Leg Bodyweight Exercises
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There are a lot of great movements that you can do with just your bodyweight. This is the leg entry in our bodyweight series.
Your leg muscles are the biggest muscles on your body. They do the most work on a day-in and day-out basis, and making sure they’re strong and healthy is key to your future self. While there is a running joke among weightlifters that they never workout their legs, it should really be just the opposite. Your legs absolutely need work, even if they’re not the most glamorous of muscles.
Getting a leg workout with a full set of weights is quite easy. Squats are a central lift than any weightlifter should be doing. However, if you don’t have access to weights, there are still many great bodyweight movements that you can do to maintain and build muscle in your legs. Below are some of my favorite moves, and many of these I incorporate in workouts where I have weights as well.
Wall sits
Sitting against the wall and not moving may look peaceful, but the burn in your legs won’t let it stay that way. I absolutely love sitting against the wall while I try to control my legs from giving out for as long as I can.
Once you’ve mastered a standard wall sit, you should up your game by adding additional weight on the top of your legs. I have regular weights, but just about anything you can add with substantial weight will increase the intensity of a wall sit. For example, pick your child up and set them on your lap - as your child gets older, you’re slowly increasing the amount of weight on your lap.
Step-ups
You’ll need a chair or stool for this exercise. Place both feet on the ground, and then lift one foot up, and step up on the chair. Step back down off the chair. Repeat the exercise again, this time with the other leg. You’re basically climbing a really big stair, and then going backwards down the stair.
This exercise can quickly become easy, so if you have some additional hand weights, or heavy bags you can hold in both hands, you’ll be able to really increase the intensity. A couple of buckets from the local hardware store will do - fill them with rocks or some other heavy substance and step up with those. You’ll not want to walk up or down stairs for the rest of the day.
Squat and jump
This is a fairly straightforward exercise. Stand up straight, then squat down into a deep squat, and then jump straight up in the air. Repeat the exercise multiple times. Once you’ve mastered the basic move, you can add different variations. I like to do a double squat before I jump. I do two quick squats, and then I jump in the air. I then quickly follow with another double squat. By doing two squats in a row, you’re keeping your muscles a bit confused about what’s coming next. Mix it up where you do 1-3 squats before the jump.
Lunges
Just the word lunge will strike fear in many people. If you don’t do lunges on a regular basis, then you’ve likely done them only to feel your legs absolutely destroyed the next day. The next 3 moves are all lunge movements, and that’s with good reason - they’re great bodyweight exercises.
A basic lunge is performed by starting in a standing position. Lift one leg and move it ahead of you and place it on the ground. Go down to a kneeling position. Push back up to your standing position by moving the leg that you just moved forward back to it’s starting position. Repeat for both legs.
The movement basically looks like you’re going into a deep walk, except you’re not actually moving forward (although you certainly can move forward when doing them if you have enough room). I like this move as it can be completed in a smaller area than a full walking lunge. If you’re not feeling enough of a burn, add some additional weight to your hands.
Bulgarian lunge
This variation of the lunge is different from your standard lunge as your back leg will be in a raised position. Place one of your legs up on a stool or chair behind you. You should have something close to a 90 degree angle with your legs - a little more than that is fine as well. One leg is lifted behind you, and the other is on the floor.
Once you’re in position, you simply lower your knee to the ground (the one that is raised behind you) while keeping both feet in their current position. You’re simply squatting down with a raised leg. After you complete several repetitions with one leg, switch legs and do the other. Once you’ve mastered the movement, you can start adding more weight.
Side lunge
Another lunge movement, and this one is similar to the first. Place both feet on the ground, and then lift one foot and move straight out to the side and squat into it. Push yourself back up to a standing position while moving your foot back to a standard standing position.
This movement will be a little bit harder to add additional weight to as you’re lunging towards the place where you’d be holding the weight. You can add dumbbells pretty easily, but other non-standard weights will be a bit harder to use.
Conclusion
These are just a few of my favorite leg exercises. There are a lot of other more advanced movements that really need a video to show how they’re accomplished. Regardless of where you’re starting, using your bodyweight is a great way to build strength in your legs, and will help you to be more active in your daily life.
