Bodyweight Leg Exercises - How To Grow Those Legs!
I have often heard the claim that you can't build your leg by only following bodyweight exercises. And yes, there are indeed some limitations in terms of size that you can build.
But trust me, I'm quite sure that 90% of the people reading this are not too close to that level. In this article, you are going to find leg exercises for all levels from beginner to advanced, that you might even want to start doing in the gym!
The exercises are sorted by muscle groups and difficulty, and If you're interested in a full workout with these exercises, you should read this article.
Also, keep in mind that many of the exercises work on multiple muscle groups at a time, as they are all functional exercises.
Before getting into the exercises, it is essential to understand what muscles you actually have around your legs.
Instead of explaining all the anatomy in a complicated way, take a look at this picture.
The Exercises
Quadriceps Exercises
Squats
Start with your feet being shoulder-width apart and an upright stance. Slowly lower your bottom down by bending your knees. Your back has to stay straight the entire time, while your heels remain on the floor.
Go as far down as you can while focusing on pressing your knees outwards, then go up again into the starting position.
Wall Squats
Begin by standing right next to a wall with your back touching the wall. Now take a step away from the wall while still keeping contact with your back & hips.
Slowly lower yourself down from this position while keeping contact with the wall at all times. You should go down to the point where your thighs are parallel to the floor before going up with control.
Box Jumps
Perform a regular squat, but only go down until your legs are bent at roughly a 90-degree angle. From that position, explode up and perform a jump towards an object in front of you. Pick an adequate height that you can jump 6-10 times in a row.
To make the exercise harder, you can pick a higher box or start from a very deep squat, activating your glutes, quads & hamstrings even more.
Lunges
Stand upright and take a big step forward with one leg. Now lower yourself down by while keeping your back straight. Go all the way down until the knee of your back leg touches the floor and focus on pushing your hips forward. Move up again, and keep the knee in the front stable at all times, then go back to the starting position and do the same thing with the other foot in front.
Side Lunges
If you want to work your hamstrings & mobility around your legs & hip flexors, the side lunge is one of the best options. Start in a wide stance and then perform a squat, but going down diagonally to either your left or right side. Remember to keep the other leg straight the entire time, also when going up again.
Then perform the same exercise on the other leg to avoid muscular dysbalance.
Pistol Squats
When it comes to building strength & mobility around your entire lower body, the pistol squat is one of the best but also advanced options. Stand on one leg with the leg in front; slowly perform a squat with one leg.
Keep the other leg straight and in front of yourself the entire time, and focus on having your knee stable the whole time to avoid unnecessary injury.
Glutes:
I've already written a separate article on Glute Exercises which you can find here. But some of the best exercises are.
- Bodyweight Glute Bridge
- Single-Leg Glute Bridge
- Cable Kicks (Kicking back)
- High Step-ups
If you want to know how to perform each of the exercises, follow the link above!
Hip Flexor Exercises
Fire Hydrant
Start on your knees & hands with a straight back; then lift one knee sideways while keeping it bent at a 90-degree angle.
Lower it down slowly and repeat the exercise for a couple of repetitions before switching sides.
If it is too easy, you can use a resistance band to make the exercise a lot more challenging.
Straight Leg Swings
Straight leg swings work wonders for warming up, strengthening & even stretching at the same time. There are three different angles that you can do the exercise at.
- Sideways
When performing the straight leg swing sideways, you should start by facing a wall while supporting yourself with both hands; Still, try not to bend your hips though.
Then stand on one leg while the other leg is going to swing up sideways and then crossing your ground foot to go up to the other side as far as you can. Remember not to bend your upper body to the left or right side, as it prevents you from engaging your hip flexors.
- Back & Forwards
Begin by facing a wall sideways and support yourself with one arm. Then start swinging your leg back & forwards, while keeping it entirely straight at all times.
It is vital to keep a straight posture, especially when kicking backward, to improve both your mobility & strength!!!
- 45 Degree Angle
Most people tend to forget about this option, but you are going to perform the same exercise, but this time you swing your leg diagonally, this is going to work in another part of your hip-flexor that is rarely targeted by most exercises.
Knee Raises
The knee raise is relatively simple; start by standing on one leg and lift your knee up towards your chest. Then hold it for 1-2 seconds and lower your knee down with control. Since the exercise is quite easy, it makes sense to add an elastic band while standing on it with one foot. The other foot wraps around the elastic band to add resistance.
Hamstrings
The best hamstring exercises are
- One-Legged Romanian Deadlifts
- Nordic Ham Curls
- Hamstring Heel Curls
- Sumo Squats
Since I've created a more detailed article on bodyweight hamstring exercises, you should check it out here.
Calves
Calf Raises
The best way to work on your calves is by doing calf raises, find a low curb/edge/box and stand on the balls of your feet. Your heels shouldn't be able to touch the floor at any time.
Go up on your toes, and then slowly lower yourself down. Since the exercise tends to be easy for advanced people, you can do it on one leg instead, supporting yourself with one arm if necessary.
If that is still to easy, you should try to do it without using a wall & add additional weights.
Straight Jumps
Straight jumps are a skill out of gymnastics, where you jump without bending your legs.
You can bend your legs a tiny bit, although you should focus on jumping primarily from ankle flexion.
Ankle Extensions
One of the most neglected muscle group is probably the muscles around the shin, which you can work with ankle extensions. Find a low curb and stand on your heels while your toes should be in the air the whole time.
Now try to lift up the balls of your feet and slowly lower them down again, after a couple of repetitions you should feel a mild burn around your shins, which is also the time to stop doing the exercise.
Conclusion
I hope this list gave you some knowledge & insight into exercises that you knew & didn't know. If you have any suggestions for more leg exercises, you can leave a comment below, and I might integrate it into this list.
Feel free to share this article with your friends if they might find it helpful! If you need a bodyweight leg workout, you should check out this article. It provides you with options from beginner to advanced!
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