What are the Most Effective Leg Muscle Exercises?

There are numerous leg muscle exercises and methods that improve and strengthen the underlying muscles of the thighs and calves while providing complete health to the entire body. Yoga and Pilates are both excellent slow-moving exercises which help lengthen the legs and provide tone and flexibility through stretching and various repetitive movements. Running and sprinting are also good leg muscle exercises that help tone the legs and provide shape and health to the entire body. Although strengthening parts of the body are good for promoting muscle tone, overall fitness and health should be the goal when using any exercise.

Most fitness trainers recommend a well-rounded stretching program when one is using leg muscle exercises, incorporating components and movements from yoga and Pilates. Yoga is an excellent form of movement that helps lengthen and elongate the spine and legs, and also helps tone the calf and thigh muscles. Pilates is also a good exercise that can be infused into any program using leg muscle exercises, as it aids in providing movements which help build the legs overall through stretching and light cardio. The simplest leg muscle exercises used in yoga involve balancing the body's weight on one leg, whereas the simplest exercise in Pilates center around slowly moving the legs in the air in repetitive motions.

Most running exercises easily build the legs, as the muscles and bones of the legs provide quick movement for the body. The muscles and bones, in turn, receive repetitive stress and impact from the ground, building and strengthening the structure of the two organs. It is very likely that injury can occur with this exercise, as with all exercises, so proper precautions must be taken before doing these types of leg muscle exercises. Speaking to a personal trainer, as well as performing light stretching before and after a running session, can help avoid injury in the legs.

Yoga and Pilates, as well as running and sprinting, can provide the muscles of the legs strength and can increase a body's mobility. All these exercises are also good for providing health and well being to the entire body, which should be the main goal of starting any exercise program. In order to fully succeed when performing these leg muscle exercises, it is important to be consistent and to develop a plan to work these muscles groups on a regular basis. Alternating between leg strengthening and upper body strengthening is ideal for providing the body with a full range of health and mobility.