The 10 best exercises for legs with elastic bands

Leg exercises with elastic bands

Want to intensify your leg workouts at home but don’t have the space (or budget) for bulky machines? Banded leg exercises may be the quick fix you’re looking for. They can help you target different parts of your leg that you might have neglected and can give you amazing results.

So if you don’t already have one, get yourself a set of resistance bands – they’re a great addition to your home gym and strength training routine.

Whether it’s the little loops or the longer bands with handles, it’s hard to beat the versatility of resistance bands. ” They’re cheap, lightweight, and useful for everyone from beginners to experts ,” says Angelo Poli, author of MetPro: The Science of Transformation.

Depending on how you anchor them and the movement you perform, bands allow you to work in virtually any plane—side-to-side, rotational, forward and backward—helping you target muscles and movements that are hard to reach. otherwise.

This is especially helpful when training the lower body, and can help with injury prevention and overall development. Add the following 10 moves to your list of leg exercises .

1. Clam

• Place a short resistance loop around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Lie on your left side with your legs and feet stacked, and your knees and hips bent at 90 degrees.
• Keeping your feet together, raise your right knee as high as possible.
• Pause, lower your knee slowly, and repeat.
• Complete a full set of reps on your right side, then turn around and perform the same number on your left.

2. Deadlift

• Holding a resistance band handle in each hand, place your feet shoulder-width apart in the center of the band. Keep them there throughout the exercise.
• With an overhand grip, hold the handles at chest height, pulling the band taut.
• Slightly bend your knees.
• Keeping your shoulders back and your lower back in its natural arch, bend your torso forward until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings.
• Pause, return to the starting position and repeat.

3. Donkey kicks

• Start on your hands and knees with a resistance loop around your ankles.
• With your left hand, reach behind you and slide the band around your left ankle above your left heel so that it wraps around the bottom of your foot. Return to all fours (this is the starting position).
• Keeping your feet flexed, your upper body stationary, and your legs bent at 90 degrees, kick the sole of your left foot toward the ceiling, forcefully contracting your left glute.
• Pause, return to the starting position and repeat.
• Complete a full set of reps with your left leg, then switch the position of the exercise band and perform the same number of reps with your right.

4. Fire hydrant

• Start on your hands and knees with a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Raise your left lower leg and foot a few inches off the ground (this is the starting position).
• Lift your left knee straight up to your right side.
• Pause, return to the starting position, and repeat the reps.
• Perform the same number of repetitions with the right leg.

5. Glute bridges

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Wrap a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Contract your abdomen and keep it tight throughout the movement.
• Press your feet into the ground, lifting your pelvis until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
• Hold the top position for a count of two.
• Slowly reverse the movement – don’t collapse your hips – and return to the starting position.

6. Clam glute bridge

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Wrap an elastic band around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Contract your abdomen and keep it tight throughout the movement.
• Press your feet into the ground, lifting your pelvis until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. This is the initial position.
• Keeping your feet on the ground, slowly spread your knees as far apart as you can.
• Hold the position for a count of 1, slowly return to the starting position and repeat the reps.

7. Rear glute kick

• Stand with your feet slightly apart and an elastic band around your ankles. Shift your weight onto your left foot. This is the initial position.
• Without leaning forward, slightly bend your right knee and slowly push your right leg back as far as possible.
• Squeeze your right glute as hard as you can for a count of one, then return to the starting position. Repeat the reps.
• Perform the same number of repetitions with the left leg.

8. Side walks

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward. Wrap an elastic band around your thighs, just above your knees. Assume a half squat position. This is the initial position.
• Take a big step directly to your right with your right foot, then “catch up” the same distance with your left foot. Don’t put your feet together.
• Repeat two more times.
• Repeat the same sequence, this time taking a step to the left.
• Alternate in this way – three steps to the right, three steps to the left – throughout the series.

9. Overhead Squat Press

• Standing, hold the handles of a medium-length resistance band.
• Place your feet shoulder-width apart in the center of the band and keep them that way throughout the exercise.
• Hold the handles at shoulder height, palms facing out.
• Keeping your back straight, eyes straight ahead, and chest up, bend your knees and push your hips back, lowering as far as you can without leaning forward.
• Keeping your shoulders back and your lower back in its natural arch, reverse the movement and stand up.
• Press the handles at arm’s length above your head.
• Pause, slowly lower the handles to shoulder height, and repeat.

10. Stepping Back Slams

• Stand with an elastic band around your ankles. Shift your weight onto your left foot.
• Without leaning forward, step straight back with your right foot, tapping the sole of your foot on the ground.
• Reverse the movement, returning to the starting position.
• Repeat the movement with the left leg.
• Alternate sides for the prescribed number of reps.