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THE QUESTION: What's a good exercise for sculpting my legs? Please, no squats! I'm tired of squats.
THE ANSWER: I agree that squats can get extremely tedious. Try these lunges to invigorate your leg program.
Isometric lunge with a knee in: Stand on an uncarpeted floor with an old towel placed under your right foot. Bend your left knee and slide your right foot backward along the floor so you are in a low lunge position. Stay low and slide your right foot forward and then extend it backward again. Do 15 slides with your right foot and then switch legs.
Limbo side lunge: Standing on a bare floor, take a large step out to the side with your left leg. Bend your left knee and angle your hip in order to position your bum above your left foot.
Make sure both feet stay facing forward. Your right leg should be straight. Hold for two seconds. Squat low as you transfer your weight over to your right foot. Your left leg should now be straight and you should be squatting over your right foot. Hold this for two seconds and then stand up. Do five reps and then switch directions.
TRAINER'S TIP: Even though squats can be boring, they are an excellent functional exercise. To keep squats interesting, try incorporating different variations into your workouts. For example, do squats on a balance board to challenge your balance or change around your tempo by performing squats extremely slowly. These variations will make the basic squat seem like a new exercise.
Send certified personal trainer Kathleen Trotter your questions at trainer@globeandmail.com . She will answer select questions, which could appear in The Globe and Mail and/or on The Globe and Mail web site. Your name will not be published if your question is chosen.
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