Toning your legs – quadriceps

The quadriceps are the muscles on the front of the thigh, whose main function is to act as extensors of the knees. They are one of the largest and most powerful muscle groups in our body, and among those most involved in any sports discipline. Another distinctive feature is  their great endurance.

Given their characteristics, workouts for toning and sculpting these muscles must be rather intensive.

Dumbbell squats.

Squats are very effective for training and toning the thighs. The main muscle groups targeted are the quadriceps and the glutes. We describe here the variant with dumbbells, which make this exercise more intense (depending on the weight chosen) and therefore more effective.

  1. Stand with your legs slightly apart (the knees must never exceed shoulder width), holding a dumbbell in each hand, and with your arms hanging straight down at your sides.
  2. Breathe in: take a big step forward with your right leg, keeping back straight, and bend at the knees until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and your left knee almost touches the floor. 
  3. Hold this position for a few seconds.
  4. Breathe out: to complete the first repetition, return to your starting position by pushing your body back with your right leg.

Perform one set of 15 repetitions, then change leg. Repeat the set at least 3 times, with a 1-minute rest between sets.

Train at home