And one smaller but super important lower-body muscle is the gluteus medius. But in general people sometimes struggle to work their smaller muscles. It’s tough to say what’s the hardest leg muscle to work since that can really vary person to person, Fagin says. They are also a great way to work on your form since you don’t have to worry about weights or any equipment and can instead focus fully on solid technique. That said, bodyweight exercises are good for boosting strength endurance and muscle endurance, Fagin says. And often that overload comes from adding weight. “Our muscles can only really grow and strengthen if they’re overloaded,” Fagin says. Important caveat: If your goal is to build serious strength and muscle, bodyweight exercises alone likely aren’t going to cut it. So by incorporating both types of moves, instead of just homing in on one, you can work more muscles in your legs and get more well-rounded leg workouts. Hinge exercises primarily target the backs of your legs (including your hamstrings and glutes) while squat exercises primarily target the front (including your quads), Fagin explains. When doing bodyweight leg work, it’s important to incorporate both hinge variations, like good mornings and glute bridges, and squat variations, like squats and lunges. Moves like pop squats and jump lunges are good for working your legs, developing your power, and perhaps introducing a little bit of cardio too. You can also increase the challenge of bodyweight leg exercises by introducing explosive movement, Fagin says. So adding moves like lunges, single-leg glute bridges, and single-leg calf raises to your at-home leg workouts is a really easy way to up the strengthening ante. Single-leg moves, also called unilateral moves, require you to rely on the strength of just one leg to perform a movement, which means they often feel more intense than bilateral moves (moves done with both legs). One easy way to make legs exercises with no equipment feel challenging? Incorporate single-leg work, Ava Fagin, CSCS, sports performance intern coach at Cleveland State University, tells SELF. How can I work my legs without weights or machines? But before you give them a try on your next leg day workout, read on for some tips on how to make the most of these kinds of moves. The leg-strengthening exercises below will help you build strength while also preparing your body to do more complex moves with weights. Another bonus of bodyweight moves? “You have your body all the time, and it’s free to use, so you can do exercises anywhere and at anytime!” If you’ve got an arsenal of moves that you can literally do anywhere, there’s a better chance you’ll fit them into your routine. “We shouldn’t be using weights until we’ve mastered basic lunge, hinge, and squat movements without weights,” Sims says. When we stand up from a squat, we drive through our heels and brace our core-we are essentially building great habits that translate into our lives outside the gym.”īodyweight leg exercises are also valuable for learning proper form before you add weights to certain moves. “For example, when we squat, we are essentially sitting down into an imaginary chair, which will help improve our posture when we actually sit in a chair. “Bodyweight exercises are realistic and functional, meaning that they help us strengthen our muscles that we use in our daily lives,” Jess Sims, a certified personal trainer and Peloton instructor, tells SELF. There are plenty of bodyweight leg exercises you can add to your at-home workout routine that will help you improve your strength in daily life and get closer to your fitness goals too. And the stronger those legs muscles are, the better job you’ll do.įortunately, leg exercises don’t have to be complicated to be effective-and they don’t need to require any equipment either. Think about it: Whether you’re deadlifting a heavy barbell, running a marathon, walking up a flight of stairs, doing quad exercises, or simply picking up a squirming toddler, you need leg muscles to get the job done. These 31 leg exercises at home require just your bodyweight-no heavy weights, exercise tools, or gym membership required.įirst, though, why does leg strength matter? Put simply, having strong legs is super important for achieving fitness goals and for making everyday life feel a little bit easier. Looking to seriously challenge your lower body without leaving the comfort of your living room? You’ve come to the right place.
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