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  |  Get Fit  |  Strengthening and Toning  |  A better ab and leg workout
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Some surprising facts from the Colonel

A better ab and leg workout

by Terry King

question
A few times a week I alternate running, walking, and run/walking for a 30-minute workout. I also do a total body workout with weights once a week. Yet, my upper legs and stomach aren't as fit as I would like them. What else can I do?

answer
It sounds like you're getting about half an hour of exercise from your current treadmill routine. The first thing we’d recommend is to increase the middle section of your workout by about ten minutes. As you know, you should be starting your workout gradually, building up your intensity and then slowing your pace to cool down before you stop. If you really want to make a difference in your appearance, you may want to add another day of weight training and an additional treadmill workout to your current routine.

The treadmill offers a good aerobic workout, but it does less for your leg development than cycling, rollerblading or step aerobics. If you're training at a gym, try using the stationary bike or step machine a couple of times a week in addition to the treadmill. I think one of the reasons these two machines are less popular is because they make you use more leg muscle than walking does and are, therefore, harder.

Whether you're training at home or in the gym, you can increase your overall strength and work your upper legs harder by adding lunges and squats to your routine. You don't need a heavy set of hand-held weights since you just want to tone your legs, so make sure you can do a set of 10 lunges on one leg before changing. With squats, 15 repetitions will be enough to exercise your quads, hamstrings and glutes.

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