Self Help

Your goal will determine what type of leg exercises you do. Of course, not all goals are mutually exclusive. Regardless of these goals you should never do any strenuous leg exercises before warming up and stretching.

Spinning is one of the best exercises for toning and strengthening your leg muscles. Herein you will use a stationary bike for 15 minutes. This will help tone your calves, hamstrings and quads while improving your joint flexibility, giving you great cardiovascular benefits and reducing both cellulite and fat.

If you want to do something that is a little less vigorous then you may want to try knee exercises. There is a couple that you can do, including:

1. Sit in a chair with your back straight and relaxed. Bend your leg at 90 degrees with your thigh parallel to the ground and your lower leg vertical. Tense your thigh and hold it for 5 seconds before releasing then switch legs and repeat until you have done 10 reps per leg. This is an especially good exercise for people who suffer from cartilage problems in their kneecap.
2. Sit up straight and while breathing normally, cross your legs at the ankle. Push forward with your rear leg and back with your front leg. Switch legs and repeat for 10 times per leg. This exercise is good for strengthening the muscles that help you bend your knee.

Something that is even more strenuous is calf burns. You should never do this exercise on a cement or metal floor. What you want to do here is stand up straight with your heels together and your toes slightly apart. You are going to need to have a good sense of balance here. Then lift your heels, balancing on the balls of your feet. While imagining a string is attached to the center of your head pulling you up, hold this position for 5 seconds, before lowering your leg slowly. You should repeat this for 10 times then once you build up your strength and balance slowly increase the length of time that you are on the balls of your feet. For variation you can bend slightly at your knee while your heel is still raised. This will exercise your thighs and buttocks at the same time.

There are many health benefits to having strong, flexible legs. This is especially important the older you get because you run the increased risk of falling and breaking your hip. However, if you start early on to keep your legs in shape you will not have this problem later on in life.