Exercises for leg muscles at home

Even if you can’t go to the gym, this is not a reason to deprive yourself of sports. Most of the exercises can be performed at home or on the sports ground, because the main thing is not comfortable conditions, but the desire to engage. Some muscles of our body require constant and fairly large loads, these include the legs. If you do not properly train this part of the body, then you can forget about a harmonious and beautiful figure. What exercises for leg muscles can be performed at home? Yes, almost everything, if special simulators and heavy equipment are not involved in them. Having several dumbbells and a gymnastic mat, you can significantly expand the arsenal of exercises for home training.

A bit about the anatomy of our legs

leg muscles

The legs are the largest anatomical group in humans, half of all the muscles are concentrated in the lower part of our body. This group includes:

  • buttocks (although sometimes they are considered as a separate and independent segment);
  • hips, which in turn are divided into hip biceps (outer part), quadriceps (back) and adductors (inner part);
  • lower legs or calf muscles;

The lower body in girls is much more developed than in men, all this is associated with the function of childbearing. Muscles always respond well to all kinds of exercises for the muscles of the legs and quickly gain muscle mass. That is why women can boast of voluminous hips and buttocks, however, fat deposits accumulate in these areas at a double speed. To maintain a slim figure, you need to not only follow a diet, but also perform special exercises to strengthen your leg muscles at home or in the gym.

Useful Home Training Tips

Performing a set of exercises to strengthen the muscles of the legs, it is necessary to adhere to some rules, then the training will be as effective as possible, and most importantly, safe:

  • If your knees begin to hurt during some exercises, stop exercising immediately. It is necessary to understand the causes of discomfort and only then resume training. If the pain intensifies, then it is best to consult a specialist.
  • Never forget to warm up. Good muscle warming will help to avoid injuries and involve the maximum amount of muscle fibers in the work.
  • Always remember the breathing technique. Inhalation occurs only in the relaxation phase, exhalation is performed at the moment of application of force.
  • The progression of loads should be consistent and gradual. Performing exercises for the leg muscles with weights, adequately select the working weight, this will protect you from injuries. The number of approaches and repetitions also need to be selected based on your physical capabilities. Do not overdo the load, this can lead to overtraining.

Walking onto the platform - intensive muscle development

platform spans

One of the most effective exercises to strengthen leg muscles. The biceps and quadriceps of the thigh are included in the work, as well as the buttocks are actively training. The effectiveness and complexity of the exercise depends on the height of the platform, the higher it is, the greater the load on the legs. It is worth considering that this type of training develops endurance well, which means it requires a lot of energy and strength. There are two ways to perform a step:

  • With the attachment of the second leg.
  • With the removal of the second leg forward.

Both types of exercises are equally effective, but the second option involves more stabilizer muscles. After all, it is necessary to maintain balance and balance on one leg. To complicate the lesson, you can perform it with extra weight, for this, pick up dumbbells or step on the platform with a barbell on your shoulders.

Exercise "Stool" - a static load to strengthen the legs

exercise chair

Exercises to strengthen the muscles of the legs should combine both dynamic and static training. Such loads perfectly trigger catabolic processes and fat burning, tighten the skin and smooth the surface of the thigh. In addition, this is a great way to work out all the muscle groups of the legs in one fell swoop.

Technics:

  • Stand with your back to the wall, stepping back from it by about one step. Lean on it with your shoulder blades and lower back, and with your feet you need to rest on the floor in a wide or medium setting.
  • Start sliding slowly down the wall, as if trying to sit on an imaginary chair. Lower yourself until the angle in the knee joint is more than 90 degrees.
  • Stop moving and lock. Tighten the muscles of the legs and back, your task is to hold out for at least 1.5-2 minutes.
  • Also rise slowly upward, do not tear your back and shoulder blades off the wall. Having a little rest, you need to repeat the exercise a few more times.

To change the type of load and use the working muscles in a new way, you can diversify this exercise:

  • Pick up a kettlebell or dumbbell. The technique remains the same, but the extra weight will complicate the workout and turn on the arm muscles.
  • You can perform the “Stool” with the gymnastic ball, just place it between the back and the wall. This will slightly relieve the back muscles and transfer part of the load to the gluteal muscles.

Squats - a course on muscle volumes

Squats are the best exercise for your leg muscles. If you perform them with good weight, then the growth of the hips and buttocks will not take long. You can also perform squats in a dynamic mode without weight, this will help strengthen the target muscles and maintain their state in the working mode. In addition to the legs, the maximum possible number of stabilizing muscles is involved in the squat, because this exercise is the first in the list of basic ones.

Classical squats are the most elementary type of leg training at home, even if you perform the exercise without weight, the target muscles are subjected to tremendous loads. Technics:

  • The setting of the legs is average, the socks look a little apart. The back is straight, only a natural deflection in the lower back is permissible. Hands are locked in front of the chest or wound behind the head. The neck is straight, the face is looking forward and slightly up.
  • Start moving down, but very slowly and carefully, while transferring your own weight to your heels and take your pelvis back as far as possible. Do not roll your knees in and out; they should never cross the line of socks.
  • Squat as low as you can, but at least to the right angle in the knee joint, because the above simply does not make sense.
  • Always try to linger at the point of greatest contraction of muscle fibers, and only then rise back.
  • Never fully straighten your legs, try to work only inside the amplitude.
squats plie

Plie squats are the most effective exercise for your inner leg muscles. The technique is similar to the classic squat, the difference is only in the setting of the legs. It is better to arrange them as wide as possible, and the feet fully deployed. To increase the trajectory of movement, try to perform squats from the support. This will help you stretch your adductor muscles and work out the most problematic area of ​​the female legs.

Lunges - targeted training on the hips

Some types of training allow you to work out immediately all muscle groups of the legs. Hip exercises are no exception. Although quadriceps and biceps are mostly involved in lunges, buttocks and lower legs act as stabilizers. If you change the trajectory of the exercise, you can pump more muscle we need:

side lunges
  • Side lunges. They work on the adductors of the thigh and help to remove the hated "ears" from both the inside of the leg and the outside.
  • Lunges back. This type of exercise pumps quadras. Also, this type of training “raises” our buttocks, making them more elastic and “upright”.
  • Classic lunges. Aimed at working out the biceps of the thigh.

Exercise can be performed both statically and in motion. Both methods are good in their own way. In the first version, the load is aimed at the working muscles, and in dynamic training it can’t do without stabilizer assistants, especially if you perform the exercise with dumbbells or a small barbell on your shoulders.

Gluteal bridge - legs + buttocks

gluteal bridge

The gluteal bridge is the finest exercise for women. The muscles of the legs and buttocks will simply “burn” after the first approach. Such a simple but effective exercise! It breaks all records for the involvement of muscle fibers in work, as it successfully combines a static and dynamic type of load. Changing the setting of the legs and the trajectory of movement, we can redirect the load from one muscle group to another, which means that you can adapt the exercise to your training program and priorities.

Technics:

  • Sit on the floor or gymnastic rug. Bend your legs and rest your feet on the floor. The body is relaxed, hands are in a free position.
  • Tighten your back and buttocks and lift your pelvis up. Only your shoulder blades are pressed to the floor, the rest of the body should be stretched diagonally in a straight line.
  • Squeeze the buttocks along the entire trajectory, especially when you reach the upper lifting point. Take a short pause and start moving down.
  • Do not lower the pelvis to the end and do not touch the buttocks of the floor, the essence of the exercise is in the constant static load of all working muscles.

How can I diversify this exercise for the leg muscles:

  • To make the effect of muscle volume increase stronger, do weight training, the weight can be brought to the level of 60-70 kg.
  • To increase the trajectory, use additional support for the back and legs.
  • Exercise can even be performed with a gymnastic ball, it should be put on the legs, so you significantly lengthen the working amplitude and expose the muscles to maximum stretching.
  • To get a better feel for your buttocks, try to keep your knees at the top of the trajectory.
  • For targeted training on the adductors, spread your legs as wide as possible and turn your feet around.
  • Exercise can be performed even on one leg. If you push the free leg up, you can increase the load on the gluteal muscles, and if you cross it on the next knee, then all the resistance will go to the inner surface of the thigh.

Exercise "Bicycle": develop joints

exercise bike

Each set of exercises for the muscles of the legs should include similar types of training. After all, our task is not only to strengthen the muscles, but also to develop the joints of the hip section well. An excellent school exercise - "Bicycle" comes to the rescue. But despite its simplicity, it can serve as an excellent substitute for aerobic training. Indeed, for weight loss alone strength training is not enough, the processes of fat burning are active only if there is a proper amount of cardio loads. The advantage of this exercise is that it can be perfectly combined with pumping the press. So we get a combined training to strengthen the muscles of the legs, the abs and, as a bonus, intense cardio loading.

Rise on socks - swing calves

A simple but highly effective exercise for the leg muscles at home. For him, you will definitely need the heaviest dumbbells or weights. Unfortunately, there are very few exercises involving the calf muscles. Most often, they act as stabilizers in basic training, especially when it comes to squats and lunges. In general, the shins are quite difficult to shock, because, despite its modest size, it is the strongest and most enduring muscle of our body. After all, with an active lifestyle, we spend a lot of time on our feet, which means that calves are used to huge physical exertion. Nevertheless, these muscles can also be successfully trained. The technique of the exercise is very simple: perform lifts on toes, while holding extra weight in your hands. This exercise can also be complicated a bit by increasing the amplitude. To do this, lift from a small platform or curb, and at home it can even be a small stack of books.

A little yoga to stretch your muscles

To recover after a heavy strength training, be sure to perform exercises to relax the leg muscles. Yoga will help you with this. Your task is to stretch the working muscles as best as possible, this will relieve pain after training and will allow you to avoid spasms and overstrain of muscle nodes. All yoga poses should be practiced very slowly and smoothly, observing the correct breathing technique. Do not be lazy and devote at least 5-7 minutes to this process. It is best to choose the following types of stretch marks:

dog face up
  • Dog face up. Lie on your stomach and place your palms directly under your shoulders. Feet must be straightened, and the feet can be slightly apart. Leaning in the palm of your hand, try to bend your back as deep as possible and look up. Hold in such an unusual position for several seconds and completely lower yourself to the floor.
dog face down
  • Dog face down. Stand on all fours, arms and legs in a medium setting. The body is a little relaxed. At the same time, try to straighten your knees and lift your buttocks. Ideally on the side you should look like a triangle. The angle between the body and legs should be straight. The first time it may not work, but the main thing is not to stop trying. Over time, you will stretch the muscles of the back and quadriceps of the thigh and will be able to get closer to the ideal technique.


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