Lunges

If you haven't already, learn to love lunges. They are the ultimate exercise; you can do them anywhere, anytime and see (bikini bottom) results fast. This compound exercise works your entire leg and is an easy addition to both your cardio and weight workouts. Once you've mastered the basic lunge, speed up the process to long, lean legs with the addition of a BOSU.

Here's how:

• Standing it front of the BOSU, engage your core. Keep your upper body straight with your shoulders back and relaxed.
• Similar to the position of a basic lunge, bring your right leg behind you, placing it on the BOSU.
• With control, lower your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle and your right knee doesn't touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position. This completes one rep.
• Do two sets of 10 reps on each side.

For tight, toned legs, jump into your lunge! Although the basic lunge is a great starting point (and exercise to master), adding a jump will give you a bikini backside in no time. Often found in Tabata interval workouts, this lunge (also considered a jumping split lunge) is an intense move that increases the burn and tones your calves, too. Here's how you do it!

• To begin, start standing tall with your feet staggered, your left foot slightly in front of your right. Making sure you're not too stiff, keep your stance active with your knees bent in a slight but not full lunge.
• With your core engaged, push off the bottom of both feet into a jump, switching the position of your feet in midair, landing in a basic lunge with your right leg in front.
• Without rest, repeat this movement alternating which leg is in front. To prevent injury, make sure your back leg is bent directly underneath your body and your front leg is bent at 90 degrees at the knee and hip.
• Do three sets of 20 or modify the number specifically to your workout.

Although lunges and squats do great things to our thighs, our knees . . . not so much! If you're worried about extra strain on your knees from weight training or simply want a few alternatives to these basic moves, here a few exercises that will do just that. Without letting your backside off the hook, exercises like step-ups and leg presses are more gentle on the knee yet still work the same muscles. Consider some of our favorite moves below and give your workout a leg up the next time you hit the gym — after all you only have one set of knees!

• Leg Presses: A great alternatives to squats, leg presses on the machine work the major muscles of the leg in a very controlled manner. Make sure you start with your knees at a 90 degree angle, or greater, and only use a high resistance if your knees are injury-free.
• Step-ups: Step-ups work a lot of the same muscles as lunges but because you are stepping up onto a box or platform, you can control how deeply you bend your knee, based on the height of the platform, to better protect the joint. Plus, since your foot is stationary at the start the exercise, the knee joint is more stable as you put weight on your leg. Not only do they effectively work your legs and glutes, step-ups offer a cardio component, too!
• Reverse lunges: Reverse lunges are safer on the knees because the front leg is planted, allowing you to monitor your alignment as you step back. They are also a good way to complement all the forward movements of everydaily life.
• Deadlifts: If at first you think bodybuilder at hearing this exercise, think again. Similar to squats and lunges, deadlifts are an effective move for your lower body, especially your glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Since your feet are fully planted on the ground, your knees remain stable as your bend your torso forward, and engaging the core will also take pressure off the joints in your legs. Keep this guide to deadlifts in mind before you next workout.
• Lying hamstring curls: Using an exercise ball is a great way to switch up your routine while protecting your knees. With lying hamstring curls, you target the butt and hamstrings without putting significant pressure on the knees. This is also a great move for core stability and balance.

Remember, while these exercises do take some of the strain off your knees, they don't let them completely let them off the hook. If you are having significant knee pain, take proper precautions by visiting your doctoring and taking the necessary rest needed to heal.

Although squats and lunges are both key for a toned backside and legs, there are slight differences between the two. To maximize effectiveness and prevent injury, it's important you know the specifics of each exercise and do them just right. Compare the differences between the two, and see which one is right for you!

Lunges

Rather than the up and down motion of a squat, lunges require a step forward or backward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Because lunges involve the transfer of weight to one leg, they are a test of balance, especially when using weights, meaning your core gets a workout too! And depending on the variation, lunges can also allow for an increased focus on the glutes or inner thighs; do side lunges to work your hips or reverse lunges to counter the forward movements of everyday life. Bonus: lunges offer something that most exercises don't — a good stretch! Depending on your depth and range of motion, lunges help to increase flexibility in your hips.

• Lunge Basics
• Lunge Variations

Squats

If you're just starting to get your backside into shape, then consider squats your go-to exercise. Because they are a functional movement, squats are a good introduction to the weight room; it's easy to add weight or resistance to the exercise, which quickly helps to increase strength. Since the weight is distributed onto your heels when doing squats, the exercise requires less balance than lunges. Instead, doing a squat is much like sitting down in a chair, making them a great exercise for working the glutes and hamstrings. Turn squats into a quick cardio workout by adding jumps, or challenge your core with the addition of a BOSU ball. Whatever you decide, expect to build a firm backside in no time!

• Squat Basics
• Squat Variations

Remember, when doing both squats and lunges, it is important to pay close attention to your form. Because these two exercises are hard on the knees, proper posture is important. Keep your knees positioned behind your toes and over the ankles. If you you suddenly feel pain, then adjust the exercise or try a different variation until the pain gets better.

Source: Megan Wolfe Photography

If you exercise regularly, then no doubt you've done your fair share of lunges. We love this powerhouse of a lower-body move because it can be done anywhere, and you don't need any equipment. If you've mastered the finer points on how to do a basic lunge, it's time to get creative with three variations of the popular move.

Arching Low Lunge

This lunge variation (similar to Warrior 1) will strengthen the core, increase flexibility in the spine, and really give hip flexors a good stretch.

• Begin in Downward Facing Dog. Step your right foot forward between your hands, making sure your knee is directly above your ankle. Lower your left knee to the floor.
• Lift your torso and raise your arms straight into the air. Allow your hips to press down toward the floor to increase the stretch in your right hip and left hip flexor. From here, arch back, gazing at the ceiling or toward your hands.
• Stay here for five deep breaths and then repeat this pose with the left knee forward.

BOSU Ball Lunge

Challenge your balance by throwing a BOSU into the mix; you'll find that your core will work even harder as you steady yourself in this move.

Keep reading to learn this move and one more after the break!

If toning your backside is on your to-do list, here are three booty moves you can do at home — no equipment required! These exercise are not your basic (read: boring) lunges and squats. Not only are they fun to do, but they will also work your glute muscles from a variety of angles to really firm and lift your bum. Let's kick that big booty to the curb.

Want more FitSugarTV in your life? Try our Yoga Abs video to tone your midsection.

While hiking in the Sequoia National Forest recently, I was inspired by a post from the Get Fit For 2010 community group. FitSugar reader caffeinecaptain adds variety to her workout by turning a nearby playground into an outdoor gym. I thought, "what the heck, I'm turning this hike into my own mini boot camp!" By the time I reached the end of the trail, I was feeling pretty worked. I was also pretty elated: exercising outdoors boots self-esteem levels, and it's good for the planet! Here's how I turned my weekend hike into a kick-ass boot camp:

• Plyometrics. Adding up and down movement to a hike adds a new level of intensity. I included short intervals of skipping and hopping, which helps engage muscle groups that may not be used otherwise. To really step things up, I also did short bursts of trail running.
• Make use of trees and boulders. It's amazing how easy it is to turn nature into gym equipment. Do incline push-ups off of trees, and use boulders for triceps dips.
• Why walk when you can lunge? Really challenge yourself when hiking up an incline by doing a set of walking lunges. Work your arms by using rocks as dumbbells to add bicep curls or lateral raises.