Leg Exercises at Home

Leg exercises are important because your legs are vital in carrying you places, lifting you up stairs, and giving you a way to get around.

Leg health is also important in case of illness that confines you to bed. Bedridden patients whose legs were not healthy before illness suffer Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) up to twice as often as those with strong legs. Good muscle tone also helps prevent varicose and spider veins.

All the leg muscles must work together in perfect harmony for you to walk, point your foot up, straighten your knee, and much more. Leg exercises help your legs stay in the best shape possible, so that years from now the two of them will still be taking you up stairs and around town.

You can do the following five leg exercises at home. Doing them at least three times a week will shape your legs quickly. Start easy and work your way up to the recommended repetitions.

Leg Exercise 1: Lunges

Lunges work most of the muscles in your legs with one simple exercise:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and then take one giant step forward with your right foot.
2. Place your hands on your hips for balance and then lower your body straight down until your back leg forms a right angle at the knee.
3. Using your leg muscles, slowly raise yourself back up.
4. Repeat the movement for three sets of 30 repetitions for each leg.

If you have knee problems, modify this leg exercise by taking a smaller step forward and only drop down as far as is comfortable. While lunges are a fantastic toning exercise for legs, some people with knee problems may have to abstain from lunging entirely. If so, plenty of other exercises strengthen the legs without placing too much stress on the knee.

Leg Exercise 2: Pliès

Pliès are one of the best ways to tone the inner and outer thighs. Performing plies also places less stress on joints and can be as intense or moderate as you need.

1. Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
2. Take one small step out with each foot and then turn your feet outward like a duck.
3. Place your hands on your hips or hold the back of a chair for support.
4. Keeping you back straight, gently lower your entire body down about six inches and then raise it back up slowly.
5. Repeat the movement for three sets of 30 repetitions.

Tip: By moving slowly, you force the muscles to work harder without the benefit of momentum, thus they become stronger faster. You can modify pliès almost endlessly. You can drop down more or less depending on your needs, move your feet closer or farther apart, or even work on your core muscles by holding one arm curved over the head and the other in front of the body a lá a ballerina.

If you want a greater challenge , an excellent modification is to perform a full set of pliès and on the thirtieth repetition, hold the lowered position for 15 seconds. At the end of fifteen seconds, gently pulse your body up and down no more than a few inches for an additional thirty seconds.

What do personal trainers use to train themselves? Click here to find out...

Leg Exercise 3: Heel Raises

Heel raises work the calf muscles. Calves tend to respond to strengthening very quickly and gain definition in a matter of days, so this exercise can be rewarding for people who like fast results.

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. You may want to place your hands on your hips to help with balance.
2. Raise your body up onto your tiptoes and hold it for a few seconds. Lower back down slowly.
3. Repeat this leg exercise for three sets of 40 heel raises.

Squats are an excellent choice for firming and shaping the buttocks and upper thighs.

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
2. Keep an upright posture and slowly lower buttocks as though about to sit down in a chair. Lower several inches and then slowly stand up.
3. Do three sets of 20 squats.

Leg Exercise 5: Lateral Raises

For the outer thighs:

1. Begin with your weight on your left foot and your right foot pointed out at an angle.
2. Hold on to a chair or wall for balance and slowly raise and lower your right leg out to the side. You do not have to lift your leg high; just raise it as far as is comfortable.
3. Do at least 3 sets of 20 repetitions for each leg.

1. Stand again with your weight on your left foot.
2. Raise and point your right foot in front of you.
3. Slowly move your right foot and leg across your left leg. If you do not feel stress in your inner thigh, turn your leg so that the inner thigh is facing the ceiling and slowly sweep the leg back and forth across the other.
4. Repeat for 3 sets of 20 repetitions for each leg.

For more leg exercises, click here for The Firm - Tight Buns & Killer Legs.

Note: If you have an injury or any medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before starting an exercise program.