Legs Exercises Through Bodyweight Training

The exercises below might look ineffective to you from first glance! On the contrary, they are effective in training your lower body. Just give them a try. Follow the instructions closely, and be consistent to utilize them to the fullest.

Please note that some of the bodyweight training of legs exercises are not illustrated with pictures; but there are written instructions, and they are fairly self-explanatory on how to exercise them.

1. Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet or heels on the floor

2. Arms relaxed to your sides, palms facing up

3. Lift your body off the floor as high as you can go by using the thighs (back muscles of your legs) and squeeze the butt at the same time

4. Don’t use your hands for the lift only your butt and thigh muscles.

5. Lower your butt to touch the floor for a second then repeat step 3

Supine Bridge Exercise (intermediate level)

To make this exercise more challenging, simply place your feet on an elevated object from 6-14 inches, examples:

• Stool

• 2-3 thick stacked books

• Sofa

• Chair

• Ottoman

• Bed

• Bench

Supine Bridge Exercise (advanced level)

And if you want to make this exercise even harder than it is now, every time you lift your body to the top position, pause for 2-4 seconds.

Leg Raises Exercise (All levels)

• Like a horse pose, your hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips

• Extend one leg straight (let’s say the left leg)

• Next, squeeeeze* your hamstring muscles by bending the left knee and bringing the left heel towards your butt…

• Followed by raising* the bent left leg towards the ceiling. Then bring the leg to the start position

This illustration is showing you the leg is bent by now and ready to push upward towards the ceiling using the thigh and butt muscles.

Things to focus on:

1. During bending your left knee, imagine someone is pulling your heel to the opposite direction and you’re resisting by bending your knee and bringing your heel as close as possible to your butt.

And that’s how you can really exert power and tension from your thigh muscle fibers and make them GROW.

*Word of caution

When you exert tension in your thigh muscles (especially the hamstring group muscles) start gradually and don’t squeeze the muscles too hard.

Many of us have tight hamstrings (because of our sedentary lifestyle) and squeezing too hard too soon can give you a cramp feeling, so take your time. And make sure you stretch them too, but you do that anyhow, right?