Leg shape seems to be a lottery. My sister is 5cm (2in) taller than me and the extra is all in her legs, which remain skinny and endless even when she puts on a few pounds. Whereas I know instantly when I’ve gained weight as my thighs stick to my trousers, and I think more of us are like me than my lucky sister.
But whatever shape your legs, they can be improved with exercise. Shorter pins can look longer, and fat ankles and cellulite can be minimised with the right routine. If you haven’t got time to run three miles a day, or to do a gym session, these exercises are the perfect solution.
You can do them at home in just ten minutes. Do them three times a week, four if you can find the time, and you will notice a real difference within a few weeks.
SPLIT SQUAT
Great for the front of your thighs and bottom
Lowdown To get the technique right for these exercises first you need to practise using your pelvic-floor muscles. To make yourself aware of these, squeeze the muscles that you’d use if you wanted to stop the flow of your pee.
For the split squat (see picture), stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, back straight. Put your hands on your hips. Engage your pelvic-floor muscles. Take a long step forward with your left leg, keeping your front foot flat on the floor; both feet should be facing forwards. Drop your hips so that the back knee is almost on the floor — the back foot will naturally bend in the arch — and then raise back up. Make sure that your knee stays above, and not past, your front foot.
Repeat on the other leg. Make sure that the lowering action takes at least two seconds; you can take a second to rise back up. Increase or decrease the repetitions (reps) to suit your fitness level. Between each set of reps give yourself a few seconds break. To help to engage your core muscles even more, you can add weights to your hands. You know that you are doing this exercise well when you have a little bit of tightness in your thighs the next day.
THE BURN
Gently does it 8 reps on each leg, twice.
Feeling adventurous 12 reps on each leg, three times.
Superfit Use a hand weight (a bag of sugar in each hand, for example) and do 12 reps on each leg, three times.
CALF MUSCLES
Good for toning and strengthening
If you are not doing any running or walking in your fitness routine you may want to incorporate this exercise. Stand facing a wall, at arm’s length away, and with your back in a neutral position. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, with hands on hips. Tilt your pelvis as far as it will go comfortably — first backwards, then thrust it forwards — then find a position midway between these extremes where you feel no strain on your back. This is the neutral position. Now extend your arms at shoulder height and put your fingertips on the wall to steady yourself. Engage your pelvic floor, rise on your toes, then lower, taking one second for the rise and one for the descent. Make sure that you tighten your bottom as you rise and control the dropping of the heel to the floor. If your core muscles are strong you can move away from the wall and put your hands on your hips. This exercise won’t build up unsightly “bunch of grapes” type calf muscles — unless you are doing hundreds of reps a day. Also, the whole leg will benefit if you are using the correct technique.
Always make sure that you stretch your calf muscles after the exercise; if you don’t you will almost certainly feel it the next day. And from first-hand experience, I know that there is no way to hide sore calves; you walk as if you are stepping barefoot on hot potatoes.
THE BURN
Gently does it 20 reps, twice.
Feeling adventurous 30 reps, three times.
Superfit Stand on a step, so that your heels are hanging over the step, and when you lower down, go lower than the step. Do 30 reps, three times.
SQUAT
Brilliant thigh-shaper. If you rise on to your toes at the end, it will also benefit calves
Lowdown The squat is as old as the hills but it can be modified to be made harder as you progress. First get your back into a neutral position (see previous exercise). Keep your head and chest up — you should be as upright as possible in the torso and not leaning forwards at all — but stick your bottom out as you bend at the knees.
Start with your arms by your side and as you lower your bottom into the squat you should raise your arms up in front of you so that they are at shoulder height. Then return to the starting position, making sure that you finish the move off by squeezing your bottom muscles tightly.
Another way to take the exercise further is to rise on to your tiptoes at the end of the movement. You should do this only if you can rise up without wobbling all over — and also make sure that you are keeping your pelvic- floor muscles engaged all the time. To make the squat harder, do it with weights in your hands.
You can also hold a squat, but don’t squat into the deepest position to start with. Instead, drop about 12cm into the move and hold for ten seconds, then drop another 12cm and hold for ten seconds, finally drop another 12cm, where you should be in the lowest position of the squat, and hold for ten seconds. This is a tough exercise and you will feel a burn straight away. If you are really strong, you can do the holds again on the way back up, otherwise just stand up after the last hold. Remember to stretch out.
THE BURN
Gently does it 10 squats with arm movement as directed above, twice.
Feeling adventurous 15 squats, three times.
Superfit 15 squats, three times, but at the end of the move you rise up on to your toes.
