5 Best Bodyweight Leg Exercises for Women

Best and effective bodyweight leg exercises for women to include in workout. (Image via Pexels/Dinielle De Veyra)
Women should include bodyweight leg exercises in their workout. (Image via Pexels/Dinielle De Veyra)

Bodyweight leg exercises yield several benefits including building muscles, toning your body, torching fat, strengthening legs, and more. Although there are other gym routines comparable to bodyweight leg exercises, there a few that specifically work on the leg muscles effectively and efficiently.

There are different types of bodyweight leg exercises that serve the purpose of your overall fitness goals. The single leg exercises include unilateral movements of the body that help in building stability and correcting muscle imbalance. The compound bodyweight leg exercises help in building the power and strength of the lower body.

Therefore, it is crucial to include a wide range of bodyweight leg exercises in your fitness routine to efficiently train your legs. You have enough variety to keep your routines interesting.

We have curated a list of the best and most effective bodyweight leg exercises that women can incorporate into their regular workout routine.


Best Bodyweight Leg Exercises for Women

1. Split Lunges

This is one of the most advanced variations of the lunges that helps in building good coordination and balance in the body. It also significantly improves the sporting and athletic performance with greater stability.

How should you do it?

  • Start off with your back against the chair at the lunge distance.
  • Position one foot behind the chair with your hands clasped together in front of you at chest level.
  • Now slowly descend on your hips to bring the rear knee toward the ground, bringing your front knee angled to the parallel position to the floor.
  • Drive through your front foot to assume the standing position.
  • Repeat.

2. Wall-Sits

Wall-sits are one of the most dynamic bodyweight leg exercises that you can do to strengthen your lower body. The movement in this exercise allows you to maintain strong tension in the body that also burns a large amount of calories.

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How should you do it?

  • Start off by standing near a wall with your back against it.
  • Slide your back against the wall to assume the squatting position with your legs angled at 90 degrees.
  • Hold the wall-sit position for a few moments before releasing and rising back.

3. Step-Ups

Step-ups are one of the most efficient bodyweight leg exercises that help in both cardiovascular training and building strength in the body. This exercise is intensive and improves the explosive power of your body.

How should you do it?

  • Start off with your legs hip-width apart and positioned along an elevated stepping surface in front of your body.
  • Take a step forward with one leg and position it on an elevated surface.
  • Drive through the same foot to stand up straight on the elevated surface while raising the back knee in a manner that your thighs are parallel to the ground. But make sure not to step on your back foot on the surface.
  • Assume the initial position by stepping down with your back foot and then the front foot. Repeat.
  • Alternate sides and repeats.

4. Air Squats

Air squats are also one of the most efficient bodyweight leg exercises that you can do for a strengthened and toned lower body.

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How should you do it?

  • Start off with your feet hip-width apart and your back erect.
  • Next, descend your body into a squat position by bending your knees and hinging down at the hips.
  • Simultaneously, reach with your arms overhead as they are positioned parallel to one another.
  • Push through your feet to assume the standing position.

5. Glute Bridge

Glute bridge is an isometric exercise that helps women strengthen their lower body and achieve maximum toning around the pelvic region.

How should you do it?

  • Position yourself on the floor in a lying manner with your back flat, feet pressed onto the ground, arms on the side of your body, and knees bent.
  • Push through your heels to raise your hips toward the ceiling so that your body from the knees to hips creates a straight line. Bring your body to the initial position.
  • Repeat.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for toning, strengthening, reducing fat, increasing your explosive power, and agility of movement, you should incorporate these bodyweight leg exercises.

These exercises are among the most versatile ones requiring no equipment and can be done anywhere. Regularly doing these exercises will help you to perform more advanced variations and compound movements for your leg workout routine.

Strong legs from these exercises will also help in enhancing the overall fitness level of the body as well as increasing the range of motion. That means your range of motion in daily tasks will increase.

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