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Each of the leg exercises listed below should be
done with proper form to avoid injury. As with all exercises,
the better your form is, the better results you will get.
The full squat is an excellent compound exercise that utilizes
numerous lower body muscles, but it's one you should learn
properly after spending time strengthening the individual
muscles that will be utilized during the squat movement..
Wide squat
Stand straight with your feet apart, a little beyond the
shoulder width, toes pointed slightly outward and arms stretched
forward. Lean the upper body forward a bit, lower the buttocks
as if trying to sit on a chair. Do not go further than the
knee level. Take care that the knees do not flex forward
beyond the toe line.
Narrow squat
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes
pointing straight ahead, and arms stretched forward. Do
the same squat movement as in the wide squat.
Advanced level Squat
While performing the wide or narrow squat, lift one leg
slightly outward on the upward movement. Repeat with the
other leg. Use a stationary object to maintain your balance,
but avoid putting your weight on it. If this is stressful,
add heavier hand-held weights to advance your workout.
Stationary lunge
Stand straight with one foot a large step in front of the
other and hands on your hips. Bend your knees until the
back knee is about 5 centimeters above the floor. Keep your
upper body erect and do not let the front knee go beyond
the toe line. Straighten, reverse the position for opposite
leg and repeat.
Lunge
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Step forward
with one leg, landing heel first. Simultaneously, slowly
bend both knees and lower your body until the back knee
is about 5 centimeters above the floor. Keep your upper
body erect and do not let the front knee go beyond the toe
line. Return to the upright position by using a scissors
kick to bring the front leg back to the starting spot. Reverse
the position for opposite leg and repeat.
Variation
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Take a large
step moving one leg to the side. Land with the toe pointed
slightly inward. Lean the upper body forward a bit, keeping
the other leg straight. Hold for a moment. Return to the
upright position by using a scissors kick to bring the front
leg back to the starting spot. Reverse the position for
opposite leg and repeat.
Step-ups
Find a sturdy step, bench, or box that is just lower
than your knee so when you put your foot on it your thigh
will be parallel to the ground. If it´s higher it will be
hard on your knee; too much lower and it won´t be effective.
Have a support you can hold on to with one hand to steady
yourself. Step up with your right foot, up left, down right,
down left; repeat. Lead with your left foot on the second
set. You can increase the intensity by holding a weight
in your free hand. Advanced trainees sometimes do step-ups
with a barbell on their shoulders. This requires good balance
as well as strength, and a spotter. Step-ups work your quads,
glutes, and hamstrings.
Inner Thighs
For an inside thigh workout, stand sideways at the bottom
of the stairs, place your hand on the railing for balance
and put your right foot on the first stair. Cross your left
leg over your right and step your left foot onto the next
stair. Then cross your right leg under your left and step
your right foot onto the next stair after that. Continue
up the stairs, run down, and do this for five minutes.
Calve Raise
Using a 1-inch book or board of similar dimensions under
the front of the affected foot. The nonaffected leg is bent
at the knee so that the nonaffected foot is off the ground.
Hold onto a chair or wall for added support. Push off the
ball of the affected foot by lifting the heel off the ground.
Perform this motion 25 times, relax 30 seconds, then repeat
25 times, far a total of 50 repetitions.As the leg strengthens,
increase the height of the book or board from 1 to 2 inches.
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