Legs

Try This: Stretch with the crab reach

2012-12-01 00:00:00

You might not think of the crab as nature's most graceful creature, but if you mimic its stance when you stretch, you'll open up the tight muscles of your front body and give your backside a workout at the same time. Demonstrated here by fitness...

Try This: Bringing fluidity back

2012-10-27 00:00:00

Sitting in front of a computer all day can take a toll on the back. This flowing sequence, demonstrated by fitness expert Jennifer Kries, who uses it on her "Hot Body Cool Mind" DVD series, helps to restore the mobility and ease to your spine using some...

Try This: Curtsy side lift, then take a bow

2012-09-08 00:00:00

This move, with the genteel name of the curtsy side lift, is no lightweight. It works the major muscle groups of the lower body with a blend of dance and fitness. It comes from Pasadena-based Tracey Mallett, the founder of Booty Barre, a technique that...

Try This: Skater lunges

2012-10-20 00:00:00

You want your legs to look great from all angles? Why aren't you doing a lunge that works your thighs all the way around? The skater lunge, demonstrated here by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak and featured on his "Harley Pasternak's Hollywood Workout"...

Try This: The wood chop with leg swing

2012-09-22 00:00:00

Whittle your waist with this move, which uses the arms and legs as levers to up the abdominal burn and strengthen your back. Amy Dixon, personal trainer and head of group fitness at Equinox Santa Monica, uses the wood chop with leg swing in her "Give Me...

Gear: Exercise equipment that's on the ball

2012-07-14 00:00:00

What do you get when you mate old-school strength devices like push-up bars, ab wheels and vertical knee-raise, dip and pull-up stations with balls? Some of the most innovative, effective home fitness devices to come along in recent years. —Roy M....

Try This! A great leap

2012-05-05 00:00:00

Don't forget to bring water to your workout, and not just to quench your thirst. Two water bottles are handy for this simple drill, demonstrated below by celebrity personal trainer Mike Donavanik (www.mikedfitness.com). What you're going to do is leap...

Try This: Go ahead and jump

2012-04-21 00:00:00

Michael "Frosti" Zernow likes to vault, flip and catapult his way from A to B. The Santa Monica-based professional parkour athlete and instructor has 10-plus years of experience, and it shows: The man defies gravity when in motion, as you'll see if you...

Try This: Plie side kicks from Tracey Mallett of Booty Barre

2012-04-28 00:00:00

You don't need to get up en pointe to take a ballet approach to getting fit. Ballet-inspired barre workouts are super-popular now — they increase flexibility and tone muscles without adding bulk. Pasadena-based fitness expert, video host and...

Try This! An off-the-wall workout

2012-03-17 00:00:00

Most of us traverse the environment by walking. Not Michael "Frosti" Zernow — he prefers to vault, flip and catapult his way from A to B. The Santa Monica-based professional parkour athlete and instructor has 10-plus years of experience, and it...

Gear: Resistance cord workouts

2012-04-21 00:00:00

Home workout products made of resistance cords, including stretchy rubber tubing and retractable nylon cables, usually don't get much respect from hard-core fitness freaks. The innovative products below could change that. Often inexpensive and portable,...

Good Form: Pull up a chair and crunch

2012-01-23 00:00:00

Develop strong, sculpted abdominal muscles with this simple exercise. Perform this variation with your legs elevated on a sturdy chair to help you really "feel" your muscles contracting in a challenging yet safe way. Lie face up on a flat, padded...

Started by local barrister Captain Robert Dover in 1612, the annual Cotswold Olimpicks attracts thousands of spectators and features some well-known countryside games such as tug-of-war, obstacle races and wrestling as well as a few stranger events - including shin-kicking.

2012-05-02 12:49:00

Exercise: The Reverse Crunch targets your core, but also uses your legs. Lie on your back on your yoga mat and place your hands along your side, palms down. With your knees slightly bent, lift your legs up and back toward you until you are making an L shape with your body.

2012-04-10 00:00:00

A spectator walks by a giant sculpture of a panty hosed leg on March 10, 2010 at an open air exhibition entitled ''The Magnificent Innovations for Women'' in Budapest . Giant installations representing revolutionary products that changed women's lives in the 20th century can presently be seen in

2010-03-12 06:28:19