5 Best Exercises for Women to Get Lean Figure

For women, the best exercises to help get a lean figure involve cardio and resistance training. Cardio helps burn fat, while resistance training increases muscle mass.

A combination of both can give a leaner appearance quickly. Also, it's important not to overtrain, as the body needs time to recover from these exercises and be ready for more intense workouts the next day or week.

Here's the best way you can get a leaner figure with these quick and simple exercises:

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Exercises for Women to Get Leaner

Here's a look at five such exercises:

#1 Bridge

This is a traditional exercise that works the upper and lower abs, but it's predominantly a glute-intensive exercise. As with any workout, you need to do it slowly and under control.

Here's how it's done:

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your arms straight out to the sides for balance, with the palms down.
• Push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor as high as possible (keep the pelvis neutral).
• Hold for a beat, and lower the hips just below the starting position before repeating the bridge motion again. Don’t let it rest at the bottom of the movement.
• Repeat ten times or till fatigue.

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#2 Wall Sit

The wall sit is a great way to build a solid core, which can give you a strong set of abs and help you look leaner and slimmer.

If you wish to add it to your routine, here's how you can do so:

• Stand with your back against a wall, about onefoot away from it. Bend your knees, and place your hands on the floor slightly in front of you.
• Slowly slide down till the backs of your legs are parallel to the floor, and the arms are straight.
• Hold this position for as long as you can (or till failure). Rest for at least 30 seconds between attempts; if needed, use a chair to support yourself while resting.
• Repeat three sets of ten reps once or twice a week to build strength over time, and get closer to being able to sit down without support.

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#3 Plank

It's done as follows:

• Place your forearms on the floor, and place the palms flat and shoulder-width apart.
• Push up till your arms are straight, and hold for 30 seconds (or as long as you can). If that's too difficult initally, progress by holding for 10-15 seconds per set before increasing to 30.
• Start with one set, and gradually increase to three sets of each exercise (do not do more than six repetitions per set).

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#4 Push-up

It's done as follows:

• Start in a plank position with your hands underneath your shoulders and feet hip-width apart.
• Keep your core engaged, and lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows out to the sides till they're at 90 degrees of flexion (or as low as you can go without sacrificing good form).
• Push back up through your heels, and perform for the required reps or time period (typically one to three sets).

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#5 Mountain Climber

Mountain climbers are one of the best full body workouts you can do for a strong core and toned arms.

Here's how you can do them:

• Start with your hands and knees on the floor, forming a push-up position.
• Keeping your core tight, bring your left knee towards your chest, and extend it as far out to the side as possible.
• Make sure you don't let your hips sag or rotate to one side during the movement; keep them level at all times.
• Repeat for 20 reps per leg before switching sides and doing another 20 on each side.
• Do two sets with each leg in this manner, resting between sets for a minute, if necessary.

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Takeaway

The aforementioned exercises are great for getting a leaner figure and better health. They’re also relatively easy to do, which makes them a great place to start when you’re trying to get more active or take care of yourself.

You can add in some cardio workouts as well — just to keep things fresh. If you're looking for something challenging that will help keep you motivated over time (and not just give up after one workout), try adding in more reps or sets in each exercise throughout the week.