Better Than Squats: 5 Leg Strength Exercises

These leg strengthening exercises don’t require professional equipment, so they’re perfect for everyday workouts. If you spend at least half an hour a day implementing them, you will see tangible results after a few weeks.

Effective exercises to strengthen the leg muscles

1. Tilting the body on one leg with a kettlebell

These exercises develop the muscles of the thighs and buttocks and work best on the back muscle group – one of the most sensitive parts of the body of athletes. The exercise is performed as follows:

• Hold a kettlebell weighing up to 10 kg in your right hand, lift your left leg.
• Keeping your back straight, tilt until the kettlebell touches the floor on your extended right arm. The left leg is laid back and serves as a counterweight. You should also make sure that your shoulders are straight.
• Return to the starting position with your back straight.

• Hold a kettlebell weighing up to 10 kg in your right hand, lift your left leg.
• Keeping your back straight, tilt until the kettlebell touches the floor on your extended right arm. The left leg is laid back and serves as a counterweight. You should also make sure that your shoulders are straight.
• Return to the starting position with your back straight.

The approach consists of several such cycles. It can be difficult at first to get your left leg and back parallel to the floor, but with each cycle you’ll need to increase the range of motion to improve results.

2. Curtsy lunges

• It is necessary to become straight, feet shoulder width apart, palms on hips.
• Take the left leg back and slightly to the right, crossing the legs in this way.
• The right leg must be bent so that the knee of the left leg falls under the left ankle.
• Do not change position for a while, then gently straighten up and do the same with the other leg.

A short break is recommended before changing legs. One approach includes 10 such exercise cycles.

3. “Fire hydrant” exercise

Assume a starting position in which you are kneeling and your straight arms are resting on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Legs bent at the knees should also remain shoulder-width apart.

Next you need to raise the leg without changing the position of other parts of the body. The abducted leg must be held in this position for some time and then returned to its original position.

Before changing legs, you need to rest for a minute. The exercise is performed 10 times per approach.

4. Stair climbing simulation

Climbing stairs is great for building muscle, but using a regular chair can be even more effective:

• You have to stand in front of a chair and put your left foot in the middle of its seat.
• Then you need to climb onto a chair and straighten your left leg. The right leg, bent at the knee, must be placed forward.
• Now you need to return to the starting position.
• Similar actions must be repeated for the right leg.

Before changing legs, you need to rest for a minute. The exercise is performed 10 times per approach.

4. Stair climbing simulation

Climbing stairs is great for building muscle, but using a regular chair can be even more effective:

• You have to stand in front of a chair and put your left foot in the middle of its seat.
• Then you need to climb onto a chair and straighten your left leg. The right leg, bent at the knee, must be placed forward.
• Now you need to return to the starting position.
• Similar actions must be repeated for the right leg.

A full approach consists of 20 exercise cycles.

5. Bear pose leg raises

To take the starting position, you need to lie on the floor and raise your body so that your forearms are on the floor, and your fingertips serve as a support from the side of your legs. The angle between forearm and shoulder should be 90 degrees. Place your arms and legs shoulder-width apart.

When loading the glutes, you need to raise the right leg without losing the perpendicularity between the plane of the foot and the floor.

After a break, the leg must be returned to its original position. After a minute of rest, do the exercise for the other leg.

Source: econet.ru

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