When you see a girl at a Figure show with amazing definition in her legs, she always stands out above the rest. The lower body is the tiebreaker between girls at most shows.

Most women can get their upper body fairly lean and defined, but with that stubborn lower body, it can be tough to get the look you want. Even if you don't compete, most women want their thighs and hips to be strong, athletic, and flat-out sexy.

Stop using the excuse that lifting heavy will make your legs "big and bulky," when really, you just don't want to work that hard! It's easier to use the little pink Barbie dumbbells for a ton of reps, or more commonly, do bodyweight-only exercises.

Great legs take hard work, but it's all worth it.

Women tend to have stubborn lower body fat and have a hard time getting their legs really lean and sculpted. I think part of the problem is that they're so afraid to lift heavy, in fear of bulking up, so they never get their legs to look the way they really want them to.

Most women still carry the mindset that as soon as they touch anything over 20 pounds, their legs will get humungous! Even if you do grab heavier weights, you probably still aren't lifting heavy enough, or pushing hard enough to get the look you want.

Most women don't know what their bodies are capable of and tend to not push themselves hard enough. There was actually a research study done showing that, when left to train on their own, women lifted loads below what they were capable of lifting!

Maybe it's because we've been told our whole lives the things we can't do, rather than what we can do. We all grew up doing "girl push-ups," because we were told "girls can't do full push-ups," or we had to hang from the bar instead of doing a chin-up because "girls can't do chin-ups." Heck, not too long ago, the first woman to run a full marathon had to sneak in dressed as a man, because "women can't run marathons."

Other runners even tried to physically stop Kathrine Switzer from running the race, but she finished it anyway.

Hopefully most of you have already gotten over all those myths, and you include push-ups and chin-ups in your program, but I think we still subconsciously hold ourselves back when it comes to training, whether we realize it or not.

The questions we need to keep asking ourselves are, "What can you do? How much can you lift? How strong can you get?" Stop letting c-a-n-t enter our vocabulary.

So, exactly how do you get your legs to look strong and athletic? You can't be afraid of muscle, and you have to lift enough weight to actually build some.

One of my clients has been training for her first figure show, and her legs look amazing.

Taken one week before her show.

Her lower body routine starts with a set of heavy deadlifts for 6 reps on day one, and a set of heavy squats for 6 reps on day two. In a recent workout, she lifted 160 pounds on her deadlift and squatted 145 pounds... and she only weighs 130!

She's done this routine for four weeks, and each week she's lifted heavier than before. Plus, she's losing bodyfat every week, and her body is getting smaller and smaller overall. Yes, she has obvious muscle in her legs, but I wouldn't exactly call them "big and bulky," would you?

Most women would love to have legs like that, and the only thing stopping them is the willpower to push themselves and lift heavy weights. This routine will get you lifting heavier, and it will get you closer to the defined, sexy legs you've always wanted.

Remember, it's all about what you can do, not what you "can't"! Each week, you'll increase the load (weight) lifted. The program actually has this built-in, because each week, you decrease the reps, which lets you lift more weight. When you get to the end, and come back to the original rep range, you should be lifting noticeably heavier than you were at the start.

As you'll see, part of the workout involves circuits. The deadlift is done by itself, and then you'll do two circuits of two exercises each. The first circuit includes the barbell split squat and the SHELC. The second circuit uses the step-up and the good morning.

It's very important to remember that when you get to week four, you should be using the same weight that you used back in week two, but for a few more reps in each set. This is a sure sign that you're getting stronger!

Deadlift

Even though it's color-coordinated, that's 225 pounds on the bar. Time to push yourself, girls!

The bar should start on the floor (at a dead stop, hence the name... deadlift). Grasp the bar with an overhand grip or mixed grip (one hand facing forwards, one facing backwards), and place your shins right against the bar, touching it.

Bend your legs so that your thighs are slightly above-parallel to the floor, but keep your shoulders directly over, or even better, just slightly behind your hands on the bar. Keep your head in a neutral alignment, but look slightly upwards.

While keeping an arch in your lower back — this is imperative, as rounding the lower back prevents these muscles from activating properly — pull the bar straight off the floor and bring your hips forward.

The bar should never leave contact with the body, sliding right up your legs. Imagine you're pushing the earth away from you, and think of it like a jumping action, rather than a lifting action. The midpoint position has you standing fully erect. Lower the bar under control by first flexing the hips and then the knees, all the way to the floor, to complete the repetition.

Barbell Split Squat

Start/finish

Midpoint

With a barbell on your back and one foot stepped forwards, keep your chest up tall and lower your bodyweight onto the front leg. Bend your front knee over your toe, until your thigh is below parallel and the knee of your trailing leg is actually grazing the floor.

Pause briefly in this position, and then press back to return to a fully upright stance. Keep that front foot in place and repeat the movement for the desired number of reps before switching feet.

SHELC

Step one...

Step two...

Step three...

Step four...

Step five... and that's all for one rep.

SHELC stands for supine hip extension with leg curl. It's one of only two exercises that target both functions of the hamstring, hip extension and knee flexion, simultaneously.

Lie on the floor with your calves on an exercise ball, and stretch your arms out to the sides with your palms face up (for stability). Extend up from the hips until there's a straight line going through your body from feet-to-hips-to-shoulders.

While keeping those hips elevated, draw the ball towards you by bending your knees, almost like you'd do on a leg curl machine. Your hips should remain in a straight line with your shoulders and knees. Slowly straighten the legs, and then lower the hips to the starting position.

Step-up

Start/finish

Approaching the midpoint

Stand facing a box or bench; ideally, it should be slightly above knee-height. Place your non-dominant foot completely on the step (if you're a righty, the left foot goes up first, and vice versa).

Step onto the box by pushing through the heel of the raised foot and not through the trailing leg; that's the most common way to cheat the exercise. Don't let your trailing leg touch the top of the box. This is a single-leg exercise all the way.

Do all your reps with one foot on the box, and then repeat with the opposite leg. Once you can perform the desired number of repetitions, increase the resistance, either with dumbbells in your hands (at your sides, as in the pictures) or with a barbell on your back.

Good Morning

Start/finish

Midpoint

With the bar on your back, take a shoulder-width stance and slightly bend the knees. The knee angle shouldn't change during the lift, or else you'll be doing a weird squat, not a good morning.

"Flex" or lower forward from the waist, keeping your chest up and hip/spine flat and aligned. Only flex forward as far as you can before your spine starts to round or you experience posterior rotation of the hip. For most people, this won't be very far!

You can also accentuate the hamstring involvement by trying to push the butt back, and allow your weight to drift onto your heels during the lowering. During the lift, squeeze the glutes. This increases the hamstring involvement, which is the aim for this exercise.

It's time to start training hard and heavy! The kind of training that always ends up creating great looking bodies that move impressive amounts of iron. Don't be afraid to push yourself and lift heavier than you have been to get the legs you want.

To get your body to change, you have to put a demand on it beyond what it's used to. If you keep doing what you're already doing, you'll just have what you already have. Remember to train with the intention of doing the most you can do, don't get caught up thinking about what you "can't" handle!

About the Author

Rachel Cosgrove is a trainer who specializes in getting women of all ages into the best shape of their lives. She earned her CSCS from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and has competed in fitness competitions and triathlons. For more info about Rachel, visit her site at RachelCosgrove.com.

Featured Images

Leopard print with hat: Arina Manta - www.ArinaManta.com

Black and white marathon runner: Kathrine Switzer - www.KathrineSwitzer.com

All exercises: Rachel Cosgrove, FA author