Best Strength Training Exercises For Legs

When trying to figure out the best leg exercises for your fitness routine, you’ll need to first assess your fitness goals. Do you want stronger legs for running or cycling, do want to improve your flexibility and balance, or do you simply want toned thighs and shapely calves for looks?

But of course, not all exercises are confined to one achievement. As you develop your flexibility, you’ll also increase your tone. For that reason, I’ve broken the best leg exercises into three categories: flexibility, tone, and strength.

The first sets of routines are to enhance flexibility in the thighs, knees, and calves. You can do them as a warm-up for strength exercises or simply done on their own. They are:

Quad Stretch

Quad Stretch

Quad Stretch

While standing, simply grab hold of a bench or sturdy chair with one hand and use the other hand to grab your leg around the ankle. Keeping your back straight, lift your leg toward your buttocks and hold for ten seconds.

Hamstring Stretch

Lying on your back, grab the back of your thigh with both hands and pull your thigh up so it’s perpendicular to the floor. Then slowly straighten your knee. If this is too easy, then you can pull your thigh close to your chest.

Piriformis Stretch

The piriformis, the muscle in the glute and thigh region, is important for intense aerobic exercises like trail running and mountain biking. Lying on your back with your legs crossed, grab the back of your leg and pull the knee as close to your chest as possible. Feel the stretch in your hips and buttocks.

Many fitness experts use the terms “toning” and “strength training” interchangeably. For this article, we’re going to say that muscle toning workouts help develop some of the smaller muscles that support the larger muscle groups; this will give you more muscle endurance which is helpful if you’re a long distance runner or bicycler. Some of the best leg exercises for toning are done with an athletic ball. They are as follows.

Leg Hinges

Lying on your back put the ball between your feet and your feet straight up toward the ceiling. Put your hands anywhere except on your legs. Keeping thighs vertical, bend only your knees, moving only the lower legs. Repeat for 30 – 50 times.

Inner Thigh Tightener

Place the ball between your middle back and the wall keeping your feet more than hip width apart. Lower your legs into a squat until your thighs are parallel with floor. Hold then return to starting position. Repeat 20 times.

Quad Strengthener

With your feet together, lift one knee as high as you can, keeping thigh close to chest. In this position, slowly extend lower leg forward until it’s parallel to the floor. Hold for five seconds, and then lower. Repeat ten times with each leg.

Unsteady Squats

With feet shoulder-width apart, stand atop a BOSU ball, wobbly board or other unstable surface. Keeping the back vertical, squat down until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Do 20 reps.

Last but not least, leg exercises for strength training. Whether you’re a body builder, competitive runner, mountain biker, or if you just desire powerful legs, these exercises are key to your success

Lunges with Dumbells

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a 5- or 8-pound dumbbell in each hand. Lunge forward with your left leg, and then straighten your leg. When you lunge, your right knee should come to about an inch above the ground without touching it. Slowly return to starting position.

Plyometric Squats

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, squat down bending your knees so they’re parallel to the floor. Be sure your knees remain behind your toes. Now jump up and land softly again in the squat position. Use the strength in your legs and buttocks to jump. Land as softly as you can with your knees bent; keep your weight back, over your heels.

Back Squats

Before you bend your knees, you must rotate your hips forward so that your butt moves slightly backwards. Lower or squat down as if you are sitting on an imaginary chair. After you reach bottom, lead upwards with your chest and do not let your shoulders lean forward.

Whether you’re a runner, yoga practitioner, these are the best leg exercises you can perform to guarantee you success.