The other day a neighbor asked me for some workout suggestions, because she realizes that she should probably start lifting weights now that she’s in her 40’s.
She mentioned just needing exercises for her arms because “I do incline walking on the treadmill so I hope/think that takes care of my legs.”
I’ll tell you what I told her:
NOPE!
Walking on a treadmill is not a leg workout, and it doesn’t replace the benefits of strength training.
Don’t get me wrong… Walking is a great form of exercise that helps your aerobic fitness and your overall health. In fact, I think it’s the best sort of cardio for folks trying to lose weight, maintain health, etc. Plus it is an excellent form of stress management and boosts mental health.
BUT!!
Resistance training using weights is what strengthens your muscles and improves your body composition. This is what people mean when they say they want to “get toned.” They want muscle definition that is visible.
And in order to have visible muscle definition, there needs to be muscle there in the first place!
(and less body fat… .but that is a 100% nutrition talk for another email)
So, if you want toned legs… here’s where you should start:
1) Goblet Squats
2) Split Squats
3) Bench Thrusters
4) Lateral Lunges
Incorporate these lower body exercises into your workout routine 2-4 times per week. Start with bodyweight or a light dumbbell and progress to a heaver DB once you can do more than 8 reps per set.
Have questions on this… just hit REPLY and fire away!
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