Nicole’s legs are ready for Carnival
and the rest of the year.

It’s an unfair world and unfortunately it is stacked against women. Men don’t have to endure the serious challenges of pregnancy and we seldom worry about things like fitting into the right costume at Carnival time. Put a man in short pants that reach down to his knees, put a beer in his hand and as far as he is concerned, he is ready to play mas with all the sexy girls. Women on the other hand, are very concerned with their appearance at Carnival time, and rightly so. Most female costumes are designed so that the shape of the abdominals, butt and legs are clearly visible.

Of these three body parts, the legs are the only one that can be seen from any angle; your legs also take up approximately half of your body and contain some of the largest muscle groups. As a result, they must always be worked hard to ensure quality muscle tone.

Leg anatomy
For simplicity’s sake, the legs can be divided into two sections–the upper legs (thighs) and the lower legs (calves). The upper leg is home to the quadriceps and the hamstrings, while the lower leg contains those troublesome calves. The key to great leg development is to ensure that you work both your upper and lower legs.

The best leg exercises
Let’s first have a look at the best exercises that really bring out great shape in the upper leg:

1. The free squat–In my opinion, this is not only the best leg exercise, as far as I am concerned this is the best weight training exercise. If you want awesome leg shape, you have got to squat; it’s that simple. No amount of leg extensions and leg presses can give you leg shape like the free squat. The problem is that most people don’t squat properly. Once you adhere to proper squatting form, most of your body muscles, including your core, will also benefit from the exercise. In fact, it could be said that squatting has an anabolic effect over your entire body.

2. The soft knee dead lift–In my opinion, the most sensuous looking muscle on a woman is her hamstrings (remember Demi Moore in her white bath towel in the movie Striptease). Nothing brings out curvy hamstrings like the soft knee dead lift; it beats leg curls to the finishing line on every occasion.

3. The walking lunge–This is the best butt exercise, but it is also a great leg exercise that only requires the use of a simple barbell.

4. Standing and seated calf raises–Your calves make up your lower legs and are composed mainly of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, both of which can be effectively worked with standing and seated calf raises. Ladies, pay attention to your legs in the next couple of weeks and you are going to have stares of admiration from all the guys. Keep training.