Top 10 Leg Workouts to Do At Home

Working out your legs should be an integral part of your exercise regimen.

When you exercise the muscles in your legs, you improve your posture, stamina and get the killer physique that will make you stronger and improve your overall workout.

You don’t need to go to the gym to build muscles in your legs too. You can do leg workouts at home to reduce fat, tone your body and build muscles.

Furthermore, the legs have 3 major muscle groups – quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.

The best leg exercises work on all the major muscle groups to achieve results quickly. Here are the top 10 leg workouts:

Squats

Squats are a main staple in exercising your legs. They target the quadriceps, glutes and core.

Procedure:

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart.
Lock your hands together in front of your chest or place your hands behind your head. This is the starting position.
Bend your hips back, as if you want to sit down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Squeeze your glutes and tighten your core.
Then stand back up by driving through your heels.

Lunges

The lunge is one leg workouts that targets almost all the muscles in your legs. They work on the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings while improving stability.

Procedure:

Stand straight with your hand locked together in front of your chest or held behind your head.
Step back with your right foot while bending to create 90 degree angles at both knees. It should look like you’re kneeling with only your right knee.
Squeeze your glutes and stand up, driving the movement through your heels.
Repeat the movement with your left foot.

Calf Raise

The calf raises targets the calves while improving stability.

Procedure:

Stand on a platform or step. The front half of your feet should be on the platform while the other half should be hanging off it.
Drive through your toes until you’re standing on tiptoes.
Pause at the top of the movement and flex your calves.
Lower your feet down to return to the starting position.

Jump Squat

The jump squat is an explosive movement that targets the same muscles as the squat while increasing the intensity of the exercise.

Procedure:

Perform the same movement as the squat, until you’re squatting down.
Instead of standing up, drive through your heels in an explosive movement to jump up as high as you can, with legs straightened.
While jumping, swing your arms to the side, keep your back straight and raise your chest.
Land in the starting position, standing straight; then repeat the movement.

Side Lunge

The side lunge exercise performs the lunge exercise laterally. It targets the same muscles as the lunge, but in a different way. It works on the gluteus medius, the hip abductors, hamstrings and the inner thighs.

Procedure:

Use the same starting position as the lunge.
Instead of stepping back, step to the side with your right foot and bend at the knee to create a 90 degree angle.
Your left foot should be straight and diagonal to the floor.
Stand back up by bringing your right foot back to the starting position.
Repeat the movement with your left foot.

Glute Bridge

The Glute Bridge is a compound exercise that works the muscles in the posterior – the hamstrings, glutes and lower back.

Procedure:

Lie faceup on the floor with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips up until your body, from your shoulders to your knees are diagonal to the floor.
Lower your hips down to return to the starting position

Walking Lunge

Walking lunge is a brutal exercise that works on the glutes, hip abductors, quadriceps, hamstrings and the stabilizing muscles of the leg.

Procedure:

Stand straight with your hands locked in front of your chest.
Step forward with your right foot and bend to create a 90 degree angle with both knees, just like the lunge.
Stand back up, driving through your heels while squeezing your glutes.
Repeat the movement with your left foot.

Plie Squat

The plie squat also known as the sumo squat, works on the same muscles as the squat while targeting the inner thighs, hips and glutes.

Procedure:

Stand straight up with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
Place your hands locked in front of your chest, on your hips or at the back of your head.
Perform a squat and return back to the starting position.

Step Up

The step-up strengthens the legs and targets the quadriceps, glutes and other smaller muscles around the knees.

Procedure:

Stand straight up with your hands on your hips, behind your head or locked together in front of your chest.
Place your right foot on an elevated platform, like a bench or a step. Your right knee should be bent.
Push your right foot down and lift your left foot and body until you’re standing straight up on the platform.
Return to the starting position and switch to placing your left foot on the platform.
Repeat the movement.

Jump Lunge

The jump lunge works on the same muscles as the lunge, but also adds a cardio challenge and helps you burn fat.

Procedure:

Perform the same movement as the standard lunge, until both knees are at a 90 degree angle.
Push through your right heel and jump up high into the air.
Quickly switch both legs in the air and land softly with the opposite leg in front.
Repeat the movement with the opposite leg to complete 1 rep.

Conclusion

You can make the leg workouts more challenging by using dumbbells or an alternative, like a bag filled with books.

You can also use several variations of these exercises to target smaller muscles in the leg.