Great leg exercises you can do using your body weightGood leg exercises using your body weight.

Calf Raise Squats

Body Weight Leg Exercises

1. Begin with your weight on your toes and sink into a parallel squat position so the knees are bent to about 90 degrees.

2. While grasping something for balance and holding the hip and knee position steady, lower the body at the ankle and feel a good stretch at the ankle joint.

3. Raise the body as high as possible onto the toes, holding the top position for a 1-second count. Repeat until the desired number of repetitions is completed.

Primary: soleus

Secondary: Gastrocnemius, quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius), gluteus maximus

Elevated Calf Raises

Body Weight Leg Exercises

1. Begin with the toes on a platform or step and the body upright.

2. While grasping something for balance, lower the body and feel a good stretch in the calves.

3. Raise the body as high as possible on the toes, holding the top position for a 1-second count. Repeat until the desired number of repetitions is completed.

Primary: Gastrocnemius

Secondary: Soleus 

Side Lying Clam

Body Weight Leg Exercises

1. Start in a side-lying position with the hips bent about 135 degrees and the knees bent at about 90 degrees. The neck rest on the arm on the ground. The other arm is braced on top of the hip.

2. With the heels touching each other, rotate the top hip up. Be sure to move at the hips. Don’t lean to one side or move at the spine. The heels stay together for the entire set.

3. Return to starting position. Complete the desired number of repetitions and repeat on the other side.

Primary: gluteus maximus

Secondary: Deep-hip external rotators (piriformis, gemellus superior, obturator internus, gemellus inferior, obturator externus, quadrates femoris)

Lying Hip Raise

Body Weight Leg Exercises

1. From a side-lying position, lift up onto the lower elbow and place the hand of the other arm on the hip.

2. Making sure that that body is in a straight line from the shoulders to the knees, raise the body by simultaneously abducting the bottom and the top hips.

3. Lower yourself to starting position. Complete the desired number of repetitions and repeat on the other side.

Primary: Gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, upper gluteus maximus

Secondary: Internal oblique, external oblique, quadrates lumborum

Donkey Kick

Body Weight Leg Exercises

1. Start on all fours (quadruped position) with the head, neck, and spine in neutral position, the hands under the shoulder and the knees under the hips. No flexion, extension, lateral flexion, or rotation in the neck and spine.

2. Kick one leg to the rear until you reach full extension.

3. Return to starting position. Complete al repetitions on one leg before switching legs.

 

Primary: gluteus maximus

Secondary: Hamstring (biceps femoris, semitendinousus, semimembranosus) Erector spinae (spinalis, longissimus, iliocostalis), adductor magnus, adductor longus adductor brevis, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus,