Leg Lifts for Women’s Fitness

At some point or other, most women have dreamt about having gorgeous legs like Marilyn Monroe. Well, now it doesn’t have to be just a dream. Leg lifts will help you get those wonderful, shapely legs and can be done with or without weights. You’re not alone if you feel apprehensive about using weights; however, you shouldn’t skip weight lifting entirely. You can have attractive as well as powerful legs if you’re aware of the correct exercises. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any form of fitness program and weight lifting routine.

The Leg Lifting Myth

The major reason that women shy away from leg lifting is because they have a fear of developing unusually large leg muscles. This fear is unjustified, but understandable. Women have roughly ten times less testosterone than men which makes women incapable of producing big muscles while lifting–unless, of course, some decide to begin a muscle-building diet and a regimen of supplements (steroids).

Weight Machines

Women can find some of the greatest machines for leg lifting in the weight room of any gym and these should be added to your fitness routine twice a week. With these machines you’ll have more options for control as well as better support than with free weights. Your workouts will be successful if you try standing leg curls, seated leg extensions and leg presses. If you’ve never used the machines at the gym before, it’s recommended that you get a gym trainer to show you how to use them before attempting any type of exercise. Using these machines without proper instruction could lead to injuries.

Free Weights

What are free weight exercises? They’re exercises using dumbbells. You can really give yourself a challenge and it’s a great way to obtain a powerful workout! Dumbbells don’t take up much room and are ideal for those with minimal space at home. If you’ve never done free weight exercises before, you should start out with a two or three pound weight. Dumbbell lunges, deadlifts, squats and calf raises are all terrific exercises for your legs.

Body Weight

If you don’t relish the idea of using either machine weights or dumbbells, that’s okay because there are many leg lifts that don’t require any type of weights. By just utilizing your body as a weight, you’ll be able to perform more repetitions and, thus, gaining better endurance and stronger leg muscles. Leg raises, walking lunges, leg circles and wall sits are all exercises that can be done wherever you are in a matter of a few minutes.

There are all kinds of leg exercises out there for you to choose from and, once you start doing them, you could see results in as little as three or four weeks. The best part is leg exercises will even help other parts of your body like your butt, waistline and lower abdomen. So get up and get those legs moving to a leaner, shapelier you!