodyweight should be evenly placed across both feet to ensure you remain well balanced during your squat.
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While squatting, you can also raise your arms up and directly out in front of your body/chest to help you keep your balance. This is optional and is only to help with balance.
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Continue the squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close to parallel as your body will allow you to go. You should feel the tension in your thighs as you do this.
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Hold the squat, but only briefly.
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Stand up straight by performing the exact opposite movement you’ve performed in the previous steps.
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Repeat as many times as desired.
A good rule of thumb is to start by doing 10 repetitions and then taking a short 20 second break. Doing this 3 times in a row would be one set.
Looking for more home workouts? Check out our blog designed to help you start your home workout journey the right way!
2. Lunges
Lunges are a great way to work all the muscle groups in your legs, but also help with joint flexibility; especially in the knee and hip/waist.
What makes them a brilliant leg day exercise for women is how versatile they are and the fact that lunges are a simple, low-intensity movement. Like the squat, they can be performed anywhere you have space, including the home, park, or at a Village Gym.
How to do lunges:
Step by step instructions:
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Start by positioning your feet shoulder width apart. Do not exceed this length or bring your feet in closer than shoulder width; this will impact the effectiveness of the exercise and your overall balance.
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You can start with any leg. Step forward roughly one and a half shoulder widths to your front until your front knee is directly above your ankle with your first leg. Your other leg should bend forwards at the hip. The knee of your trailing leg should be very close to touching the ground.
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Keep your back straight, shoulders back and chest pushed slightly outward to maintain correct posture and form while you lunge.
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It is vital that when lunging forward that you bend both knees at the same time. This helps with maintaining your balance and ensures your bodyweight is evenly dispersed between both legs.
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When at the bottom of the lunge, hold it in this position briefly for around half a second.
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Push upwards and backwards through your heels, bending both legs, to return to your original starting position.
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Repeat for your other leg.
Top Tip: if you find normal lunges too easy, you can slow the pace at which you lunge and spread the lunge out across 3 or 4 seconds. Alternatively, you can hold the lunge for a few seconds in the maximum strain position at the bottom of the lunge.
3. Calf Raises
For those not familiar with the world of working out, calf raises will be an unusual low-intensity workout that is often skipped. Many newcomers to working out will dismiss this exercise in favour of exercises that may be higher-intensity. But the calf raise is very effective at building muscle in the lower leg region. They are an excellent calf exercise to familiarise yourself with ladies.
Much like the two exercises before this one, it can be completed anywhere you have space!
How do to calf raises:
Step by step instructions:
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This exercise is completed from a standing position. Begin by standing roughly shoulder width apart. It is very important you adhere to this for calf raises, or you won’t get the full benefit of the workout.
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When ready, push down on the balls of your feet and raise your heels up off the ground. Keep pushing up until your feet are fully extended and you are balancing on the balls of your feet.
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Hold this position very briefly.
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Gently push downwards on the balls of your feet until your heels touch the ground and you are flat on your feet.
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Repeat this process as many times as required for your workout routine.
Top Tip: for those wanting a greater challenge, slow down the rate at which you complete calf raises. Slowing down will increase the work your calves will need to do for each raise. Alternatively, you can hold a weight in your hands as you do your calf raises to make them harder to accomplish.
Hamstring Stretching
An aspect that can very easily be overlooked in a leg day workout for women is stretching. It can be very tempting to focus on muscular strength and endurance when working on legs, but your overall leg flexibility will help a great deal with all kinds of exercise.
Hamstring stretching is great as it can, like the other exercises so far, be done anywhere you have the space. Unlike the other exercises, this involves little to no equipment, even as you progress and become more flexible.
Step by step instructions:
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Begin by sitting on the floor, you may opt to use a mat to make yourself more comfortable.
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Sit up straight and keep your back/posture as rigid as possible during the full stretch.
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Extend one leg out to your front, keeping it in line with your hip joint and parallel to your centre line. Tuck your other leg in so that the sole of your foot is lying flat against your inner thigh.
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Bend at your hip and lean down your extended leg as far as you can go. You should aim to get your fingers/hand as far down your leg as possible. As you do this you will feel a stretch across the back of your extended leg.
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Hold this position for 20 seconds.
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After 20 seconds gently sit back up to your original position.
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Repeat for the other leg.
Top Tip: if you are finding this stretch particularly easy and can touch your toes/foot when stretching, adjust your body to keep your shoulders square and your leg extended out directly in front of your body.
Workout Any Way You Want
When starting out with working out, these aforementioned exercises are fundamental to building strong, healthy muscles in your lower half. This will help you create a solid foundation for other kinds of exercise and day to day life.
Although, if you are looking for a more tailored approach, or are looking to take your workout to the next level; Village Gym is here to help.
Find your closest Village Gym and book a tour of our exemplary facilities, and maybe ask about our membership options too.
From personal trainers to specific workout classes, we have everything you need to complement your fitness journey and help you excel!
FAQs About Leg Exercises
How Can A Woman Tone Her Legs Fast?
While there are plenty of routines out there that promise fast results, the truth of the matter is that discipline, commitment, and a healthy diet are all essential for seeing results for your legs (or for any workout routine).
However, focusing on high intensity leg workouts and seeking the guidance of a personal trainer are great ways to maximise your gains as quickly as possible.
How Often Should A Woman Train Legs?
For beginners looking to take a holistic approach to leg training, it is recommended to do at least 20 minutes of focused work on just the legs at least three times a week. How that works into your weekly workout schedule is up to yourself, but a popular method is to focus on a different muscle group for each session.
For instance, for your first weekly session you could do hips. For the second you could do calves. For the final session of your week you could focus on thighs.
Can Flabby Thighs Be Toned?
While it is difficult to focus or work on specific areas of the thigh, selecting exercises that focus on inner or outer thigh muscles is practical and doable. This is opposed to exercises that will workout the thigh in a more general fashion, such as squats.
Using hip abduction and adduction machines are a good way to tone specific thigh muscles.
