Motivating yourself to go to the gym isn’t always easy. There are moments when you feel lazy or tired, and driving all the way to the gym to work out doesn’t sound like a fun idea. Sometimes, you’re just too busy to find the time to go to the gym.
So, what do you do when you don’t want to go to the gym but don’t want to skip leg day either? A great way to go about it without buying any fancy equipment is to do body weight exercises.
These body weight leg exercises are great for strengthening your legs and core muscles. They’re great for those times when you really can’t go to the gym but still want to stay on track with your fitness goals.
Never skip leg day with these no-equipment leg exercises
For these exercises, we’ll mainly focus mostly on squats and lunges with a couple of other exercises. These exercises offer a lot of variety in terms of the workouts you can do and help target a wide variety of muscle groups.
The goal of these exercises is to strengthen both your legs and your core, which help support your entire body. This helps you work out better and makes you stronger overall.
1. Cossack squat
The Cossack squat is a type of squat where you put most of your weight on one leg, while your other leg is kept straight to the side. You can hold out your hand in front as counterbalance, or hold some weights to add to the difficulty.
A key thing to remember when doing a Cossack squat is to keep your back straight as much as possible.
2. Squat jumps
In order to do squat jumps, you’ll need to squat down and then jump as high as you possibly can. Once you land, let your knees bend about 45 degrees, and hold it for about one second before jumping again.
As with all squats, make sure to keep your back straight. It’s okay to lean forward so long as your back is straight.
3. Calf raises
Calf raises help strengthen your calf muscles and improve your flexibility. In order to do calf raises, you just stand up straight with your hands to your sides and lift your heels while standing on your toes.
Be sure to keep your legs straight and hold the position for at least two seconds.
4. Pistol squat
Pistol squats are another variation of squats. This exercise is a test of your balance and flexibility.
These squats are essentially one-footed; you drop to the floor as low as possible while holding out your other leg forward as straight as you can.
These can be difficult but build not just your leg muscles but also your core muscles.
5. Single-leg squat
Single-leg squats are kind of the opposite of pistol squats. Instead of holding out your leg in front, you lift one leg and hold it back while you use your other leg to slowly go down as low as you can, and then go up.
6. Lateral lunge
Lateral lunges specifically target your quads and your glutes. In order to do this exercise, you need to first stand up straight and then lunge one of your legs to the side, while keeping the other one stable. Lower yourself a bit, and then get back to the standing position to repeat the steps with your other leg.
7. Reverse lunge
In order to do a reverse lunge, you’ll need to stand up straight and then lower one of your legs back, and slowly go down. Raise your leg up and then go back to your starting position to do it with the other leg.
8. Runner’s lunge
This is traditionally a yoga position, but it’s great for stretching your muscles as well as strengthening them.
You first start in a push-up position, keeping your back straight. Next, you pull one foot forward as far as you can and sink down on your hips. Hold the position for 30 seconds, and do it with the other leg.
9. Curtsy lunge
The curtsy lunge is pretty similar to the reverse lunge, but instead of moving your leg backwards, you cross it behind your other leg, just like a curtsy.
This exercise helps strengthen your glutes and upper thighs and is definitely one of the more challenging workouts on this list.
10. Foot over toe
This exercise is pretty easy to do, but it gets pretty hard fast. Start by sitting down with your back and legs straight and your toes pointed up. Next, raise one leg so that the heel is as high as the toes on the other foot. Do this for at least four times, making sure not to drop your leg to the floor each time. Then do it with your other leg.
