Leg Toning Exercises for Men

If you're one of those who regularly go to the gym but don’t exercise your legs, we've prepared a selection of the best leg toning exercises for men. Take note!
Leg Toning Exercises for Men

Last update: 30 January, 2020

The legs are one of the body parts that men usually forget to include in their workouts. However, there are unlimited ways you can strengthen them. For that reason, in this article, we’ll show you a list with some of the best leg toning exercises for men.

Having toned legs helps you avoid injuries and prevent inconveniences. The main muscle groups in your legs are the quadriceps, calves, hamstring, and glutes. Because all of these are big muscles, the ideal is that you dedicate one of your workout sessions entirely to exercising your legs. This will allow you to make sure that your leg workout is efficient.

There are hundreds of different types of exercises to tone and strengthen the legs, one of the biggest muscle groups in our body and one of the hardest to work on. Leg toning exercises for men can be done with the help of weights or machines at the gym.

We are aware that working on our lower body tends to be forgotten at the gym, but this doesn’t make them any less important. For that reason, we are showing you a list of the exercises we consider to be the best leg toning exercises for men. Take note, chose your favorite and include them in your workout sessions!

Leg toning exercises for men

1. Barbell squats for leg toning exercises

The first leg toning exercise is barbell squats. To start, place the bar on the back of your shoulders, at the base of your neck. Spread your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and grab the barbell with your hands slightly wider than your shoulder-width as well. Do a regular squat and hold the position for one second with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your thighs parallel to the floor.

leg toning exercises for men

Keep your head straight and look forward, bend your knees and rest your buttocks backward. Then, slowly lower your hips towards the floor and return to the starting position to complete the repetition. Adding the barbell for resistance will challenge you and will make your training more demanding, which will allow you to step up your game. We recommend that you start with only the bar and then gradually add more weight.

2. Calf raises are a great leg toning exercise

Next, we’re showing you one excellent exercise to tone up your calves. This exercise has many variations, such as including weights to add difficulty. We advise you to always keep your back straight during this exercise.

To start this exercise, select the weight you want to start with on the machine. Then, get in position on top of the platform and with your shoulders under the padded part of the machine. Remember to slightly bend your knees. The exercise consists of extending your feet by raising your ankles and pushing upwards with your feet.

3. Lunges

To do a lunge, you must stand up and move forward with one foot and then lower your hips until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. The knee that is forward must be aligned with your ankle, make sure you don’t move it further. Try to avoid touching the floor with your other knee.

It’s also important to keep your back straight, your shoulders relaxed and your chin up. Make sure your chest is engaged throughout the exercise. Lunges are a challenging exercise that requires balance, coordination, good posture, and muscle strength.

4. Leg extension

The final leg toning exercise we recommend is leg extension. For this exercise, you’ll be using the leg extension machine, where you sit and then lift the padded bar using only the strength of your legs. You’ll be mainly working on your quadriceps, which are on the front sides of your thighs.

leg toning exercises for men

Don’t forget to adjust the machine so your legs can bend at a 90-degree angle. Don’t perform this exercise at a lower angle because this will put your knees under stress and can cause an injury.

We hope that with this article, and with what we consider to be the best leg toning exercises for men, you’ll feel motivated to start working out this muscle group. Chose your favorite exercises and start including them in your routine, what are you waiting for?

 


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.