Leg Exercises Without Weights

Be it sitting, standing, running, bending, jumping, and any such thing, the legs play an important part in almost all the activities that we indulge in on a day-to-day basis. But what if they are weak and become prone to pain and cramps? Well, you can imagine how troublesome it could be if every now and then we get cramps in our legs or they start paining even after walking for a short distance. Which is why, having strong and fit legs in a very important part of being healthy.

Most people are only interested in arm muscle building and often tend to ignore leg workouts. Their upper body certainly develops, however, it still continues to look disproportionate since they haven't developed their leg muscles. And not to mention that the legs remain weaker as compared to the hands and shoulders. Most people never bother doing any leg exercises, while the remaining few who do it, do not want to perform any leg exercises with weights involved. As a result, the leg muscles remain weak, and then during middle and old age, this turns out to be a serious problem. You certainly do not want this to happen to you. So to avoid it, here are some leg exercises without weights, that would help you strengthen each and every part of the legs.

Squats

The best exercise to strengthen and tone up the thigh muscles is squats. Squats are beneficial for the calf muscles as well! Stand erect with your hands at the side. Now slowly lower your body weight by bending your knees. Lower your knees only till you feel sufficient pressure on your thighs. Hold this position for a couple of seconds and then slowly raise to come back to the original position. Repeat this for about 10 - 12 times.

Leg Lifts

Staying with the thighs, lie on one side keeping both your legs straight, and one arm under your head. Make sure your back and legs are in a straight line. Now lift one leg sideways as much as you can, and then lower it slowly. Around 15 repetitions would be good, after which you can turn to the other side and do the same for the other leg. This same exercise can also be done in another way by lying on the stomach with your arms at the side, and lifting one leg up, keeping the leg straight.

Knee Exercise

Here is an effective exercise to strengthen the knee muscles. Take a chair and sit on it in an erect position. See that you keep your back straight during the entire exercise. Now slowly raise your legs till they come to a position where they become parallel to the floor. Maintain this position for a couple of seconds, and then slowly lower your legs to regain the original position. Perform around 10 - 12 repetitions.

Calf Raises

After the knees, let us move onto the calf muscles. You all must have heard of calf raises. Well, it is the most effective exercise to develop the calf muscles, and yet the simplest of all! All you have to do is stand erect with your arms sideways. Now slowly raise yourself on your toes to feel a good stretch in the calf muscles. Lower yourself gradually to come back to the original position. Repeat this exercise for around 20 times.

Ankle Exercise

This is another easy-to-do leg exercise at home, which is meant to benefit your ankles. Ankle pain is one of the most common pain encountered by middle- and old-aged people. Here's a simple exercise to prevent such a pain. Stand straight and lift your left leg, bending the knee at 90 degrees. Now rotate your foot clockwise and anticlockwise to feel a stretch in the ankle. Do this exercise for a few minutes for both the legs.

Toe Curls

The toes are the lowermost part of our legs. Toe curls is a good exercise to strengthen the toe muscles and minimize the chances of plantar facsiitis. To perform toe curls, pull your toes down to make a toe fist. Hold the position for a couple of seconds and then repeat with the other leg. 10 - 12 repetitions everyday with both feet would suffice.

Lunges

Stand in such a way that your feet are apart equal to the width of your shoulders. Take a step forward keeping your front foot flat and rear foot raised at the heel. Make sure your weight is distributed equally on both the legs. Now pushing your front knee forward, lower yourself to a position where both your knees are at a 90 degrees angle. While doing this, you need to make sure that your front knee does not cross the line of your toes. Around 10 - 15 repetitions would be just perfect.

While doing any of these leg exercises, it must be remembered that you neither under stretch nor overstretch any of your leg muscles. If you find it difficult to do any of these leg exercises at home, you should stop doing the exercises immediately. Consult a physical trainer in this regard, who will advise you appropriate exercises according to your body type and capabilities.