How to Get Perfect Legs in a Flash

If you haven’t heard the term ‘perfect pins’ before, picture long, elegant and flawlessly shaped legs. They are sexy without being trashy, slim without being skinny, and curvy without being plump. They are, in a word, perfect.

But if you’ve always thought that perfect pins were purely the result of good genetics, then think again. Flawless legs can be yours for the taking. Here’s how.

Think clean

First of all, if you’re looking for perfect pins then your initial step will be to shed any excess weight. If you’re at your ideal weight, then skip to the next step. Otherwise, bear with me.

While we’d all like to think that a couple of reps of leg-specific exercises will make our legs heavenly, unfortunately you have to have a pretty good canvas to start off with. Sorry.

Thankfully, all it takes is about six weeks of clean eating (depending on your weight) for you to reach your ideal weight. In a nutshell, clean eating is all about removing any refined or processed foods from your diet. This means no candy bars, soda, take-away and white, processed carbs.

Think simple, raw and natural. Don’t worry about calorie counting or sticking to anything like a purple food diet. That’s crazy. Instead, just feed your body healthy, natural meals. If you find that you’re not dropping your weight fast enough, then decrease your portion sizes. Aim for around five small meals a day and keep your lightest meal to dinnertime.

Now, keep in mind too that I’m not talking about supermodel weight, that’s ridiculous. I mean a weight that looks good for your height and your size.

Personally, I think judging your ideal weight as a stand-alone measure is useless. Not only does your weight fluctuate on a daily basis, but is also a poor method of calculating your ideal size.

So instead of weight watching, focus on how you feel. Choose a pair of jeans that you now fit at your ideal weight, and then use them as a benchmark. Focus on how you feel when you wear the jeans. Do your love handles bulge over the sides? Does the button press into your belly? Then, consider how the rest of your body feels. Does your bra feel too tight? Can you feel neck fat when you tilt your head down?

Focus on how you feel, not what you weigh.

Cardio queen

Now that you have a clean slate, your next step will be to add the ‘base coat’ to your perfect pins journey. In fitness terms, this is cardiovascular exercise. Cardio will help your legs feel toned, tight and terrific and as an added benefit boost your overall health too.

Most people think of running when cardio is mentioned, but you can also jog, power walk, hill climb (walk up hills), skip, box and even cycle. Basically, anything that makes you huff and puff is cardio.

Aim for a cardio session every two days. The session should last for a minimum of 30 minutes. Never do cardio two consecutive days in a row, instead give your body a chance to recover.

Muscle madness

By now you should be feeling pretty darn pleased with yourself. You have lost any excess weight and are starting to feel terrific. Your legs might not be perfect yet, but they’re fabulous in any case.

Great work. Time to step it up a notch.

You know how stars like Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence all have perfect legs? Well, guess what: it’s not from cardio.

While cardio is great at melting fat and overall toning, it won’t get you the shapely, perfect pins you’ve been dreaming of. The only way to do that is to start doing strength training.

Now, you could go to the gym to do your strength training and use the myriad of machines and devices there. But that’s now what I’m going to focus on today. Instead, I’m going to show you how to get perfect pins using stuff you should already have, plus a few small extras.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

Hotty squatty

If you thought that you could get perfect legs without doing any squats, then you were dreaming. Sorry, doll. Squats are the foundation of perfect pins, so if you want to get the look, then book in your squat sessions.

Your squats should be performed as part of your overall strength-training regime. I recommend doing this regime between three and five times a week, on the days you’re not doing cardio, or after your cardio session. Start with one set of eight squats, then work your way up to three or four set, rotating other exercises in between.

Now, the magic of the squat is in the method. So before you start doing half-hazard squats, learn how to do them properly.

Here are some easy guidelines:

1. Make sure you keep your head facing forward (don’t look down) and your chest is held high with your shoulders back. Think of it like you’re pushing your lovely lady lumps forward for the world to admire.
2. Do a jump in the air. Wherever your feet land is your natural squatting position. It should be about shoulder-width apart.
3. Now, gently lower yourself down as though you’re going to sit down in a chair. You can hold your arms out in front of you for balance but make sure your back doesn’t round.
4. Lower down as far as you can (think about where a typical chair would sit), and then press through your heels and clench your butt like there’s a $100 bill in between the crack (kudos to my trainer for recommending that move). When you’re ready, push yourself up to standing. Repeat eight times.
5. If at any time your lower back pinches or you feel any pain, stop the exercise.

Once you’re squatting like a pro (hardcore, man!), you can even hold some light weights too. Make sure you add the weight slowly though.

Lovely lunges

While I’m torturing you, let’s add another (not so) beloved move to your repertoire: the lunge. While it hurts like all cripes, it’s a standout winner for tight, toned legs.

Here’s how to do it right:

1. Stand up straight, with your feet together.
2. Once you’re ready, step forward and then lower down into the lunge position.
3. Keep your chest high and your shoulders back. Don’t look down. You want your back to be as straight as possible so that you’re not hunched over or leaning forward.
4. Press the heel of the foot that is in front into the ground and ease yourself up.
5. The tempo is to lower down slowly, and then push up quickly.
6. If you feel any pain in your lower back, stop the exercise.

Stick to the same amount of reps as the squats: eight reps, working up to three or four sets.

Beautiful ballet

We’ve all seen how fabulous ballet dancer’s legs are. And there’s a reason for that: hard work combined with specific exercises that slim and tone in just the right places.

But why should ballet dancers be the only ones benefiting from those exercises? I’m here to tell you that they shouldn’t. You too can use their techniques to tone and tighten your legs to perfection.

Here are the best exercises to try:

1. Plié (first position and second position)
2. Attitude (hamstring press)
3. Runner’s lunge
4. Battement (forward leg lift)
5. Arabesque (Reverse leg lift)

*These exercises have been suggested by Cindy Sites, founder of The Figure Method.

McStretchy

And finally, all this hard work may leave you feeling a little sore and tender some days. Which is why it’s really important that you warm up and cool down when you exercise and also set aside some time just for stretching.

You can google some specific exercises, or try yoga or pilates. Yoga and pilates will be strength training too though, so take that into consideration for your weekly regime.

Aim for two sessions a week dedicated to flexibility and stretching and target a minimum of 30 minutes.

Oh and while you’re at it, book yourself in for a full-body massage. You deserve it!

Cover photo: www.hitchfit.com