A new lockdown doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising.
Working out at home is possible and even recommended, both for your physical and mental health.
To that end, we recommend some leg exercises to do at home that will help you stay active so you can continue to achieve your goals.
It’s true that being at home, due to yet another lockdown period Portugal is going through, can lead you to neglect physical activity. This can result in a decrease in lean body mass and an increase in fat mass.
However, it’s important to counter this trend toward a more sedentary lifestyle and dedicate a few minutes each day to working out.
Working Out During Lockdown: Why You Should Do It
By continuing to exercise at home, just as you did before lockdown, you’ll ensure your body stays active and engaged, avoiding the risk of muscle atrophy.
Similarly, regular exercise keeps your muscles and metabolism active and helps prevent an increase in body fat.
Not to mention that, by working out, you’re stimulating the production of feel-good hormones—namely dopamine and serotonin—which will make anyone feel more energized, cheerful, and happy.
After all, if there is one issue that has been gaining prominence since the start of the pandemic, it is precisely mental health.
With loss of income, unemployment, and isolation, many Portuguese people are beginning to show various signs of burnout and depressive symptoms. Exercise is a way to counteract these kinds of problems.
Simple and quick workout: 8 leg exercises to do today
Make working out at home stimulating, motivating, and even fun. Choose to train different muscle groups or body parts each day, ensuring you always have a varied workout.
Today’s focus is on leg exercises to do at home that use equipment—a key element for increasing the difficulty level and achieving better results.
Just like all the exercises you do at home, you can make progress by increasing the weight you use, the number of repetitions, or by reducing the rest period between sets.
1. Step-up on the plyo box
Start the exercise by placing one foot on the plyo box, followed by a full body lift, fully extending your thigh, and returning to the starting position.
Start with your left leg on the box and repeat 15 times. Then switch legs. Complete two sets.
Want to make the exercise more challenging? Then hold a dumbbell in each hand or a kettlebell with both hands close to your chest.
2. Squats with dumbbells or kettlebells
Squats help train not only your legs but other muscle groups as well.
To make it harder and improve your results, follow the same example as the previous exercise: hold a dumbbell in each hand or a kettlebell with both hands against your chest.
Do 20 repetitions for three sets.
3. Glute bridge with discs and band
Lie on your back on the mat, bend your knees, and extend your arms along your body. Place a resistance band appropriate for your fitness level around the middle of your thighs.
Then, lift your pelvis by contracting your abs and glutes, and lower yourself toward the floor slowly.
Place a weight plate or dumbbell on your abdomen if you want to increase the difficulty of the exercise.
Perform 15 repetitions in two sets.
4. Lunge with ankle weights and dumbbells
Start by securing the weights to your ankles. Then, spread your legs apart, stepping one foot forward until you assume the lunge position.
Bend the knee of your back leg toward the floor, creating a 90-degree angle. Your torso should be perpendicular to the floor, straight, and properly aligned with your thigh.
If you want a more challenging variation, hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Switch legs and do 15 repetitions on each leg, over two sets.
5. Bulgarian split squat with dumbbells
Place the ball of your left foot on a plyometric box behind you and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Lower the supporting knee until it touches the floor or as close as you can get. Make sure your knee doesn’t extend past your toes.
Switch legs and perform 15 repetitions on each leg, for two sets.
6. Single-leg deadlift with dumbbell or kettlebell
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in your left hand and keep your arm aligned with your body.
Bend at the waist while lowering the weight toward the floor alongside your leg and lifting your left leg straight back, forming a 90-degree angle.
Switch hands and legs and perform 15 repetitions on each side, over two sets.
7. Kettlebell Swing
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and bend your torso until your body forms a 90-degree angle.
Hold the kettlebell with both hands and arms straight. Swing the kettlebell backward between your legs and forward until your body is straight and your arms are extended in front of you. This is a fast, continuous-motion exercise.
Do 20 repetitions in two sets.
8. Side Lunge with Dumbbells
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms fully extended in front of your core. Perform a side lunge with your left leg while slightly bending your torso. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the right side.
Do two sets of 20 repetitions.
Happy training!
