These are our favorite leg workouts to do at home

When you can’t make it to the gym, and you don’t want to skip out on leg day, you can do exercises at home to get your leg muscles pumping. You could try exercises like the Goblet squat or weighted step-ups if you have weights at home. If you don’t, you can still get a solid leg workout in by including bodyweight exercises like jump squats and single-leg glute bridges. Read on for the best leg workouts to do at home with or without weights.

The importance of working your legs

Having stronger legs matters because your legs carry you around every day, and strengthening these major muscles can help you achieve your fitness goals. Whether you’re walking up the stairs or deadlifting a barbell, your leg muscles play a major role in your daily activities and athletic performance.

Leg workouts can stimulate the release of hormones like testosterone that aid your body in building skeletal muscle and repairing damaged muscle proteins. You’ll develop a more powerful lower body and improve your balance and stability.

What are the benefits of leg day workouts at home?

Leg day at home provides a range of benefits, including:

• No need to pay for a membership or travel to the gym.
• You can perform leg exercises with or without weights and with little to no equipment.
• You’re in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Tips for leg day at home

Try focusing more on ramping up your reps rather than the heaviest weights to challenge your lower body and develop more muscular endurance. If you’re a beginner, just choose four to seven exercises and aim for three sets of 10 to 12 reps for each exercise before working your way up as you see fit. There’s a lot you can accomplish in just 20-30 minutes.

The best leg workouts to do at home with weights

It’s best to include a mix of single leg exercises like the side lying leg raise and explosive power movements like jump squats or box jumps. 

Goblet squat

The goblet squat has a cool-sounding name and involves squatting down while holding a dumbbell or kettlebell. Holding the kettlebell in front of you targets your quads more than the back squat and other squat variations. The Goblet squat works your whole body and, especially, your legs, core, glutes, and major lower body muscles. Try to keep your torso tall and your core engaged throughout this movement.

How to do a goblet squat:

1. Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart.
2. Angle your toes slightly outward.
3. Use both hands to grip the handles of the kettlebell or dumbbell.
4. With your elbows bent, position the kettlebell in the middle of your chest.
5. Keep your core engaged and your spine neutral, and focus straight ahead.
6. Bend your knees to dip down into the squat, making sure to keep the kettlebell close to your body.
7. Ideally, you want your hips to be parallel with your knees.
8. At the lowest point of your goblet squat, your elbows should touch the inside of your knees.
9. Press down with the heels of your feet and lift yourself back up to the starting position.
10. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Weighted step ups

Weighted step-ups burn calories, boost your balance and stability, and work the posterior chain muscles along the back of your body. You’ll strengthen your legs individually, work your quads, and improve knee stability and your cardiovascular fitness. This movement involves holding weights while stepping up onto a knee-high box or chair. 

How to a weighted step up:

1. Stand facing a sturdy box, holding a weight in each hand with your arms down by your side.
2. Step onto the box with your right foot, which is the starting position.
3. Bring your left foot up next to your right so you’re standing up on the box.
4. Bring your left foot back down to the starting position.
5. Repeat for your desired number of reps before alternating and working your other leg.

Dumbbell glute bridge

The dumbbell glute bridge ups the ante by adding a dumbbell at your hips. This exercise isolates your glutes and also requires your lower back and hamstrings to help stabilize your body. You’ll build core and spine stability and sculpt your derriere. 

How to do a dumbbell glute bridge:

1. Lay on your back on the floor with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Your feet should be about hip-distance apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell between your hands and place it in the center of your hips.
3. Engage your core, squeeze your glutes, push through your heels, and lift your hips up high to the ceiling.
4. Try not to arch your back. Continue to lift up until your body forms a straight line from your head to your knees.
5. Hold the position for a moment before slowly lowering your hips back down to the ground to the starting position.
6. Repeat for your desired number of reps before switching to the other leg.

Pendulum lunge

The pendulum lunge is an interesting variation of the traditional lunge where you keep one foot planted on the ground while alternating your opposite leg between a forward and reverse lunge. You can also hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms down by your sides to ramp up the challenge. You’ll target your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core. 

How to do a pendulum lunge:

1. Step into a forward lunge and bring your back knee down to the ground. Your front knee should be stacked right above your front ankle on that same side.
2. Keep your back foot planted on the ground while performing a reverse lunge with your forward leg. Now your legs have switched positions.
3. Now, bring your back leg forward into the lunge position.
4. Repeat the pendulum motion for your desired number of reps.

Single-leg Romanian deadlift

The Romanian deadlift engages your hamstrings and quads and activates your glutes. The single-leg Romanian deadlift should definitely be included in your leg day workout plan.

How to do a single-leg Romanian deadlift with dumbbells:

1. Pick up your two dumbbells and stand with your feet about shoulders-distance apart.
2. Your arms should be straight down by your sides.
3. Keep your back straight and your arms straight while bending forward at your hips until your hands are about level with the middle of your calves, or stop where it feels right for you. While bending forward extend one leg out behind you at the same time.
4. Squeeze your hamstrings and drive your hips forward to stand back up to the starting position.
5. Repeat for your desired number of reps.
6. Switch to the other leg.

The best leg workouts to do at home without weights

No weights, no problem, as there are lots of leg exercises you can do at home using your own body weight. You might find an exercise or yoga mat is softer for you when performing exercises like the single leg glute bridge or side lying leg raise.

Jump squat

Squat jumps are a bodyweight exercise you can do anywhere to improve your agility and jumping power. You’ll work your core, abs, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and more. Performing jump squats helps you better perform activities like sprinting, football, track, and baseball.

How to do a jump squat:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulders-distance apart and your toes pointing slightly outward.
2. Press your hips back and bend your knees to squat down as if you’re going to sit on an invisible chair.
3. Push down through your heels and jump straight up into the air.
4. Try to land softly back in the squat position with your knees slightly bent.
5. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Single-leg glute bridge

The single-leg glute bridge is a variation of the glute bridge exercise that targets your glutes, hip extensor muscles, and hamstrings. You’ll focus on working one leg at a time while strengthening your core. You might find an exercise mat, or yoga mat is softer to lay on.

How to do a single-leg glute bridge:

1. Lie on the floor on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Your arms should be straight down by your sides.
2. Lift your left foot up off the floor and keep your leg extended in the starting position.
3. Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, and push off your right foot to lift your hips up off the ground and do a glute bridge. Try to keep your left leg extended and lifted in the same position.
4. Slowly lower your hips back down to the floor. 
5. Repeat for your desired number of reps.
6. You can switch to the other leg once you’ve completed all of your reps.

Bulgarian split squat

Unlike the original split squat, with the Bulgarian split squat, your rear foot is elevated off the ground. You’re in a lunge position with one foot forward and the other behind you. Your back foot is raised off the ground on a chair, bench, or another platform. You can probably find a sturdy chair somewhere at home.

How to do a Bulgarian split squat:

1. Start by standing in front of a step, chair, or bench facing away from the step with your feet about hips-distance apart. You should be about two feet away from the step.
2. Lift your right leg and place the top of your right foot on the step.
3. Try to make sure your feet are still about hips-width apart and engage your core.
4. Bend your left knee and lower yourself down as if you’re moving down into the lunge position.
5. Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement.
6. Drive back up to your starting position with control.
7. Repeat for your desired number of reps before switching to the other leg.

Squat to oblique knee crunch

The squat to oblique knee crunch will get your heart rate up and your muscles pumping as you pick up the pace. This dynamic exercise helps you enhance your balance over time and works your obliques, core, and your legs as you dip into the squat position. 

How to do the squat to oblique knee crunch:

1. Start standing in a wide stance with your hands behind your head.
2. Press your hips back and bend your knees to squat down as if you’re going to sit on an invisible chair to get into the starting position.
3. On your way back up to stand, bring your right knee up and crunch your right elbow down to bring your right knee and your right elbow together.
4. Bring your right knee back down while bending down into the squat position.
5. On your way back up now, bring your left knee up and crunch your left elbow down toward your left knee.
6. Bring your left knee back down while bending back into the starting squat position.
7. Repeat for your desired number of reps.