Exercises without training your lower body are often futile.
Although different people have different fitness goals, lower body exercises should be incorporated in your workout routines. Focusing only on a few or selected muscle groups is counterproductive. Lower body exercises can effectively strengthen your core and legs preventing muscular imbalances in your body.
Working out your lower body can help you be free from any injuries, especially when doing high intensity routines. Movements from lower body exercises target your quadriceps, thighs (adductors), outer hips (hip abductors), calves, hamstrings, and glutes. Several routines like lunges and squats are beneficial in building your overall core strength.
In this article, Cognitive Health and Wellness Institute lists down the top ten lower body exercises that allow you full range of motion. Learn how to engage your core, keep your spine safe, and protect your back at all times.
What are the best lower body exercises?
Lower body exercises are great because you can do these with very minimal equipment. You can significantly improve your performance in sports or lose weight when you start working out your biggest muscle groups.
There are multi-joint and bilateral movements you can do to make sure you’re working all sides and muscles in your body. Read on to find out more how to do effective lower body exercises even at the comforts of your home.
(1) Jumping jacks
Do you need to burn calories and have a go-to exercise in losing weight? Jumping jacks will be a good choice. There are a few plyometric exercises among lower body exercises like jumping jacks that can help you run faster.
Stretching your muscles especially first thing early in the morning can jumpstart your movement for the rest of the day. You develop strength and agility over time while developing a habit from this workout. You’re increasing your heart rate without necessarily riding a bike or running for hours.
How to do jumping jacks
- Stand with both feet straight, together, and with your arms to your sides.
- Jump, spread your feet hip-width apart and bring your arms above your head, just barely touching.
- In your second jump, lower your arms while bringing your legs together.
There are also variations of jumping jacks like squat jack, rotational jack, or low-impact jumping jacks. Do as many repetitions as you can and increase sets over time.
Start with a good foundation of strength and conditioning exercises before doing jumping jacks. Most importantly, consult with your doctor if you experience pain, discomfort or any muscle/joint injuries .
(2) Glute bridges
Depending on your goals, there are different ways to do glute bridge. You can do them with bands or weights. These variations intend to develop your endurance and strength and that target is the muscles in your glutes. This group includes the maximus, minimus and medius. This exercise would lot a lot of your body weight to achieve the expected results from the movement.
How to do glute bridges
- Get a mat to serve as a support and cushion for your body.
- Ensure that you are lying with your back flat on the floor.
- Grab a barbell or resistance band (this is optional), let any of these rest where you bend your hips. There are times when you might have to use a pad to support a movement. Consider this too.
- Bend your knees into 90 degrees until they are pointing up to the ceiling.
- Allow your feet to stay flat on the floor.
- Activate your heels as you push your hips up (you can hold your barbell or put your resistance bands for more pressure). Let your shoulders and head stay flat on the floor as you do the movement. Keep your knees pointing upward when repeating the process. Let your abdominal muscles tighten as you do the position.
- Keep the upward position for a few seconds then slowly release and go back to the floor. You should feel the tension in doing this.
- Repeat the exercise for about two to three sets. Only rest for one to two minutes in between every set.
What will you get from glute bridges? The first benefit is that it will improve your posture. If you are one who sits down for a long period of time because of work, this can be an opportunity for you to do something about that. This exercise can also help you alleviate your lower-back pain. Indeed, it isn’t only for aesthetics but for your health too.
(3) Donkey kicks
Another way to strengthen your glutes is with donkey kicks. This exercise is the best for stability and toning. It would also concentrate on your gluteus maximus, which is the largest of the three gluteal muscles and the majority of your booty. On top of this, it would also hit your shoulder muscles, and core, which is enough to say that it is good for your whole body. This move is easy to do, with or without a gym.
How to do donkey kicks
- Get ready with your starting position. Put your knees hip-width apart, your hands under your shoulders, and your spine and neck in a neutral form.
- Lift your leg while your core is intact, and knee on bet. Ensure that your foot is flat against the floor and your hip hinges throughout the movement.
- Push your foot towards the ceiling and squeeze at the top with every force coming from your glutes. Your pelvis should work as you do this and your hips should stay pointed on the ground.
- Repeat the process at least 20 times and complete four to five sets.
Donkey kicks will stabilize your mobility, and it could also touch muscles without straining your joints. If you are one of those people who cannot execute squats properly, then going for this exercise should be a more fitting option for you. This hip-hyperextension movement would focus on your gluteus maximus, which is the largest part of your gluteal muscles. It’s a powerful booty lifting move!
Whether you are an athlete or not, adding some squats to your exercise routine should be good for you. This lower body exercise is effective in strengthening your quadriceps and glutes. It’s also a move to maximize your core muscles. It won’t only tone you to achieve the physique that you want, it could also be instrumental in your weight loss as it burns an effective amount of calories.
How to do squats
There are many variations of squats such as bulgarian split, goblet, front, pause, or dumbbell squat. But these are the basic moves you master to perfect the form:
- Stand in a comfortable stance with your feet parallel and apart from each other.
- Put your hands on your thighs.
- Look up while your chest lifts.
- Bend your knees until you reach a 90-degree angle with your weight directed on your heels. Sit back slowly as you do the routine.
- Ensure that your knees don’t go beyond your toes. Keep your head and chest upright as you repeat the movement and hold the position for about five seconds.
- Go back up with your heels pressed, and straighten your hips until you are in your original position.
Squats will indeed do wonders on the most powerful muscles in your body which are important in bending, climbing, walking, and functioning. If you have to be at your outermost performance, this exercise would also help you in preparing. Incorporate it in your exercises and see the results in no time.
Lunges are very versatile. In fact, this is one of those lower body exercises with variations you can challenge yourself with. You can do lateral lunges, forward lunges, overhead lunges, reverse lunges, and walking lunges like the animation above.
How to do lunges
- Stand with both feet together.
- Step forward bending your front knee to 90 degrees.
- Push back to standing position.
- Your knee should not move past your toes.
It’s a good tip to place a towel under one foot to use that to either slide sideways or backwards. When bending the opposite knee into a lunge, putting a sock underneath your foot might help. This can also help your balance and stabilize your footing.
(6) Side leg lift with band
Did you know that you can do lower body exercises while lying down? Well, not completely lying down, really. You can build strength in your gluteus medius and minimus (outer thighs and hip abductors) through side leg lift exercises, for example.
Adding a resistance band increases strength-building so you can feel the pressure of pushing away your leg from your midline. These lower body exercises target your abs and obliques, too.
How to do side leg lifts with resistance band
- Rest on your hips, lying from your side with your feet stacked together.
- Loop a resistance band on your ankles to make the movement even more effective.
- Prepare your core and raise your top leg on the ceiling while your hips are still in line with each other. Feel the tension on the bands when you lift your leg.
Doing leg raises regularly would help you in preventing pain and injuries in your lower back, knees and hips.
(7) Bird dogs
If you’re experiencing lower back pain, bird dog is a good exercise. It’s a simple core workout routine that neutralizes your spine so you can have better posture and improve stability. It also greatly increases your range of movement.
How to do bird dog exercises
- Starting position is being on all fours like a tabletop position.
- Squeeze your knees in so they are under your hips while your hands are under your shoulders.
- Engage your abdominal muscles and draw your shoulder blades together.
- Keep your shoulders and hips parallel to the floor when you raise your opposite arm and leg.
- Tuck your chin and lengthen the back of your neck when stretching your left leg and right at the same time.
- Hold the stretched position for a few seconds then go back to starting position.
Alignment is crucial when doing bird dog exercises. Don’t put your chest down and move slowly to maintain your control and core engagement. As in any of the other lower body exercises, smooth and even breathing is important.
Step-ups are low-risk exercises and can be a good all-around strengthening workout routine. It’s great for cardio, strength conditioning, and as an alternative for plyometric exercises.
How to do step-ups
- Find a step or a stair to use as an elevated platform.
- Bring your knee up to a 90-degree angle upon stepping up.
- Each foot should be placed onto the elevated platform.
- Keep your chest up, your shoulders back, and your body straight.
- Like in a marching position but with a bench or step, bring your next foot up, knee bent at 90 degrees.
- Your thighs should be parallel to the floor upon stepping up.
- Do the reverse motion upon stepping back down then repeat.
Make sure you use both legs with the right form so you are building strength equally on both sides. Step-ups are lower body exercises that can improve your balance and symmetry. They also add leg power making you move faster and jump higher. Your knees and heart will thank you for doing this exercise.
Not only is this a good lower body exercise, it’s one of the best compound exercises that strengthens the whole body. The workout is so efficient because it uses multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This means you can tone your arms, abs, and legs all at once. Deadlifts do double duty working your major muscle groups: legs and core.
How to do deadlifts
- Stand on your feet, hip-distance apart.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Your palms should face away from your body or thighs (pronated grip).
- Engage your back, core, and glutes.
- Hinge your hips forward, lower your legs with the weights down (torso parallel to the floor).
- Slightly bend in the knees, pull your shoulders back but don’t hunch over.
- Straighten your legs and stand back up to starting position. Repeat.
(10) Calf raises
Unlike many of the lower body exercises in this list, calf raises isolate only one main muscle. Yes, you guessed it right. Just your calves.
There are many variations of calf raises. It can be bodyweight, standing, seated, reverse (like in the animation above), or jumping calf raises.
How to do calf raises (standard)
- From standing position with your feet together, hold a dumbbell in each hand (keep your hands on your sides).
- Lift your heels up, balance your toes while your heels are off the floor.
- Hold that position for a few seconds, go back down, and repeat.
Like in the animation above, you can strengthen your calf muscles and ankles even with variations.Holding your own weight for each leg is a good challenge. Keep your core engaged for any variations of calf raises you do.
Functional lower body exercises
It requires strength to perform daily tasks like lifting a chair or carrying heavy packs of groceries. And, sometimes, you don’t realize how climbing up a flight of stairs can be a good form of exercise. That’s where lower body exercises come into play. These exercises help build functional strength.
When you start feeling wobbly even with simple movement, maybe it’s time to add lower body exercises in your routine. You can see signs of becoming off balance when getting off the bike, for example. Or, when you can’t seem to carry your own weight when you stand up after sitting too long.
Lower body exercises primarily target your legs because your lower extremities essentially make you strong and stable. The legs are your wheels that literally carry you through life. While strengthening your core, you should not ignore your leg support.
These lower body exercises activate your abs (core) and protect your lower back. These are muscle groups that you don’t realize you rely on in many of your daily activities and tasks.
Remember, there’s no one fool-proof exercise for everyone. Work out as many muscles as you possibly can. Lastly, switch your game up gradually and enjoy finding what works best for you.