Bodyweight Exercises for Strong Legs
I love single-leg exercises for when you can't get to the gym or even when you can. These exercises are great not only for building leg and glute strength, but for improving mobility and stability.
Tips:
Bulgarian split squats: Measure front foot distance by sitting on the edge of the bench and extending the front leg all the way out with toe pointed. Go as low as you can, aiming to bring front thigh parallel to the ground. Keep spine neutral and use the power from the front glutes to rise.
Step ups: Hinge at the hip and incline the body forward. Aim to put as little weight as possible on the back foot. Drive through the front foot to step all the way up, trying your best not to "help" your front leg by kicking with the back leg. Ideally, the back foot should tap lightly on the ground instead of stepping all the way down.
Single leg deadlifts: Most effective if you can find some sort of weight to hold in the same hand as the standing leg. Keep your spine neutral, hips face downwards. Try not to open from the hip of the back leg. Contract glutes of the standing leg to bring yourself upright, slight hip thrust at the end of the action without extending from the lower back.
Pistol squats: Can be modified by placing a bench behind you. Sit back on the bench for each rep and stand up again unassisted. When that gets easy, lower the bench. If you're unable to go all the way down without falling backwards or feeling the heel lift off, work on ankle dorsiflexion and calf stretching.
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