Bodyweight leg exercises are great to incorporate, as a home workout. Not only to these exercises strengthen the muscles on the legs but also help with fat reduction.The legs consist of a large portion of the body. Therefore, it takes a higher work rate to target the glutes, quads, hamstring, calves, and sensitive muscles fibres. If you desire to keep your leg muscles firing, here are the best bodyweight leg exercises that will build your leg muscles.
1. Squat into a Backward Stepping Lunge
This form of workout aims to improve blood flow to the muscles. It combines both squats and lunges. First squat with feet at hip width distance and back straight and abs engaged. Then straight away step straight back into a lunge and then forward back into the squat. Do this for about 30 seconds to achieve the burn required.
2. Glute Bridge
The glute bridge is an exclusive chain exercise that can alternatively work out in place of squats and lunges.
Lie down on your back with the knees raised and the feet on the ground, just in front of the knees, positioned at hip-width distance. Push up through the heels and squeeze up the waist to maximum tension on the glutes. The hips should be a full extension at this point.
3. Single Leg Glute Bridge
Performing the single-leg glute bridge is the same as the glute bridge, only that one leg goes up to ensure individual-leg strength and to keep the muscles loaded and firing.
Here, one leg goes up to thigh level and the toes pointing backwards. Keep the foot of the other leg on the ground, knees high and toes slightly in front of the knee. Squeeze the glute up and down till the glute “burns”.
4. Squat Jumps
This exercise incorporates both squats and jumps. To effectively do these, ensure your spine is straight and neutral, abs braced, and shoulders straight.
In such bodyweight leg exercises, come up with the knees from a squatting position and jump to the air for the best posture. This lands you into the core and prevents the knees from “robbing” the glute and hamstring of pressure, thus strengthening these muscles.
5. Prisoner Squats
Unlike air squats, prisoner squats don’t involve jumping. It basically involves squats, but you need to put your hand on the head, maintain a straight back, brace the abs, and ensure the legs are slightly apart. To have a better depth of movement, you can alternatively perform the exercise with arms stretched forward. That strengthens the hamstring and the glutes.
6. Split-Squat
This exercise works to offer great movement to the glute and the hamstring. It improves their strength by providing more firing. To achieve good movement, ensure proper control of the legs and the quality of reps (right-angled knees).
When doing this exercise, backstretch one leg while ensuring a straight back ad that the knee of the front leg doesn’t move beyond the toe. Switch on to the other leg, maintaining the same position. This builds the glute muscles and hamstrings.
To watch these exercises in action, check out the following video
