Leg day is a dreaded event for many women, and it might cause them to stay on the treadmill rather than work out with free weights. But do not worry; you can achieve that with these best leg exercises for women that we have talked about in today's article.
Jogging on a treadmill will not give you the desired results to improve your leg shape and tone. You need to do cardio and weight training to get the best results, either with free weights or machines. Instead of making you look masculine or unattractive, having well-toned and muscular legs gives you legs to die for! It is time to get the legs you have always wanted, so why not give these leg exercises a try?
15 Best Leg Exercises for Women
This section has listed information about the 15 leg exercises that every woman should include in their legs workout plan. So let us get started.
1. Back Squat
A back squat is a great way to target your posterior chain, including the glutes and hamstrings.
How to do it:
- Stand shoulder-width apart with a barbell strapped to your traps. Toes should be pointed outward, and your attention should be forward.
- Then sit back on your hips, bend your knees, and lower yourself to the ground. To keep your knees from collapsing inward, move them slightly outward.
- Lower your thighs until they are parallel to the ground or as far down as your mobility allows, then push yourself back to the beginning position.
2. Bodyweight Squats
Bodyweight squats are one of the best leg exercises for women. You will require no equipment to do this exercise, and it will help you give strength to your legs.
How to do it:
- Stand slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed out, arms at your sides, palms in is a good starting position for this leg workout.
- As you move your weight to your heels, push your hips back, bend your knees to lower into a squat, engage your core and keep your chest raised and your back flat. Make a fist by bending your elbows and bringing your palms together. If you prefer, you can hold your hands in front of your chest the entire time.
- One rep is complete after your stand on your heels and squeezes your glutes at the apex of the movement.
3. Goblet Squat
The quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings are all worked in the goblet squat, one of women's most popular leg exercises. As you hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of you, your abdominals, upper back, and glutes are engaged throughout the workout. It is a little-known perk that exercise also improves hip mobility.
How to do it:
- Take an athletic stance with feet positioned wider than hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in front of you.
- Sit back and squat till your elbows contact the inside of your thighs while keeping your elbows tight.
- To exit the squat, pull yourself forward.
4. Reverse Lunge
Dumbbells or a barbell can be used for this exercise. During this exercise, the quadriceps, glutes, inner thighs, and hamstrings are all worked out. The ankle and knee are better aligned in the Reverse Lunge than in the Forward Lunge, making it a safer leg exercise.
How to do it:
- The bar rests on the shoulders and is supported by the hips in an athletic position.
- Step backward into a lunge position, keeping your weight on the front heel, with your knees bent.
- Lower the front knee so that it is almost in contact with the ground, then drive forward to the starting position and repeat with the opposite leg.
- Alternate for the stated number of repetitions.
5. Jump Squat
One of the best leg exercises for women for building lower-body strength and power is the jump squat. A conditioning workout raises your heart rate and makes you work hard for long periods.
How to do it:
- Stand little wider than hip-width apart with your feet.
- Sit back into a squat with your buttocks tucked under. Bring your thighs parallel to the ground by bending your knees.
- Extend your legs as far as you can in the air before jumping back down. Keep your back straight and your chest high while you swing your arms down by your sides for propulsion.
- With soft knees, return to the floor.
Also read: Work Out At Home With These Calorie-Burning Cardio Exercises!
6. Walking Lunge
Walking lunges tones the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves with various weights and accessories. You can count on it to get your heart rate up.
How to do it:
- Stand in an athletic position, with dumbbells at your sides.
- Bring your rear leg even with your front leg as you take a step forward and lower into a lunge, maintaining your front knee behind your toes and your back knee a bit off the ground.
- Continue alternating for the given number of reps or distance with the opposite leg.
7. Wall Sit
Wall sit is one of the best leg exercises for women as it helps give shape to calves, thighs, and lower abdominals.
How to do it:
- Bend into a 90-degree angle with your knees by resting your back against a wall.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds to one minute while keeping your back glued to the wall, your core engaged, and your arms straight out in front of you with your palms facing the floor.
- Once you have mastered the normal wall sit workout, go to a one-legged wall sit.
8. Resistance Band Side Shuffle
This leg workout helps faster activate your legs and prepares you for challenging leg exercises.
How to do it:
- A few inches above your knees, place a resistance band. Stand about hip-width apart with your feet together.
- To protect your lower back, joints, ligaments, and tendons, keep a modest bend in your knees.
- Get your core engaged and shuffle two steps right and back two steps left. To experience the pain, perform three rounds of 30 seconds to one minute each.
9. Eccentric Calf Raises
The trick to this leg exercise is to slow down and feel the burn as you descend. As an alternative to using only your body weight, you might also try holding a dumbbell in your alternate hand.
How to do it:
- Find a ledge or a step that you can use to support your weight. Place the ball of your foot on the edge of the stair, allowing your heel to slip down below.
- Stretch the back of your calf/ankle by lowering your heel down. To ensure you are standing on the tips of your toes, drive the heel up.
- The heel should be lowered back to the stretched-out position. Repeat the heel drops 10-12 times.
10. Straight Leg Kickback
This standing straight-leg kickback can be performed whenever and anywhere you like. This leg workout particularly well serves the inner thighs.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Balance yourself by leaning on a wall or chair. Maintain a long spine by using your core and glutes.
- Keep your right leg straight and float it behind you as you walk. Gentle taps on the floor can be accomplished by lowering one's body. Do not forget to switch sides at the end of each set of repetitions.
- Add resistance to your workout by wrapping a resistance band around your ankles or your thighs just above your knees.
Also read: 5 Shoulder Workout You Need To Try Today!
11. Bulgarian Split-Squat
It is a single-leg activity that is good at building strength on both the left and right sides of the body. This is one of the best leg exercises for women.
How to do it:
- Lie down with your back foot on a bench or box.
- You should hold dumbbells in both hands with your arms out to the sides of your body.
- Bend your front knee so that your thigh is level with the ground; keep it behind your toes.
- Take your hip and knee out to drive up to the starting position.
12. Hip Thrust
The hip thrust is one of the best leg exercises for women. The hip, buttocks, and quadriceps muscles get stronger because of this amazing leg exercise.
How to do it:
- With a bench in front of you and a barbell resting just below your hips, sit down on the ground.
- As you lean back, bring your hips up a little so that your shoulders rest on the bench.
- Push your hips up to raise the bar. Bend your knees at 90° in the top position. Your body should form a line from your shoulder to your knees. Slowly come down.
13. Russian Kettlebell Swing
Kettlebell swings work almost every muscle in the body, but they work the hamstrings and glutes the most.
How to do it:
- Your feet should be about hip-width apart, and your knees bent a little bit. As you move, keep your back flat and keep your core strong.
- In an overhand grip, hold the kettlebell with both hands and start with the kettlebell hanging in between your thighs with your arms straight and ready to move.
- As you lean forward, swing the kettlebell up to your eye level with your hips.
14. Side Leg Raises
Side leg raise is the best leg workout to increase the mobility of your hips.
How to do it:
- Make sure you lie on one side with your legs out straight and pile high. You can prop your torso up with your forearm, or you can rest your torso on the mat with your back flat.
- Lift your top leg toward the ceiling in a slow and controlled way so that it does not hurt. Always lift from your hip and butt, not your back.
- Return to the beginning position.
- Repeat on the other side, then.
15. Frog Pump
Frog pumps help you be more flexible and stronger in your inner thigh muscle area.
How to do it:
- Lie down on the floor or a mat with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart.
- Hold down your heels together so that your legs form a diamond shape. This is where you start. Heels should be as close to your butt as you can. You may need to move them out further to feel the move in your glutes.
- Your glutes will help you raise your butt off the mat, creating a straight line to your knees. At the top, stop for a minute or two.
- Lower down your hips back to the normal position.
Importance of Doing a Leg Workout
The muscles in your legs are some of the largest in your body. Doing a regular leg workout session will help you gain many benefits. Some of the significant benefits are listed below:
1. Increase Muscles Strength
Strength training helps the muscles get stronger due to the tension it places on them. Aside from enhancing your capacity to perform daily tasks, this has several advantages outside of the gym, such as increasing your endurance and capability to carry out your daily tasks efficiently.
2. Enhances Coordination and Balance
You might think that balance is a function of your eyesight, but it is also a function of your muscles, and having strong legs is critical to maintaining your balance.
3. Make Joints Stronger
Lifting weights may not appear to be helpful for your joints, but it helps to preserve your joints from harm by maintaining excellent muscle function and balance. Make sure that you warm-up and cool down before exercising and retain proper form - only lift weights to maintain the correct movement pattern. Progress this each week to ensure that you do not injure yourself.
Conclusion
So, these were some of the best leg exercises for women that you can include in your leg workout plan to get better-shaped legs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Should I do a leg workout every day?
A. Doing a leg workout every day and other body exercises is very beneficial in toning your legs and giving them good strength and improves overall fitness level.
Q. How many sets for legs workout?
A. Considering the benefits of leg workouts and the amount of power it generates in legs, 4-5 sets are the good number of sets you can do for your Leg Workout.
Q. How many leg exercises per workout?
A. As per your fitness level, you can choose 3-5 leg exercises per workout to get better results and make your legs strong and toned.
Also read: 13 Best Home CrossFit Workouts To Boost Your Stamina!
