What are some home exercises for leg muscles?

Many people who like fitness pay more attention to the muscles of the upper body, such as chest muscles, abdominal muscles, etc., because the muscles of the upper body are easy to show and look the most beautiful. People often neglect the training of the lower limb muscles. If the leg muscles are not developed enough, even if the upper body muscles are trained like Schwarzenegger, it will not look good. So, what are some home exercises for leg muscles?

Four ways to strengthen your leg muscles:

1. Weighted squat

Place the barbell on the shoulders behind the neck, hold the horizontal bar with both hands, stand upright, chest out and abdomen in, and keep the waist and back muscles tense. Then bend your knees and squat down until both knees are fully bent, pause for a moment, stretch your legs and stand up using the contraction force of the quadriceps, straighten your legs, and tighten your quadriceps as much as possible, and pause for a moment. Squat down again. There are two breathing methods for this movement: under light load conditions, exhale when squatting and inhale when standing up; under heavy load conditions, inhale first, then squat, exhale before standing up, and then inhale and stand up. During the exercise, if you feel short of breath during the last few squats, you can take a few quick breaths in a row after standing up to breathe in more oxygen. When doing the exercise, your mind should be focused on your quadriceps. This movement can also be practiced by holding dumbbells in both hands or carrying a sandbag or rice bag on the shoulders.

2. Sitting Calf Stretch

Sit down with iron shoes on your feet (you can also tie dumbbells or sandbags to your feet), straighten your calves with the contraction force of the quadriceps, tighten the quadriceps as much as possible, pause for a while, then put them down and repeat. Inhale as you straighten your calves, and exhale as you lower your calves. Your mind should be focused on your quadriceps. Both calves can be straightened at the same time or alternately. Lie on a prone bench and curl your calves. Wear iron shoes (you can also tie dumbbells or sandbags to your feet). Use the contraction force of the biceps femoris to bend both calves towards the thighs at the same time. Tighten the biceps femoris as much as possible, pause for a while, then put it down and repeat. Inhale as you bend your calves, and exhale as you lower them. Your mind should be focused on your biceps femoris.

3. Upright weighted heel raise

Hold the barbell in your hands and place it on your shoulders behind your neck. Stand on a 10 cm thick wooden board with your heels exposed. Use the contraction force of the calf triceps to lift your heels, making the calf triceps tense as much as possible. Pause for a moment, then let your heels fall until they are below the surface of the board and cannot go any lower. Then redo it. Inhale as you lift your heels, and exhale as you lower them. Your mind should be focused on your triceps surae. Put a wooden board under your feet to fully stretch the calf triceps. In this way, when you lift your heels, you will need to use more force, so that the calf triceps can be exercised more thoroughly. The movement is the same as the weighted squat, except that the weight is carried on the toes when squatting and standing up. When both legs are fully straightened, lower your heels to relax your calf triceps, then lift your heels again and use your toes to support your body as you perform the movement. Inhale when you stand up and exhale when you squat, and your mind should be focused on your calf triceps.

4. Seated weighted calf raise

Sit down with the barbell on your thighs, close to your knees, hold the bar with both hands, and place your feet on a 10 cm thick wooden board with your heels exposed. Lift your heels and tense your calf triceps as much as possible. Pause for a moment, then lower your heels below the surface of the board until they can't go any lower. Then redo it. Inhale as you lift your heels, and exhale as you lower them.

If you feel that the above leg exercise methods are not simple enough, then the easiest way to exercise your leg muscles is to jump rope, and you can jump rope as long as you have time, whether at home or at work. And you can jump as long as you want, it will not be affected by time. Jumping rope every day can not only make the leg muscles clearer, but also make the heart healthier.