If you’re ready to bid farewell to lower-body jiggle and shapen up your legs for good, listen up. Dealing with excess body fat and flabby legs can be the result of losing lean muscle or simply getting older. Thighs that wiggle and jiggle are not only incredibly inconvenient when it’s time to wear shorts, dresses, and swimsuits, but an excess amount of body fat is also toxic to your health. Performing regular exercise is imperative to staying in stellar shape and giving your overall wellness a necessary boost. Plus, muscle-strengthening exercises help you build and preserve lean muscle, which torches a greater amount of calories than body fat. We chatted with Tim Liu, CSCS, an online fitness and nutrition coach and member of our Medical Expert Board, who shares with us six of the best exercises for women to get rid of leg jiggle in their 40s.
If you want to get firm, toned, and lean as you grow into your 40s and beyond, working on all areas of your body is a must. The below movements embody strength training so you can boost and maintain muscle to sculpt slimmer, stronger legs. Keep reading to learn all about Liu’s six best exercises for women to get rid of leg jiggle in their 40s. And when you’re finished, be sure to check out the 9 Best Exercises for a Slim & Slender Body in 30 Days.
Start sumo squats by holding a dumbbell or kettlebell with both hands, and position your feet in a wide stance outside shoulder-width. Maintain a tight core and a tall chest as you squat down until the weight is mid-shin level. Press through your heels, away from the ground, in order to rise back up, flexing your glutes at the top of the motion. Perform three sets of 10 reps.
Next up, for Bulgarian split squats, assume a split stance with your back foot planted on a workout bench or couch. Your front foot should be a few feet away from the bench. With control, bend both knees as you lower into a split squat. Descend until your back knee almost touches the ground. Then, press yourself back up to the start position, squeezing your glutes at the top. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
Machine leg curls start with you lying chest-side down on a leg curl machine. Once you’re situated, bring your heels up toward your buttocks, flexing your hamstrings as you do so. With control, bring the weight back to the start position, keeping the tension in your hamstrings strong. Complete three sets of eight to 10 reps.
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Next up on Liu’s list of the best exercises for women to get rid of leg jiggle is the leg press. Take a seat at the leg press machine, and plant your feet on the foot pad outside shoulder-width. Point your toes out a bit. Then, drive through both heels to push the weight away from your body until your legs are extended, but not locked out. Bring the weight back to the start position while maintaining control. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
For the single-leg hip thrust, position the middle of your back against a workout bench and your feet together on the ground. Use your legs to serve as support for your midsection. Initiate the exercise by putting a dumbbell on your hips. Using control, extend one of your legs and lower your body by hinging at the waist. Push through your grounded heel in order to rise back up. Squeeze your buttocks at the top, and then descend. Complete three sets of 12 to 15 reps.
With leg extensions, get started by situation yourself on a leg extension machine, placing your legs under the pad. Push the weights up with your legs, making sure to give your quads a solid squeeze at the top. Then, use control to lower the weight back to the start position. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
