Power Up Your Legs with These 5 Best Lower Body Exercises
If you want to seriously challenge your lower body without leaving the comfort of your dorm room, you've come to the right place. There are simple exercises that can help you get there.
Leg strength matters, as it helps you do everyday things like walking up stairs or picking up your kids. Leg exercises don't have to be complicated and don't require any equipment. Easy leg exercises can help you build strength and get closer to your fitness goals.
Five Great Exercises to Power Up Your Legs
Add these five simple moves to your daily workout routine:
1) Goblet Squat
When you're doing goblet squats, try to pick up a weight that's heavy enough so that you can only do a few reps before your legs start shaking. It can be difficult to keep your torso upright when you're holding a weight, but that's what makes this exercise so effective.
How to do it?
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, holding one end of a dumbbell in both hands with your elbows pointing down.
- Squat back into a sitting position, pushing your butt down.
- To avoid straining your knees, do not allow them to cave inward, and lift your heels or toes.
- Keep your chest lifted, and core engaged to remain upright.
- Press back up through your heels to stand again.
2) Lateral Lunge
The lunge is a great exercise to target the quads and glutes while also improving your balance. As you get stronger, try to lift one of your legs as high as you can during the movement.
How to do it?
- Take a large step to one side with either leg.
- Take a big step to your right side, bending your knee till it's almost at 90 degrees.
- Keep your chest lifted, and try to keep both feet firmly planted on the floor and toes facing forward.
- Push off with your right foot while keeping your left foot on the floor to complete one rep. Alternate sides.
3) Hamstring Curl
Try this variation of the glute bridge to amp up the intensity. Rather than dropping your hips to the floor, keep them lifted throughout the movement. That requires more control and force you to use better form as you move your feet.
How to do it?
- Lie on your back with your legs extended and feet on a chair or pair of gliders.
- Place your hands on the floor, and keep your arms by your sides.
- As you squeeze your glutes, try to lift your hips as high off the floor as you can.
- Slide your feet forward to fully extend, and straighten your legs while keeping them on the chair.
- Slide them back to where they started.
4) Glute Bridge
At first, this exercise may look easy, but after a few repetitions, you will feel a burn in your hamstrings. To prevent your back from arching too much, keep your core engaged as you lift your hips.
How to do it?
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, with your hips at the same level as your knees.
- Reach your arms up towards the ceiling in front of you.
- Squeeze your glutes, pressing your hips off the floor.
- Lift your toes off the floor, and press on your heels to make the exercise more challenging.
5) Calf Raise
Most people think of their upper body when they exercise, but they should also focus on including exercises that target their lower body.
How to do it?
- Stand with your feet together, and hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides.
- Raise your heels from the floor, balancing on your toes.
- Hold for a few seconds, and slowly lower your heels to the ground.
Takeaway
The aforementioned workouts above are a great addition to any leg routine. These leg workouts can boost power and speed, as well as increase your explosiveness off the line. Always remember that following proper form is not only beneficial for the body but can also help avoid injuries from doing the movements incorrectly.
Eventually, the key with any exercise programme is to start with a goal and create a programme geared to reach it. For many people, that might mean following a general plan and making adjustments to tone up or bulk up.
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