5 Best Weighted Exercises to Develop Lower Body Strength

Lower body weighted exercises offer a plethora of benefits. They can help shape the hips and legs by developing lean muscle and mass and also strengthen the muscles in the hamstrings, calves, glutes, and quadriceps. Having a strong lower body enables you to move easily throughout the day and improves athletic performance too.

Fortunately, there are countless lower body weighted exercises. The best ones are those that stimulate multiple muscles at once and also allow you to lift relatively heavier weights. Whether you're a newbie or an experienced gym-goer, the following exercises can help you develop massive lower body strength:

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Weighted Exercises for Lower Body

The following five moves can be incorporated into a full body strength training routine or performed as a lower body workout sequence:

1) Barbell Good Morning

To do this lower body exercise:

• Stand straight with a loaded barbell on your shoulders. Make sure to set up the barbell the same way you would for a back squat.
• Walk backwards a few steps, and keep a bend in your knees.
• Slowly hinge at your hips while keeping your shoulders down and chest up till your torso gets almost parallel to the floor.
• Reverse the lift by engaging your hamstrings and glutes till you stand back up to the starting position.
• Aim to do at least ten reps.

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2) Dumbbell Lunge

To do this lower body weighted exercise:

• Stand tall with your feet at hip distance, and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Allow your arms to hang naturally at your sides, but make sure the palms are facing your thighs.
• Take a big step forward with your left foot, and bend your knee till your front thigh gets parallel to the floor. As you do that, your right leg should bend slightly to support the left and right heel comes off the floor.
• Slowly push off through your left heel, and engage your hamstrings core and glutes on your left side to bring your left leg back to the start.
• Repeat the entire sequence on the left leg a few times, and repeat the same on the right leg.
• Aim to do at least ten reps on each leg.

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3) Hip Thrust

To perform this exercise:

• Position your upper back against the centre of a bench, and place a barbell across your hips.
• Squeeze your glutes, and slowly press the barbell straight up till your hips get in line with your knees and shoulders.
• Make sure the bench supports your back. Keeping your core tight and maintaining a slight chin tuck, push down your body a few inches above the bar.
• Lower the barbell down till your hips get a few inches off the ground.
• Squeeze your glutes, and lift again; aim to do ten reps.

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4) Weighted Step-up

To do this lower body exercise:

• Stand straight in front of a box or step, and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulder height. Step on the box with your left foot, and make sure your entire foot is on the box.
• Press through your left foot as you bring your right foot up to meet the left.
• Step off the box using your left foot and then right, and continue to do alternating step-ups by switching your foot.
• Aim to do 20 reps - ten reps with each leg.

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5) Romanian Deadlift

To do this exercise:

• Stand upright with your feet at hip distance, and hold a barbell using an overhand grip with both hands. Make sure the barbell is in front of your thighs.
• Keeping your shoulder blades down and chest up, hinge at your hips till the bar reaches below your knees. Remember to keep the bar close to your body throughout the exercise.
• At the bottom of the movement, pause for a second, and using your glutes and hamstrings, pull back up to the starting position.
• Complete at least eight reps.

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Takeaway

For each of the aforementioned lower body weighted exercises, keep your form correct, and do not overuse your knees. Initially, use a light weight to keep the exercise simple, and slowly increase the weight and reps as you gain strength.