Do Leg Exercises

Doing leg exercises helps to improve the overall condition of your legs by toning, stretching, flexing and strengthening your leg muscles. With strong legs, you'll be able to participate in sports, go on hikes, enter races or meet any of your other fitness goals. As a bonus, many of the exercises you do for your legs will benefit other parts of your body as well, especially cardio exercises that get your heart rate up and contribute to overall improved health. Leg exercises you can do at home without equipment, at the gym or even with reduced mobility are all options for working out your lower body and never skimping on leg day again!

Steps

Exercising Your Legs Lying Down

1. Talk to your doctor. Before beginning a new exercise program, you should consult your doctor and ensure your exercise plan meets their approval. If you have any concerns, previous health conditions or past injuries, you should also discuss these with your doctor. Leg exercises in which you are lying down are often good options if you have joint or spine problems that prevent you supporting your own body weight (e.g. hip or knee replacement), or if you are unable to do high-impact activity.
2. Hold a hip bridge. A hip bridge is a great exercise for strengthening your upper legs while protecting your joints, since you remain lying on the ground. This move will mainly target your glutes and upper thighs. A hip bridge can also be done as a warm up or cool down stretch before and after high-impact exercise.
   • Lie down on your back with your knees bent and facing upward.
   • Plant your heels into the floor and lift your toes towards your shins.
   • Lift your bum off the floor until there is a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
   • Hold the hip bridge for two to five seconds and then lower.
   • Repeat this exercise 15 times.
   • There are variations of the hip bridge you can try such as raising one leg at a time while in the bridge position.
3. Do jack splits. This exercise strengthens your legs as well as your abs and chest.
   • Lie on your back with your legs out straight.
   • Raise your arms straight out above your head and interlock your thumbs together.
   • Lift your upper body off the floor and reach forward with your arms.
   • At the same time, raise your legs off the floor in a V-shape, spreading your feet out wider than your hips. Your arms should go through the V and only your bum should be touching the floor.
   • Slowly lower back to the starting position.
   • Repeat the jack split 20 times.
4. Do scissor legs. This exercise works your legs as well as your abs while allowing you to keep your upper body on the floor. By resting your arms and chest, you can focus your strengthening efforts on just your lower body.
   • Lie on your back with your hands placed under your hips and your palms facing down towards the floor.
   • Straighten your legs and point your toes.
   • Lift your legs up in the air until they form a right angle with your upper body. Your legs should be completely vertical.
   • Slowly lower your right leg down towards the floor while keeping your left leg up in the air. Don't allow your right leg to touch the ground; it should only hover near the floor.
   • Bring your right leg back up to the vertical position.
   • Slowly lower your left leg towards the floor this time. This completes one rep.
   • Do 20 reps of this exercise.
5. Try side-lying double leg lifts. his challenging move will target your inner thighs and obliques while you lie on your side. Because the exercise is challenging, complete the steps to the best of your ability. Take your time to ensure you are using the right form and targeting the correct muscles.
   • Lie on your right side, keeping your body in a straight line. Support your head and neck by bending your right arm at the elbow and resting your head on your hand. Support your chest by placing your left hand on the ground in front of you.
   • Stack your legs, with your left leg resting on top of the right, your toes pointed straight.
   • Pull your abs in toward your spine, squeeze your inner thighs together, and raise your right leg. This will also lift your left leg, which is resting on top and acting as resistance.
   • Keeping your legs together, lift as high as you can. Hold for one to two seconds, then lower.
   • Repeat 20 to 30 times on your right side and then switch to your left side and repeat another 20 to 30 times.

Strengthening Your Legs Standing Up

1. Squat. Squats are a great exercise that not only target your legs but your entire body. Squats are often called the "king of exercise" because they target so many major muscle groups and are easy to do at home without equipment.
   • Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
   • Bend slightly forward, hinging at the hips and keeping your upper body upright.
   • Keep your weight on your heels and dig your feet into the ground.
   • Lower your body as if you were going to sit on a chair. Make sure that your knees do not extend past your toes.
   • Pause when you get to a squatted position and then return to standing.
   • Repeat the squat exercise 20 times.
   • There are lots of variations to try once you've mastered the basic squat, such as a jump squat where you jump into the air from the squat position instead of simply standing upright.
2. Lunge. Lunges are a great exercise that target all parts of the leg. This is another exercise in which there are many variations.
   • Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
   • Step forward with your right leg.
   • Lower your body until your left knee almost touches the floor and your right thigh is parallel with the floor. Keep your upper body upright — your torso should be in alignment with the back leg. The positioning of your upper body will effect whether you are mostly engaging your legs or your glutes.
   • Ensure that your right knee does not extend past your right toe. If you are unable to lunge low enough without your right knee extending past your right toe, take a larger step forward.
   • If you have the space for walking lunges, step forward with your left leg and repeat the lunging action. If you don't have space, return to standing and then step forward with your left leg.
   • Repeat the lunge exercise 10 – 20 times per leg.
   • To mix it up, try the reverse lunge, in which you step backward instead of forward, or the side lunge, in which you lunge to the side.
3. Jump. Jumping is a good way to strengthen your leg muscles and increase your cardio. Jumping can even be incorporated into squats and lunges to combine two exercises and make a bigger impact.
   • Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and toes facing forward.
   • Lower your body into a squat or seated position so that your your thighs are parallel with the ground.
   • With as much power as possible, jump as far forward as you can.
   • Resume the squat position and repeat the jump 20 to 30 times.
   • To get the best results and to get your heart pumping, repeat the next jump immediately after you conclude the last one.
4. Do leg lifts. Also known as a single leg squat or a pistol squat, this exercise targets your quadricep muscles, the muscles on the front side of your thighs. This move does require some stability and balance, so ensure you hold your core tight to help you stay standing straight.
   • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and toes facing forward.
   • Raise your right leg straight out with a pointed foot. Raise it to about the height of your left knee. Pointing your foot isolates your quads and intensifies the work for the front of your thigh.
   • Slowly bend and straighten your left knee so that your right leg is being raised and lowered in the air.
   • Bend and straighten your left knee 10 – 15 times and then switch so that your right leg is on the floor bending and straightening and your left leg is in the air. Repeat the exercise with your left leg in the air 10 – 15 times.
5. Do calf raises. This exercise can be done in many ways, with a machine, dumbbells, or just your own body weight.
   • Stand on the edge of a stair or step, with your heels hanging over the edge. The balls of your feet should be solidly on the step. Make sure there's something nearby you can grab if you begin to lose your balance, such as a wall or hand-rail. If you're using a step-aerobics platform, place a chair in front of the step so you can grab onto the back to stabilize.
   • Lift your heels, shifting your weight to the balls of your feet. You should be standing on the tips of your toes.
   • Hold for two seconds, then slowly lower your heels, being careful to keep your balance.
   • Repeat 20 times. Do not bounce — move slowly through your full range of motion.
   • If you choose to add dumbbells, perform this exercise with your feet flat on the ground, not on the edge of a step. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and simply raise up on your toes, lifting your heels off the ground. Hold, then lower.

Working Out Your Legs with Equipment

1. Do barbell squats. This intense squat targets your quadricep muscles located at the front of your thighs. Ensure you choose a barbell weight that is not too heavy or too light. If you're doing 10 barbell squats and the exercise becomes challenging at the 7th, you are probably using a good weight. If it becomes challenging before that, lighten your weight, and if it isn't challenging at all, increase your weight.
   • Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
   • Support the barbell along your trapezoid shoulder and neck muscles behind your head. Firmly grasp the barbell with both hands.
   • Keep your chest up and head facing forward. Your upper body should remain upright throughout the barbell squat.
   • Lower your body by pushing your butt backwards, as though sitting in an imaginary chair. Keep your knees in line with your toes.
   • Once your thighs are parallel with the floor, pause and slowly straighten your legs, squeezing your glutes, to return to a standing position. Remember to keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
   • Remember that the weight you use and the number of reps you perform depends on your goals. If you wish to build strength and larger muscles, then you want to use heavier weights and fewer reps, working until muscle failure or exhaustion. If you don't want to bulk up, but are looking to tone and increase your endurance, then you want to use lighter weights and do more repetitions.
2. Do dumbbell lunges. Like regular lunges, dumbbell lunges are enhanced by adding the weight of the dumbbells and require more strength and stability. If you have problems with balance, use a lighter weight or skip the dumbbells all together and stick with regular lunges.
   • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding one dumbbell in each hand.
   • Step forward with your right leg.
   • Lower your body until your left knee almost touches the floor and your right thigh is parallel with the floor. Keep your upper body upright.
   • Ensure that your right knee does not extend past your right toe. If you are unable to lunge low enough without your right knee extending past your right toe, take a larger step forward.
   • Return to a standing position and step forward with your left leg repeating the lunge exercise on the other side.
3. Do leg curls on an exercise ball. This exercise will work both your legs and abs. If you have an exercise or Swiss ball, you can use it in a lot of leg exercises and exercises that target other parts of the body. An exercise ball is a great versatile piece of equipment that you can even use as a chair at home.
   • Lie on your back on the floor with the exercise ball underneath your calves.
   • Raise your hips into the air and keep your knees straight. Your body should form a straight line from ankles to shoulders.
   • Bend your knees while rolling the exercise ball towards your body. Continue to keep your hips elevated.
   • Roll the ball back out away from your body until your legs are straight again.
4. Do an inner thigh squeeze with the exercise ball. Another great exercise you can do with a Swiss ball targets your inner thighs. Modify this exercise to accommodate your fitness level.
   • Place the ball between your knees and squeeze.
   • Repeat the squeeze, anywhere from 10 to 100 repetitions. You can also modify the length of time you squeeze the ball — try holding the squeeze for 15 seconds, or work up to a longer squeeze of a full minute.
5. Use gym machines to exercise your legs. Many gyms will have machines dedicated to strengthening your legs with specific instructions for use pictured on the machine. If you are unsure which machines to use or how to use them, ask a gym employee.
   • Good machines to look out for include the leg press, leg curl, leg extension and thigh abductor/adductor.
6. Join a class or team. Classes at your gym, such as spin or yoga, and sports teams, like soccer or volleyball, are all great ways to exercise your legs while having fun. The movement you'll do during the class or sports game will work out the different muscles in your leg and increase your overall level of cardio.

Tips

• It's important to keep hydrated while you are exercising. Always have a bottle of water handy and be sure to take frequent breaks to rehydrate.
• Stretch your muscles before and after completing leg exercises. It's important to warm up and cool down your muscles before intense exercising so they don't get injured.
• The number of times you repeat a specific exercise should vary depending on your level of fitness, experience with the exercise and what else you're doing during your workout.

Warnings

• If you have health concerns or a previous injury, consult your doctor before doing any leg exercises. You should also visit a doctor or other medical professional if you injure yourself while doing leg exercises.
• It's very important to keep good form, stretch and not overdo it to ensure you don't injure yourself. There is a risk of injury with any type of exercise so you should take precautions.
• If you are new to working out or exercising your legs, you may feel some soreness the next day. Soreness is not uncommon and is usually not a cause for concern unless it's extreme.

Things You’ll Need

• Dumbbells (optional)
• Barbell (optional)
• Exercise ball (optional)

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References

See also

• Make Skinny Legs Bigger
• Get Thicker Thighs
• Get Stronger Legs
• Do Leg Lifts
• Strengthen Your Ankles
• Build Calf Muscle Without Equipment
• Get Skinnier Legs
• Do Squats and Lunges
• Get Skinny Legs Quick
• Do Calf Raises

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