This article will look at 5 leg muscle strengthening exercises that are more effective than squats.
These exercises to strengthen the muscles of the legs do not require any professional equipment, so they are perfect for daily workouts. If you spend at least half an hour a day on their implementation, tangible results will come in a few weeks.
1. Tilts of the body on one leg with a kettlebell
These exercises develop the muscles of the thighs and buttocks and in the best way affect the muscle group of the back – one of the most vulnerable parts of the body of athletes. The exercise is performed as follows:
- Take a kettlebell weighing up to 10 kg in your right hand, raise your left leg.
- Keeping your back straight, you need to tilt until the kettlebell touches the floor on your outstretched right hand. The left leg is laid back and serves as a counterweight. You should also keep your shoulders straight.
- Return to starting position keeping your back straight. The approach consists of several such cycles. It can be difficult at first to get the left leg and back parallel to the floor, but with each cycle you need to increase the range of motion to improve the result.
2. Curtsy lunges
It is necessary to stand upright, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your palms on your hips. Now you need to take your left leg back and slightly to the right, thus crossing your legs. The right leg must be bent so that the knee of the left back leg falls below the left ankle. Do not change the position for a while, then smoothly straighten and do the same for the other leg. A minute’s rest is recommended before changing legs. One approach includes 10 of these exercise cycles.
3. Exercise “Fire hydrant”
It is necessary to take a starting position in which they kneel, and straightened arms, located shoulder-width apart, rest on the floor. The legs bent at the knees should also remain shoulder-width apart. Next, you need to raise the leg without changing the position of other parts of the body. The abducted leg must be held in this position for a while, and then returned to its original position. Before changing legs, you need to rest for a minute. The exercise is performed 10 times per approach.
4. Simulated climbing stairs
The stair climbing exercise is effective for developing muscles, but if you use a regular chair, it can be even more effective:
- You need to stand in front of the chair and put your left foot in the center of its seat.
- Then you need to climb onto a chair, straightening your left leg. The right leg, bent at the knee, must be put forward.
- Now you need to return to the starting position.
- Repeat this procedure for the right leg.
The complete set consists of 20 exercise cycles.
5. Bear Stance Leg Raises
To take the starting position, you need to lie on the floor and raise your torso so that your forearms lie on the floor, and the tips of their toes act as support from the side of the legs. The angle between the forearm and shoulder should be 90 degrees. Place your arms and legs shoulder-width apart.
Straining the muscles of the buttocks, you need to raise the right leg without losing the perpendicularity between the plane of the foot and the floor. After pausing, the leg must be returned to its original position. After a minute of rest, do the exercise for the other leg.
