15 Lower Body Workout Exercises

Each physique wants a powerful basis. That’s why it is best to recurrently embrace lower-body workout routines in your exercise routine, says Cody Braun, CPT, and health skilled at Beachbody.

That stated, realizing the significance of your decrease physique and dealing it the proper approach are two separate issues. Right here, we’ll assist bridge that hole so you’ll be able to change into a professional at coaching the muscle mass in your decrease half.

Able to get in your finest lower-body exercise ever? Combine and match the strikes beneath and get began!

Tip: We’ve divided these lower-body workout routines by main motion sample (a.ok.a., the squat, the hip hinge, and the lunge) to make it even simpler to design a brand new lower-body exercise.

• Stand together with your ft hip to shoulder-width aside, holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s size by your sides.
• Holding your again flat, chest up, and core braced, push your hips again, bend your knees, and decrease your physique till your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Pause, then push your self again as much as the beginning place.

• Maintain a dumbbell vertically in entrance of your chest, cupping the highest finish in each fingers. Stand together with your ft hip- to shoulder-width aside.
• Holding your again flat and elbows pointed down, push your hips again and decrease your physique till your thighs are at the least parallel to the bottom.
• Pause, after which slowly push your self again as much as the beginning place.

• Stand dealing with away from a bench, holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s size by your sides. Place the toes of your left foot on the bench behind you.
• Holding your torso upright and your core engaged, decrease your physique till your proper thigh is parallel to the bottom.
• Pause, after which push again as much as the beginning place. Do equal reps on each legs.

• Stand tall together with your ft hip-width aside holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s size by your sides, palms in.
• Holding your proper leg straight and proper foot on the ground, step to the left aspect together with your left leg, then push your hips again as you bend your left knee. Decrease the weights on both aspect of your left knee till your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Pause, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place.

• Lie in your again, arms down by your sides. Bend your knees and plant your ft flat on the ground.
• Pull in by way of your navel to brace your core muscle mass after which squeeze your glutes to press your hips up so your physique kinds a straight line — no arching — from knees to shoulders.
• Maintain your head on the ground and eyes targeted on the ceiling.
• Maintain the place for a beat, after which decrease and carry, and repeat.

6. Camel

• From a kneeling place, together with your butt resting in your heels and the tops of your ft on the ground, maintain a heavy dumbbell at your chest with each fingers.
• Holding your chest up, shoulders again, and core engaged, squeeze your glutes as you push your hips ahead to full extension, shifting your weight onto your knees.
• Pushing your hips again, slowly decrease your butt again down onto your heels, and repeat for reps.

7. Single-Leg Hinge With Loop

• Loop a resistance band round your left foot, and grip it together with your proper hand as you rise as much as rise up straight together with your ft hip-width aside and your knees barely bent.
• Holding your again flat, your core engaged, and your left knee barely bent, elevate your proper leg off the ground a number of inches and hinge ahead at your hips till your torso is as near parallel with the ground as doable. (As you decrease, your proper leg kicks again.) Your proper hand ought to decrease down because it holds the band, and your left arm might be out to the aspect for stability.
• Return to a single-leg standing place and repeat the transfer, finishing all reps in your left leg earlier than switching sides.

• Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s size by your sides (palms in) together with your ft hip-width aside.
• Holding your chest up, shoulders again, core braced (think about somebody is about to hit you within the intestine), and again flat, take a big step ahead together with your proper foot. Decrease your physique till your entrance thigh is parallel to the bottom and your rear knee is bent 90 levels (it ought to hover a pair inches above the ground).
• Pause, after which reverse the motion to return to the beginning place. Repeat, this time stepping ahead together with your left foot. Proceed alternating legs with every rep.

9. Reverse Lunge

• Stand together with your ft hip-width aside holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides.
• Holding your chest up and your core engaged, take a big step backward together with your proper foot.
• Slowly decrease your physique till your left thigh is parallel with the ground and your proper knee is bent 90 levels, simply above the ground.
• Pause and, pushing forcefully off your left foot, reverse the motion, taking a big step ahead to return to the beginning place.
• After you’ve accomplished your set, change sides, performing equal reps on every leg.

• Stand together with your ft hip-width aside. In case you use a weight, maintain it in entrance of your chest, as you probably did with the goblet squat.
• Holding your again flat and your core engaged, step your left foot behind and outdoors your proper foot, decreasing your hips till your proper thigh is parallel with the ground, decreasing the burden as you step your left foot behind you. Your left knee ought to hover an inch or two above the ground.
• Reverse the motion to return to the beginning place. Proceed for reps, then change sides and repeat.

• Lie in your proper aspect together with your ft and hips stacked, your knees bent 90 levels, and your head resting in your proper arm.
• Draw your knees in towards your physique till your ft are consistent with your butt. Place your left hand in your left hip to make sure it doesn’t tilt backward. That is your beginning place.
• Holding your abs engaged and your ft collectively, elevate your left knee as excessive as you’ll be able to whereas preserving your ft collectively and your proper hip on the ground.
• Maintain for 1 second, squeezing your glutes on the high of the transfer, earlier than slowly decreasing your left knee to the beginning place.
• Carry out equal reps on the opposite aspect.

12. Standing Calf Elevate on Elevated Floor

• Holding a dumbbell in your left hand, stand with the ball of your left foot on an elevated floor, together with your left heel hanging off.
• Holding your core engaged, elevate your left heel as excessive as doable.
• Slowly decrease your heel down onto the raised floor till you’re feeling a stretch in your calf.
• Repeat and do equal reps on each legs.

13. Seated Calf Elevate

• Sit tall on a bench or chair together with your ft flat on the bottom holding two heavy dumbbells on high of your knees.
• Holding your core engaged, carry your heels off the bottom as excessive as doable.
• Slowly decrease your heels again right down to the bottom, and repeat.

• Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s size by your sides, and place your left foot on a bench in order that your hip, knee, and ankle are all bent 90 levels.
• Holding your chest up and shoulders again, push your physique up together with your left leg till it’s straight (preserve your proper foot elevated).
• Pause, after which decrease your physique again to the beginning place below management. Carry out equal reps on each legs.

15. Facet Leg Raise With Band

• Wrap a resistance loop round your ankles and lie in your proper aspect, propping your self up in your proper forearm.
• Maintain your legs straight and stacked on high of one another and your toes pointed ahead.
• Raise the highest leg, decrease, and repeat.
• Do equal reps on each side.

The right way to Design the Greatest Decrease-Physique Exercise

To create an efficient lower-body exercise routine, begin together with your greatest muscle teams.

• Select any strikes you want, however start with compound (multi-joint) and bilateral (working each side of your physique) workout routines that hit your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
• Embody a mixture of the large three lower-body motion patterns (squats, hip hinges, and lunges). This trio additionally builds useful energy so you’ll be able to to carry out day-to-day feats of energy, like making it by way of your ultimate spherical of squats or climbing the steps whereas carrying your groceries.
• Then do single-joint and unilateral workout routines that focus on particular muscle teams or have components of instability. These extra lower-body workout routines strengthen the hip abductors (outer hips), adductors (interior thighs), and calves.

This strategy, of hitting every motion sample or muscle group equally, will assist forestall muscular imbalances to maintain your decrease physique wholesome and injury-free.

How Typically Ought to You Work Out Your Decrease Physique?

Attempt to not go greater than three days with out coaching your decrease physique. You are able to do variations of those lower-body actions in a single exercise or unfold them all through the week, Braun says.

Whereas it is dependent upon your targets, it is best to “do lower-body workout routines a minimal of twice per week, or as much as 4 occasions per week,” he says. Simply keep away from working the identical muscle group on back-to-back days.

Braun affords these additional suggestions for scheduling your lower-body exercises:

• To permit satisfactory restoration between exercises, go together with break up routines, which work totally different muscle teams on totally different days.
• For instance, prepare your decrease physique on Monday, do upper-body pushing patterns on Tuesday, prepare the decrease physique once more on Wednesday, after which do higher physique pulling patterns on Thursday.
• Quick on time? Intention for 2 to 3 total-body exercises per week (that mix upper-body and lower-body workout routines). This ensures you’re working your decrease physique ceaselessly sufficient to successfully strengthen your muscle mass.

What Weights Ought to You Use for Decrease-Physique Workout routines?

The proper weight for lower-body workout routines shall be totally different for everybody.

Use a mixture of average to heavy weights for 3-4 units of 6-12 reps, and light-weight to average weights for 3-4 units of 12-20 reps.

Ideally, it is best to end your final set of every train unable to carry out any additional reps. Reaching this degree of fatigue will show you how to construct energy, muscle dimension, and endurance. This is applicable regardless of how usually you do lower-body exercises.