Leg and glute exercises for women over 40

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. You can place your hands behind your head. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin the movement by flexing your knees and hips, sitting back with your hips.
3. Continue down to full depth if you are able,and quickly reverse the motion until you return to the starting position. As you squat, keep your head and chest up and push your knees out.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Stand up straight while holding a dumbbell on each hand (palms facing the side of your legs).
2. Position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times as looking down will get you off balance and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position. Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances discussed in the foot stances section.
3. Begin to slowly lower your torso by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and the exercise has been performed incorrectly.
4. Begin to raise your torso as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel of your foot mainly as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Hold a dumbbell at the base with both hands and stand straight up. Move your legs so that they are wider than shoulder width apart from each other with your knees slightly bent.
2. Your toes should be facing out. Note: Your arms should be stationary while performing the exercise. This is the starting position.
3. Slowly bend the knees and lower your legs until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Make sure to inhale as this is the eccentric part of the exercise.
4. Press mainly with the heel of the foot to bring the body back to the starting position while exhaling.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Stand with your torso upright holding two dumbbells in your hands by your sides. This will be your starting position.
2. Step forward with your right leg around 2 feet or so from the foot being left stationary behind and lower your upper body down, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Inhale as you go down. Note: As in the other exercises, do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, as this will put undue stress on the knee joint. Make sure that you keep your front shin perpendicular to the ground.
3. Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale.
4. Repeat the movement for the recommended amount of repetitions and then perform with the left leg.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Position yourself into a staggered stance with the rear foot elevated and front foot forward.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, letting them hang at the sides. This will be your starting position.
3. Begin by descending, flexing your knee and hip to lower your body down. Maintain good posture througout the movement. Keep the front knee in line with the foot as you perform the exercise.
4. At the bottom of the movement, drive through the heel to extend the knee and hip to return to the starting position.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Grasp a couple of dumbbells holding them by your side at arm's length.
2. Stand with your torso straight and your legs spaced using a shoulder width or narrower stance. The knees should be slightly bent. This is your starting position.
3. Keeping the knees stationary, lower the dumbbells to over the top of your feet by bending at the waist while keeping your back straight. Keep moving forward as if you were going to pick something from the floor until you feel a stretch on the hamstrings. Exhale as you perform this movement
4. Start bringing your torso up straight again by extending your hips and waist until you are back at the starting position. Inhale as you perform this movement.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Lie flat on the floor on your back with the hands by your side and your knees bent. Your feet should be placed around shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
2. Pushing mainly with your heels, lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back straight. Breathe out as you perform this part of the motion and hold at the top for a second.
3. Slowly go back to the starting position as you breathe in.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Lay on the floor with your feet flat and knees bent.
2. Raise one leg off of the ground, pulling the knee to your chest. This will be your starting position.
3. Execute the movement by driving through the heel, extending your hip upward and raising your glutes off of the ground.
4. Extend as far as possible, pause and then return to the starting position.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Kneel on the floor or an exercise mat and bend at the waist with your arms extended in front of you (perpendicular to the torso) in order to get into a kneeling push-up position but with the arms spaced at shoulder width. Your head should be looking forward and the bend of the knees should create a 90-degree angle between the hamstrings and the calves. This will be your starting position.
2. As you exhale, lift up your right leg until the hamstrings are in line with the back while maintaining the 90-degree angle bend. Contract the glutes throughout this movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second. Tip: At the end of the movement the upper leg should be parallel to the floor while the calf should be perpendicular to it.
3. Go back to the initial position as you inhale and now repeat with the left leg.
4. Continue to alternate legs until all of the recommended repetitions have been performed.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Stand facing a box or bench of an appropriate height with your feet together. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin the movement by stepping up, putting your left foot on the top of the bench. Extend through the hip and knee of your front leg to stand up on the box. As you stand on the box with your left leg, flex your right knee and hip, bringing your knee as high as you can.
3. Reverse this motion to step down off the box, and then repeat the sequence on the opposite leg.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.