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Improve Your Rear and Legs with These Lunges and Squats

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Lunges and squats are great strength training exercises that can be used to tone and strengthen the muscles in your legs and rear. For best results, don't perform these exercises two days in a row. This will prevent your muscles from recovering completely and can actually cause injury. Be sure to allow at least one full day of recovery between exercises in order to achieve optimal results.

Basic Squat

The basic squat is a great exercise that can tone the muscles in your legs as well as the glutes of your rear. In addition, increasing the muscle mass of the large muscles of the lower body is a great way to increase your metabolic rate, thereby helping you achieve weight loss goals.

To perform a basic squat, start by standing against a wall with a stability ball pressed between the wall and the small of your back. A stability ball is a piece of exercise equipment that can be found in any gym. It is a large, semi-firm ball that comes up approximately to the height of your hips, and can be used in a variety of exercises as a support tool. In other cases, a stability ball can be used to make the exercise more difficult. Step your feet out slightly in front of your body with your toes facing forward. Take a deep breath and bend your knees, sinking down towards the ground. Once you reach a level at which your thighs are parallel to the ground, stop lowering your body. Now, as you exhale your breath, use the muscles in your lower back to lift your body back up to the starting position. Do at least ten repetitions of the basic squat before taking a short break. Rest, and do another two sets of ten repetitions in order to achieve optimal results with the basic squat.

Basic Lunge

Basic lunges are another great exercise that can strengthen and tone your legs and rear end. To perform a basic lunge, start by standing tall with your feet spaced directly under your hips. As you inhale a deep breath step your right foot approximately three feet in front of your body. Bend the right knee and slowly drop it towards the ground. As you exhale your breath, use the muscles in your legs and rear to lift your body back up to the starting position, bringing your leg back under your body. Perform the same maneuver, but this time step out with the left foot. Do at least ten repetitions of the exercise before taking a short break. Rest, and do another two sets of ten repetitions.

Walking Lunge

Finally, walking lunges are a slightly advanced version of the basic lunge that can improve the tone of your legs and rear. Start in the same position as with the basic lunge. This time, as you lower your right knee to the ground, lift your body up and step forward with the left foot. Perform another lunge, this time with the left foot. Do at least ten lunges with each leg in order to achieve optimal results.

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