Top 10 Lower Body Workouts Anyone Can Try at Home

 Having a hard time going to the gym? Fear no more!

In this article, we’ll be breaking down 10 in home lower body workouts anyone can try at home and their exercises. No gear needed for these workouts, just some space and a cup water waiting for your disposal.

There’re 3 main parts in this article:

If you’re familiar with the basic lower body exercises, just get into the first section 10 Lower Body Workouts That Can Be Done Anywhere right away.

If you want more guidance on the basics, check out the second section Lower Body Exercises Breakdown.

And the last section is about what you should do before and after working out.

1. 10 Lower Body Workouts That Can Be Done Anywhere

If you’re familiar with the basic lower body exercises, just read on this section.

If you’d like to have more guidance on each exercise listed in these 10 workouts, take a look at the following part Lower Body Exercises Breakdown.

1. The Starter Workout

3 sets of 8-12 reps of:
Squat
Single Leg Deadlift
Glute Bridge

(30 sec to 2 min rest in between each set)

2. The 7 Minute Workout

3 rounds of 30 seconds of each exercise:
Walking Lunges
Quarter Squat
Step Up
Single Leg Deadlift

(1 min rest in between each round)

3. The Unilateral Workout

4 sets of 16 reps of:
Reverse Lunges
Single Leg Deadlift
Skater Squat
Single Leg Glute Bridge

(30 sec to 1 min rest in between each set)

4. The Endurance Workout

2 sets of 20-50 reps of:
Squat
Walking Lunge
Single Leg Deadlift
Glute Bridge

(1-2 min rest in between each set)

5. The Back To Back Lower Body Workout

5 rounds of 10 to 20 seconds of each exercise:
Skater Squat
Step Up
Single Leg Deadlift
Single Leg Glute Bridge
Quarter Squat

(30 min rest in between each round)

6. Strength Lower Body Workout

5 to 10 sets of 4 reps of:
Walking Lunge
Single Leg Deadlift
Squat

(30 sec to 2 mins of rest time in between set)

7. Glute Burner Workout

4 sets of 10-30 reps of:
Walking Lunge
Single Leg Deadlift
Single Leg Glute Bridge
Quarter Squat

(1 min of rest time in between set)

8. The Advance Lower Body Workout

3 rounds of 20 seconds of:
Squat
Walking Lunge
Skater Squat
Reverse Lunge
Glute Bridge
Single Leg Deadlift

(2 mins of rest time in between set)

9. The Quick Lower Body Workout

2 sets of 10 reps of:
Reverse Lunge
Step Up
Single Leg Deadlift

10. The 100 Repetition Challenge

2 sets of 50 reps on each leg of:
Walking Lunge
Single Leg Deadlift

(4 mins of rest time in between set)

2. Lower Body Exercises Breakdown

Here’s the breakdown of the lower body exercises that you found in the workouts listed in the first section of this article.

1. Squat




Life Hack

A squat is a compound movement which entails the recruitment of a majority of your lower body (quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles, spinal erectors).

How to squat:

Feet shoulder width apart or a little wider. Toes pointed slightly out, arms out in front of you. Sit into your heels till you hit parallel with your butt and knee, drive through the heels, return to starting position and repeat.

2. Walking Lunges


Life Hack

A lunge is a complex movement which recruits mainly the lower body.

The walking lunges are a harder version of a split squat which is stationary and then adds the component of stepping and keeping balance which engages the gluteus medius as well as allowing a larger range of motion.

3. Reverse Lunge


Life Hack

A reverse lunge is very similar to the split squat but instead, after every rep, you are returning to the starting position and stepping back.

By reverse stepping, you are allowing for a better emphasis on the hamstrings and gluteal muscles as opposed to the quadriceps muscles in a forward stepping lunge.

4. Quarter Squat


Life Hack

A quarter squat is the top ¼ movement of a squat. This will work mainly the gluteal muscles as it emphasizes the hip extension and not a lot of range of motion on the quadriceps muscles.

5. Skater Squat


Life Hack

A skater squat is a unilateral variation of the squat, this squat really engages the gluteus medius and hamstrings as it works unilateral stability and hip flexion which fires both the hamstrings and glutes.

6. Step Up


Life Hack

The Step Up is the greatest balance of getting the glutes and quadriceps muscles firing. Doing Step Ups will not only get the glutes going, but the quadriceps as well. 

7. Glute Bridge


Life Hack

Glute Bridges are a great way to nearly isolate the glutes and build a great butt. This entire movement works through hip extension which the main movement of the gluteal muscles.

8. Single Leg Glute Bridge


Life Hack

Single leg glute bridge ensures that we are evenly building the glutes and not relying too heavily on our dominant leg and symmetrical butt. The step up can be done in a chair or a step in the stairs

9. Single Leg Deadlift


Life Hack

Single Leg RDL’s engage that entire booty and hamstrings, especially the gluteus medius due to its unilateral stability property. This is a great way to spice up some routine deadlifts.

3. Before & After Working Out

Before engaging in any physical activity, consult a doctor if you have not worked out in years. However, if you want to go at it without consulting a doctor, start slow and build your way up. Even though it’s home workout, use dynamic stretching or some light jogging as a warm up before starting the lower body workouts.

Finally, at the end of the lower body workout, use static stretching to reduce injuries and to calm down your heart rate gradually.

Related:Tabata 4 Minute body weight workout 

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Top 15 Static Stretching Exercises to Totally Enhance Your Workout Routine

Stretching is one of those aspects of fitness that many people conveniently forget about. Perhaps you’re one of those who consider stretching nothing but a mere chore meant for ballerinas and gymnasts.

Well… you’re wrong!
Everyone needs stretching! Irrespective of your reasons for working out, be it for sports or personal fitness, one thing is certain – stretching can help you. Stretching – static or dynamic – comes with myriads of benefits – such as improvement in flexibility and reduction in muscle tightness – which ultimately allow you to go through your workout routines with greater efficiency.
For the purpose of this article, though, we’ll zero in on static stretching and take a look at its benefits and when it should be done. Finally I’ll cap it up by revealing 15 great static stretching exercises that’ll help keep your whole body in tip-top condition. So sit back, relax and enjoy!

Benefits of static stretching

Static stretching comes with tons of benefits that can help you to make the most of your workout routine. Some of them include:

1. Improved flexibility

Alright! Here’s the deal – if you want to perform better, flexibility is of tremendous importance, irrespective of the specific workouts you do. And luckily enough, static stretching is all you need to get all the flexibility you desire.
Flexibility, also known as the range of motion (ROM) around a joint, has been shown by several studies to be improved by static stretching. And although the specific mechanism through which this occurs is still unclear, static stretching has been shown to greatly increase joint flexibility^[2] and tissue length,^[3] which work in tandem to make your workout more effective.

2. Decreased risk of injury

If you’re looking to push yourself to your training limits without coming down with injuries, then stretching will do you a great service. Research has shown time and time again, that performing the right stretch exercises pre- and post-workout greatly helps with injury prevention.^[4]
So, how does it work? Well, think of it this way:
When you stretch you literally push your joints and muscle fibers to their limit. This increases the stretch tolerance in these muscles and joints over time and the increased tolerance allows you to perform more rigorous exercises without negatively impacting your body or risking an injury.

3. Increased blood flow and nutrient supply to the joints

Another benefit of stretching is increased blood flow – and by extension, nutrient supply – to the joints and muscles of the target areas. This, in turn, improves the performance of these muscles and joints due to the availability of more nutrients, improved oxygenation and removal of metabolites.
For static stretching though, the mechanism of action isn’t as straightforward. When stretching statically, blood flow (capillary oxygenation) temporarily reduces due to vascular compression.
However, immediately after releasing the stretch, the blood flow to these areas nearly doubles the pre-stretching levels. Thus, blood flow increases.

4. Improvement in recovery

If you’ve been working out for some time, then you’ve probably discovered that a rigorous workout session can leave you battling with sore muscles… for days!
Recovery essentially means getting rid of this soreness and returning your muscle fibres back to their tip-top condition.
So, how does stretching come in? See…that’s the thing, research has shown that practicing static stretching after your workout session helps to reduce muscle soreness. And while some may argue that this effect is minimal, the fact still remains that stretching does help shorten your recovery time.
Stretching allows tissues to be better hydrated after the induced tension is released and this encourages the inflammation and faster repair of such tissues.
Other reasons why you really should incorporate stretching into your workout include:

• Improved relaxation
• Increased movement efficiency
• Reduction in the risk of lower back pain
• Reduction in muscular tension
• Improvement in neuromuscular coordination
• Improvement in balance and postural awareness
• Provision of relief from cramping

Alrighty! Now that it’s crystal clear that stretching does your body a world of good, let’s dive right into the actual stretching exercises.


Read More: Top 10 Lower Body Workouts Anyone Can Try at Home

15 Great static stretching exercises you should start doing

Here are some amazing exercises that will keep your body in tip-top condition and take your workout routine to the next level.

1. Neck stretch

While sitting tall or standing, place your right arm gently on the right side of your head and place the other arm straightly on your side.

• Slowly pull your head towards your right shoulder until you can feel the stretch on the left side of your neck.
• Hold for about 30 seconds before releasing.
• Repeat for the opposite side.

2. Chest Stretch

Stand right, with your fingers interlocked behind your back, near your buttocks.

• While keeping your shoulder blades together and your back straight, push your arms up behind you, until you feel the stretch in your chest.
• Hold for about 20-30 seconds before releasing.

3. Cross-body shoulder stretch

Stand right or sit tall

• Extend one arm to your front to shoulder height.
• Grab the extended arm with your other arm and pull it towards your chest while keeping the extended arm straight.
• Continue the pull until you feel the stretch in your shoulder.
• Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for the other arm.

4. Triceps stretch

• Lift your arms overhead with both arms slightly behind your head and bent at the elbow.
• Use your right hand to pull your left elbow until you feel a stretch in your triceps.
• Hold for about 30 seconds and repeat for the other arm.

5. Biceps stretch

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• With your fingers pointing away from your body, place your two palms flat on the floor behind you.
• While your hands are steadily in place, slowly slide your butt downward toward your feet until you can feel the stretch in your biceps, shoulders and chest.
• Hold for about 30 seconds before release.

6. Wrist stretch

• While Standing straight or sitting tall, extend your right arm forward to shoulder height with your fingers pointing towards the ceiling.
• Grab your right fingers with your left hand and pull your right hand to bend the wrist until you can feel the stretch
• Hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat for the opposite arm.

7. Side stretch

• Stand straight with your feet hip-wide apart.
• Take your right arm and reach over your head towards your left side while bending your side.
• Keep bending your side slowly until you can feel a stretch on your right side.
• Maintain this position for about 30 seconds and repeat for the opposite side.

8. Abdominal stretch

• Lie down on your stomach with your face towards the ground and your palms facing the floor as though you’re about to do a push up.
• While keeping your pelvis firmly on the floor, gently push up your upper body from the ground. This should make your feel some stretch in your abs.
• Maintain this position for about 30 seconds before releasing.

9. Reclined spinal twist

• Lie down facing the ceiling, with your arms extended to the sides and placed on the floor.
• While keeping the right leg extended, pull up your left knee towards your chest, tilt it toward your right side and then drop it slowly over your extended right leg.
• Keep your shoulder blades flat on the ground and you should feel the stretch around your back
• Hold for about 30 seconds and repeat for the opposite side.

10. Low-back stretch

• Lie on the ground facing the ceiling, with your knees bent.
• Hold your shins and pull up your knees toward your chest.
• This should make you feel some stretch in your lower back.
• Hold for about 30 seconds before releasing.

11. Hip flexor stretch

• Stand right in a standard lunge position.
• Place your two hands on your hips.
• Step out on your right foot into mini-lunge position, without your knee going beyond your right toe.
• Hold for about 30 seconds and repeat for the left side.

12. Glutes stretch

• Sit tall on the ground with both knees bent and both feet on the floor.
• Lift your right leg and cross it over your left thigh, while your left knee remains bent.
• Pull both legs inwards toward your abdomen for a deep stretch of your glutes.
• Hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat with the other leg.

13. Quadriceps stretch

• Stand tall while maintaining a straight posture.
• With your left hand, grab a pole, wall or anything durable for balance.
• With your right hand, grab your right foot and pull up your heels until they touch your buttocks.
• Keep your knees close together while doing this and you should feel the stretch in your quadriceps.
• Hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat for the other side.

14. Hamstring stretch

• Sit on the floor with your right leg extended straight in front of you and your left leg bent.
• Reach forward with your right hand and touch your right toes. This should cause a stretch in your right hamstring.
• Hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat for the left leg.
• If you’re unable to reach your toes, try holding your shin instead but seek to go further every time you perform the stretch until you can touch your toes.

15. Calf stretch

• Sit on the ground and extend your right foot straight in front of you.
• Gently pull your right toes backwards with your right hand. This should cause a noticeable stretch in your calf.
• Hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat for the left leg.
• If you’re unable to reach your toes, use a rope or towel to pull your toes inward.

When should you be doing static stretches?

Static stretching is great…when done correctly and at the right time. Over the years, research has shown that static stretching produces best results when done after working out or on rest days,^[6] but not as a part of warm up exercises before an explosive workout session.
This is because static stretching exercises have a “cool-down” effect on the muscles and are more effective when done after the muscles are already warm.
So, does that mean you must never ever perform static stretches before working out? Certainly not! You can, but it should be kept to the barest minimum.
Dynamic stretches – that involve more movement – are generally recommended for warming up as it helps the body to prepare better for the work ahead.

The bottom line

Carving out the body of your dreams isn’t only about lifting weights and running, you need to keep your body “elastic” if you’re going to make the most of your training. And that’s the whole point of stretching exercises.
So, starting today, be sure to incorporate these static stretching exercises into your routine and in no time, you’ll find yourself recovering faster and performing better than ever before.
Just remember to keep these stretches a part of your post-workout dessert for maximum benefit.

You’ve got this!

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Traditional Warm-Up VS Dynamic Stretching Instead

 The most important part of your workout begins with the warm-up. It gets your mind, body, and muscles ready to tackle the workout. When we were younger we learned in gym class the importance of stretching before activities, but maybe it isn’t intense enough. What if there were another way to stretch your muscles that targets the muscles you’re about to work out? I’m talking about dynamic stretching which is a more effective and systematic warm-up exercise. Keep reading to learn new techniques to intensify your warm-ups.

What Exactly Is Dynamic Stretching?

I’m glad you asked! In short, it’s “stretching as you are moving”. Some examples would be: high kicks, jump squats, jump lunges, and knee-to-chest. The type of stretching you’re probably used to doing is called static stretching. It requires little movement, such as reaching down to touch your toes.

How Is It Different from Traditional Warm-Up?

Simply put, it’s more effective than traditional stretching. When you’re engaging in static stretching you are loosening up your muscles, but it doesn’t necessarily get them ready for what you’re about to perform. It’s more laid back which can trick your mind into relaxation mode. This can make for a difficult transition from a period of rest mode to work mode. Dynamic stretching helps improve the range of motion around your joints, reducing the risk of injury during your workout. Over time your performance will improve as well as maximizing your movements due to increased flexibility of your joints.

How Can I Benefit from Dynamic Stretching?

What’s so great about it? I’ve already listed some differences above, but check out what I’m about to tell you below. You’ll be glad you did.

• It’s a full body warm-up. It warms up your body even faster than a low-level aerobic activity such as a walk or run on the treadmill. It builds up intensity before the actual event and prepares the body for peak performance. When you engage in a dynamic warmup, it helps your body prepare itself for the demands you’re about to put it through.
• It improves kinesthetic awareness. It prepares the body for all the different movements you’ll be doing. Dynamic stretching mimics the exercises you’ll perform during a workout to help your body prepare for those movements. Kinesthetic awareness is being able to understand where your body is in time and space. To give you an example, try touching the tips of your fingers together. Having this awareness is very important when working out or playing a sport.
• You’ll be way more flexible! Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint. Dynamic stretching improves the range of motion of the joints which will help you to perform better and could reduce the risk of an injury.

6 Simple Dynamic Stretching You Can Try to Reap the Benefits

1. Lunge with a twist

via The Exercist on Tumblr

1. Stand with feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Step forward with your left foot into a lunge position.
3. From your torso, twist your upper body to the left. Then, reach across your left side with your arms outstretched. (Think of pointing to the left from your belly button.)
4. Maintain a slow, controlled movement throughout the exercise.
5. Slowly move your arms to center and step forward with the opposite foot and twist to the other side.

2. Side lunge touching heel

via POPSUGAR

1. Begin with the knees and hips slightly bent, feet hip-width apart, and the head and chest up.
2. Staying low, take a slow, lateral step to the right. Keep your toes pointed forward and stay low. Extend the left knee, driving your weight to the right, flexing the knee and hip into a side lunge.
3. As you lower yourself, reach across with your left hand to touch your right heel or ankle. Maintain good posture through the entire spine, keeping your head and chest up.
4. Pause at the bottom of the motion, and then extend through the working leg to return to a standing position, transitioning into a lunge to the opposite side.

3. Arm circles

via Womanista

1. Stand up and extend your arms straight out to the sides. The arms should be parallel to the floor and perpendicular (90-degree angle) to your torso. This will be your starting position.
2. Slowly start to make circles of about 1 foot in diameter with each outstretched arm. Breathe normally as you perform the movement.
3. Continue the circular motion of the outstretched arms for about ten seconds. Then reverse the movement, going the opposite direction.

4. Hip stretch with a twist

via Greatist

1. Start in the push-up position with your back flat and hands and toes squarely on the ground.
2. Bring one knee forward so that your foot is flat on the ground just behind the plane of your hands.

5. High kicks

via Runwell.com

1. Reach your right arm straight out in front of you, parallel with the ground. Your hand should be flat with your palm facing the ground.
2. Step forward to put your weight on your left foot and kick your right foot up towards your hand with your toes flexed. You should work towards touching your toes to your palm.
3. Repeat, alternating legs.

6. Jump squats

via POPSUGAR

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Start by doing a regular squat, then engage your core and jump up explosively.
3. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep. Land as quietly as possible which requires control.
4. Do two or three sets of 10 reps.

The warm-up is the most important part of a workout to prepare mentally and physically. Dynamic stretching is an effective way to stretch muscles because it targets the muscles you’re about to work out, making it a more effective and systematic warm-up. Try these new techniques to intensify your warm-ups!

Read More: Top 10 Lower Body Workouts Anyone Can Try at Home 

Benefits Of Cooling Down After Exercise

         HaveFunKeepFit

Working out triggers the supportive nervous system, the part of the nervous system that is responsible for your body's "flight or battle" response. This is your body's physiologic response to challenges such as running from a saber tooth tiger, defending your house versus an intruder, or mobilizing the nerve to ask someone for a day. Your eyes dilate, heart rate rises, high blood pressure surges (actually, your blood can pump 400 - 600 percent more than when at rest), as well as your arteries reroute your blood circulation away from your abdomen and to your heart, brain, and also extremities (if they are active). When you exercise utilizing your arms and legs, the arteries in your extremities expand to enable blood to stream to them. When you quit exercising, your thoughtful nerves turns off as well as your parasympathetic nervous system activates.

The parasympathetic nerves takes control of when you go to remainder, such as instantly after a big meal. Your blood pressure declines, your capillary kick back and also expand, blood moves to your abdominal area, as well as your heart price slows down. The blood that only moments ago was being strongly pumped by your sympathetically charged heart no more has that solid press, as well as tends to swimming pool in your extremities. The blood does not reach your head, producing the capacity for fainting. This can be prevented by cooling down after you exercise.

Cool down for 5-10 minutes with low intensity activity like slow walking. Helps your heart rate and breathing to return towards resting levels gradually; helps avoid fainting or dizziness, which can result from blood pooling in the large muscles of the legs when vigorous activity is stopped suddenly helps to remove waste products from your muscles, such as lactic acid, which can build up during vigorous activity (lactic acid is most effectively removed by gentle exercise rather than stopping suddenly); and helps to prepare your muscles for the next exercise session. Static stretching for 10 minutes or so is a great way to relax and improve flexibility.

Always remember to cool off after working out. This provides your muscles a chance to kick back and also stops your high blood pressure from dropping rapidly, which can happen if your blood is enabled to pool in your extremities.