Working out from home without any equipment sounds like it wouldn’t be effective but sometimes it can be a better workout than the gym. When you design a leg workout at home you just have to be creative. All you need is a chair, steps and a willingness to put in the work. The workout I put together is something that most people can handle. This list of leg workouts from home don’t require any equipment and can be done with just your body weight. Here’s the at home leg workout that I’ve put together.
Jump squats
One of my favorite at-home leg exercises is the jump squat. The jump squat works all the muscles in the legs and gets the heart rate up at the same time. When doing a jump squat simply place your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and point the toes out slightly. After you set up your feet you will lower your hips a little below parallel. Then accelerate up until your feet lift off the ground. When doing jump squats it’s a good idea to keep your hands around the chest area. Start with 3 sets of 8 and add reps every week until you get to 20 repetitions in each set. If you are injured or have issues with the joints you should skip the jump squat.
One leg squat on chair
When planning an at home leg workout the one leg squat is a great choice. The one leg squat works on stability and strength at the same time. The one leg squat also helps to build strength independently on each leg. To do the one leg squat with a chair simply sit in the chair, point your toes forward, lift one leg up, put your hands out front and lift your body up out the chair. Some things to keep in mind when doing this. Your heel should remain on the ground while doing the exercise and your foot should remain straight. If you’re having trouble with the exercise you can add a pole, cane or chair to hold on to for balance. After a couple of weeks you should be able to knock it out without a problem.
Floor bridge
The floor bridge is a great exercise that you can add to your leg workout from home. You can do this exercise with one leg or two legs on the ground. The benefit of doing this workout with one leg is that it works the legs independently. This can help balance out the strength in the legs. When doing the floor bridge simply lay on the ground. Put both hands palms down about 2 feet from the body. Bring your heels up so that they’re under the knees, and lift the body. If you want to do the exercise with one leg simply straighten one of the legs while doing the exercise. When doing the two-leg bridge aim for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. When doing the one leg aim for 8-10 repetitions on each side.
Side lunge
The side lunge is one of my favorite in-home leg exercises because it works in the frontal plane of motion. The frontal plane of motion is a motion that is performed from side to side or laterally. Working in this plane of motion is important because it promotes stability. The side lunge works all the same muscles as the standard lunge but it also hits the inner and outer thighs. Working the inner and outer thighs is important because those muscles promote stability.
The way we do the side lunge is to stand with the feet hip-width apart and step to the side with the hips down like a squat. The foot stepping to the side should remain under the hips and the other leg will be straight with a very small bend in the knee. When doing the side lunge I recommend doing 8-10 repetitions on each side with 3 sets.
Wall sits
Wall sits fit right in with our leg workouts from home program. All you need is a wall that is free of stuff and some willpower. The wall sits mainly works the quad muscles isometrically. An isometric exercise is a static contraction without any movement. This style of exercise is great because it minimizes the risk of injury while providing a great workout. When doing the wall sit with your back on the wall, the hips should be hip-width apart, lower your hips until your femurs are pallerall with the ground, and hold for 30-45 seconds.
Lunges
Lunges are one of the best exercises that you can do from home or in the gym. The lunge works the glutes, hamstrings and the quads. The exercise is easy to do and doesn’t require any equipment. To do the lunge stand with your toes pointed forward hip width part, step forward let the back knee drop almost to the ground and make sure that the front knee doesn’t pass the toes. Keep in mind the front foot should be firmly planted on the ground during the movement and the back foot will bend a little bit. Start by doing 8 lunges per side with about 3 sets. You can make the lunge harder by adding a jump from foot to foot.
Calf Raises
Calf raises are something to add to the in-home leg workout because it promotes good ankle health and as well as a proper range of motion in the ankle joint. When doing calf raises all you need is a set of stairs or a step-up box. You can do calf raises off the floor but it will limit the range of motion. Calf raises work the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles which provide strength to the ankle joint. When doing calf raises you’ll set up your feet so they are straight ahead and hip-width apart. Once your set up, lower your body a little below the height of the step, you should feel a slight stretch in the Achilles tendon, now lift your body up so that your feet are in plantar flexion. Aim for 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
If you’re interested in building a custom leg workout you can do from home reach out to us at www.onthegofitnesspro.com and set up a free session with one of our personal trainers.
