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Squats are a great basic exercise to help achieve more defined and toned muscles. This move works a variety of muscle groups and can really help you have defined legs and glutes. Choose an appropriate weight on a barbell. Carefully lift the barbell and place it gently on the back of your shoulders right underneath your neck. Squeeze your shoulder blades together so the barbell is resting on your muscles, not on your spine. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart and toes facing forward. Begin to squat down as if you were sitting back into a chair. Squat until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Pause at the bottom for one to two seconds. Slowly push yourself back up to the starting position. Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes. This is one repetition. Repeat as desired. Start with a fairly high weight and do a lower number of repetitions (six to eight) for this exercise. This exercise should feel very intense for you to be building muscle. Walking lunges are another great exercise that works a variety of leg muscles. In particular, it helps strengthen hips, thighs, and glutes. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips, or rest them on the back of your neck. Step forward with one leg and drop your back knee down while bending your front knee. Lower your body down until your rear knee almost touches the ground. Make sure your front knee stays over your ankle, not in front of it. Push and pull yourself up back to standing with your front leg. The muscles used should mainly be from your front leg and glutes. Step forward again with the opposite leg. Continue "lunge walking" for eight to 10 reps per leg. Any variation of the plank exercise will work your entire core. This is one of the exercises that work all muscle groups in your core in addition to your upper body and lower body. Start in a traditional plank position by lying face down on the floor. Support your body weight on your forearms and toes. Keep your body perfectly straight by keeping your core engaged and your hips tucked under. Start by bringing your left knee up towards your left elbow and place your left toes on the floor. Then return your left leg back to the starting position. Repeat on the right side. Repeat this series for 10 reps per side. Another great exercise that targets your core, bicycle crunches specifically target the front of your abdominal muscles and your obliques (the sides of your abs). Lie on your back on an exercise mat. Place your hands behind your head, bring your knees up in the air so they are bent at a 90 degree angle. Start the crunch by bringing your right knee toward your right elbow. Lift up your shoulders and head off the mat to help you meet your ankle. Alternate sides by switching over to the left leg and left arm. Aim to build up to at least 60 seconds of the crunches. This is a great movement to work a variety of muscles in your arms, back and shoulder. It's an all-encompassing upper body exercise. Start by choosing a dumbbell or kettlebell of appropriate weight. Hold it in one hand at shoulder height with your palm facing forward. Push and press your hand up in the air until your arm is completely straight (but not locked at the elbow joint). Pause here at the top. Slowly lower your hand back down to shoulder height. Start by doing two reps per arm, then progress to three reps per arm and end with five reps per arm. Doing an incline bench press helps build mass and strength in the chest and shoulders. Lay down on an incline bench that is set to about 30 or 45 degrees. Place your feet flat on the floor for proper form. Lift an appropriate weighted bar with a grasp width that is about shoulder-width apart. Start with the bar in the air and arms fully extended and locked. Slowly lower down the bar until you are just about an inch or two away from the top of your chin or clavicle bone. Pause for a moment and then push the weight back up to the top position. To build mass and strength with this exercise, choose a weight on the barbell that is heavy enough to bring on complete muscle fatigue after four to six repetitions.
Squat with added weight. Walk your lunges. Include a Spiderman plank crunch. Do bicycle crunches. Do single arm overhead presses. Bench press on an incline.