Leg workout at home - 10 great leg exercises for legs, thighs & calves
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Time for leg day! Here we take you through an effective and fun leg workout with good leg exercises that you can do at home. We will train the whole legs, calves and thighs.
You can train legs at home without equipment, just with your own body weight, and of course also with the help of, for example, dumbbells and exercise bands. For this workout, you need just such a rubber band. Here we go!
10 good leg exercises you can do at home
We will run an effective leg workout, with simple and good leg exercises that you can do anywhere.
We start with a warm-up to get the blood circulation going, stretch the muscles and warm up before the session.
Warm-up
Get a good leg stretch by going down into a squat and staying here for a bit and rocking to the sides, back and forth.
5 Good mornings
- Stand shoulder-width apart and have your knees slightly bent.
- Brace your core while falling forward at the hips, sticking out your butt and keeping your back flat.
- Stop when your upper body is parallel to the floor. To raise yourself back to a standing position, you need to activate your hamstrings and glutes – that is, the back of your thighs and butt.
5 Walk outs
30 Jumping jacks
10 Standing Toe Raises
– Push your heels up and tighten your calves
– Hold the top position for about 2 seconds before lowering your feet back to the floor in a controlled manner
Squats
There are lots of different variations on squats and you can do them only with your own body weight or together with equipment such as dumbbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls. In this case, we focus on a basic squat, but you can of course add weight if you want to challenge yourself a little extra.
Do this:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly outwards, arms at your sides
Bend your knees and lean back a little as if you are going to sit down - raise your arms in front of you
Make sure that the back remains straight and that the knees do not fall inward
When the thighs are parallel to the ground, stop and push yourself up to the starting position through the heels.
10 reps x 3 set
Lateral lunges
Lateral lunges, or side lunges, are a very effective leg exercise that trains the thighs and butt. Here you strengthen the muscles in both your quads and hamstrings, while training stability.
Do this:
Stand hip-width apart with your hands in front of your chest.
Take a big step to the side with your left leg, then bend the same knee while pushing your hips back and lower until your left knee is bent 90 degrees. Then press back so that you come up to the starting position.
Choose for yourself if you want to alternate every other leg or do all the repetitions on the left before switching to the right side.
10 reps (per side) x 3 sets
Tip: If you want to add some resistance to the exercise, you can use a weight in your hands, such as a dumbbell or kettlebell.
Step-outs with band
Training calves with resistance bands is both effective and fun. This exercise also trains additional muscle groups such as the buttocks, hip flexors and thighs.
Do this:
Attach the band just below your knees
Start by keeping your chest upright while pushing your hips back
Then take a step out to the side with one foot, then in again - then repeat on the other side
10 reps (per side) x 3 sets
Leg training with bands
We continue to train legs with rubber bands. You can train your legs at the same time as you train your stomach, core and stability - perfect! But how do you do it?
Here, Karin Lundström shows some effective compound exercises that you can do with an exercise band.
Tip: If you want more exercises with Karin, you can also check out tips on exercises with kettlebells, core exercises and abdominal training.
When it comes to leg workouts - also check out our tips for interval running, running clothes and a packed marathon training program.
Leg exercises with exercise bands
10 Leg raise and drop with arms straight side press to the band.
20 alt leg raise and drop with arms straight side press to the band
10 banded alt straight connection knee to elbow
10 alt crossing connection knee to elbow
10 foot assisted banded lateral hip raises R/L
10 banded star fish R/L
3 set
Wall sit
We end today's leg session with a static exercise in the form of a challenging wall sit. The wall sit is a classic and an exercise that primarily trains the front thighs, but also the buttocks and calves.
Do this:
Slide your back down the wall while keeping your core engaged and bending your legs until they’re in a 90-degree angle
Remember to keep your back straight, have your feet just below your knees, and place your body weight on your heels and not on your toes
Sit for 1 min
Good job!