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"  Pictured: Doutzen Kroes for Victoria&amp;#039;s Secret Sport Doing squats is key for sculpting your lower body. &amp;quot;The harder the back body works, the leaner the front body looks&amp;quot; says Charlotte Tooth, instructor at Barrecore. But getting it right can be tricky. Squatters often complain about back pain, or accidentally &amp;quot;bulking up&amp;quot; instead of achieving leaner limbs. It&amp;#039;s important that squatting is incorporated into your overall fitness regime. Combining regular squats with aerobic and conditioning exercise like jogging, spinning, yoga and Pilates will ensure that your legs stay slim, toned and strong. There&amp;#039;s also no point in performing squats if you have an unhealthy diet. Instructor Gede Foster from Frame reminds us that &amp;quot;you can&amp;#039;t out-exercise a bad diet. Keep it clean to be lean and mean.&amp;quot; Here are our tips to maximise your results. The technique Completing a high number of squats using either your own body weight or light hand weights helps to keep legs slender. Foster notes that it&amp;#039;s hard for women to look &amp;#039;bulky&amp;#039; as such, &amp;quot;so don&amp;#039;t be afraid of weight, but perform several reps rather than few and too heavy.&amp;quot; Squatting works your leg, lower back and stomach muscles all at the same time. But Foster recommends adding in hand weights for a &amp;quot;full-body workout&amp;quot;. To complete a standard squat, stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms by your side or out in front of you. Bend your knees and lower your body to the ground as if you are going to sit on a chair, but stop as your knees reach a 90-degree angle. Hold the squat for two seconds before returning to the starting position while squeezing your glutes. Be careful not to arch your back \u2013 keep it as straight as you can to avoid any backache later. It&amp;#039;s important to build the depth of your squat gradually as you get more flexible and accustomed to the movement. &amp;quot;The deeper the squat, the more you lengthen the muscles within a contraction, so dig deep and feel the results,&amp;quot; says Barrecore&amp;#039;s Tooth. TIP: To trim outer thighs, perform the same movement with your feet slightly outwards, as if you&amp;#039;re going to do a pli\u00E9. The reps High repetitions promote muscular endurance and stop them from gaining too much &amp;#039;bulk&amp;#039;. If using hand weights (2\u20135kg), aim for three sets of 12 repetitions to start with, increasing the number of reps in each set as you get better and stronger. Without weights, the more squats, the better. If you complete three sets of 12 reps three times a week alongside cardio, you should start to see results after two to three weeks. The apps The 30 Day Squat Challenge is perfect for beginners. It guides you through a month of exercise plans, with a gradual increase in reps and intensity. You can track your progress, which keeps you motivated, and by day 30 you&amp;#039;ll be an absolute pro. Not bad for one month&amp;#039;s work. Runtastic Squats Trainer PRO is another good one to start with. It&amp;#039;s basically a phone-shaped personal trainer with an encouraging voice coach, three levels for varying degrees of fitness, and an overall goal of completing 150 squats. It can also be integrated with diet tracker MyFitnessPal, so you can monitor your exercise and eating habits at the same time.\u00A0 *** MORE FITNESS AND WELLBEING How temperature affects sleep Start the day well: healthy breakfast recipes Mini workout moves to do at your desk "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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