Lower Body Workout For Women

  

 

A lower body workout is by far one of the most important workouts that you will do in the gym. The lower body consists of the hip, knee, quadriceps, hamstrings, ankle joints, glutes, calves, thighs and possibly the core. 

 

Strong leg muscles help to keep your body grounded. Studies have shown that the larger the muscle is, the more blood is required to get oxygen to fuel the muscle during exercise; thereby resulting in more calories being burnt. The leg muscles are also located further away from the heart than the upper body, making the heart work harder to pump blood to these regions. In the long run, lower-body workouts can prevent chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and heart disease. It can also help improve posture and make daily tasks such as walking, running, jumping and even lunging far easier!

 

It is recommended to train your lower body at least three times a week – working on different parts of the lower body. For example, you could work on calves one day, thighs the next day and hips on the third day. Whichever exercises you choose as your combination a lower body workout can at the minimum last 20 minimum and even go up to an hour! 

 

Some of the main workouts for the lower body include leg presses, calf raises, deadlifts, leg curls, squats, leg extensions, lunges, glute bridge, step-ups, bodyweight squats, jump squats, seated calf raises, hip thrust, bicycle crunch, mountain climbers, pilates frog, sumo dumbbell deadlifts, crab walks, kettlebell swings, goblet squats, Bulgarian split squat, Romanian deadlifts, walking lunges, back squats, etc. 

     

Today my workout consisted of squats, machine leg extension, 45-degree incline leg press, lying/prone leg curl, dumbbell calf raise, abs crunch and cycling.

 

Warm-ups: 

 

1)    Jumping jacks:

Jumping jacks are an excellent warmup exercise to get the heart rate up, increase circulation of blood to muscles and act as a form of dynamic stretching of the hips, shoulders and back. Also known as the star jump, this exercise works your glutes, quadriceps, hip flexors, and abdominal and shoulder muscles. It is an excellent way to burn calories! All you have to do is stand with your legs straight and arms to your sides. You then jump and spread your feet while simultaneously bringing your arms above your head. You again jump and lower your arms and bring your legs back together. This is repeated for as many times as you want to. There are many different variations of jumping jacks such as squat jack, rotational jack, low impacting jumping jacks, etc.       

2)    Butt Kicks:  

Also known as bum kicks, this exercise helps to boost muscle strength and endurance by only using body weight as resistance. All you have to do is stand straight and slowly bring your right heel to your buttocks (contracting your hamstring muscle) and then do the same to the other heel (left) It is very similar to jogging in place, but a bit slower with more emphasis on how high the kick is. This process should be done for at least 30 seconds, which of course can be extended depending on the fitness level that you are at.

   

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3)    Alternate Back Lunges:

While forward and reverse lunges both work the glutes, legs and abs; alternate back lunges hone in the hamstring (back of thighs) and glute. Similar to front lunges, you have to stand straight with arms by your side. You then have to take a large step ‘backwards’ with your left foot. You can place your arms on your thighs for balance. Your hips have to be neutral. You then bring in your left foot and repeat the same process with the right foot. Another way to do this exercise is either with both your hands parallel above the ground or above your head.

 

EXERCISE

                         

SQUATS:

Targeting your glutes, quadriceps and even your core; squats also help your hip muscles, calves, hamstrings and obliques. You also burn calories and also strengthen your tendons, bones and ligaments. You can do this exercise with free body weight or even with a barbell. There are many variations of this exercise Some of them include back squat, front squat, hack squat, overhead squat, Zecher squat, Steinborn squat, deep knee bend on toes, single leg squat, loaded squat jump, belt squat, shrimp squat, sumo squat, pistol squat, etc. The most important squat is the free squat. This form is very effective and an idea of 12-15 repetitions for 3 sets is ideal. This exercise is performed by standing straight and simply squatting (acting as if you are sitting on an invisible chair) and then lifting yourself back up. It is important to make sure your knees never go past your toes to make sure you get the correct form. This should be repeated for 12-15 times for 3 sets. If performed well you add a weight and then perform the same.    

 

MACHINE LEG EXTENSION: 

Mainly working the quadriceps muscles of the front of the thighs, this exercise helps to build lower body strength and muscle in this area. This machine uses a lever machine. All you have to do is sit on a padded seat and raise a padded bar with your legs. This machine helps to build lower body strength and muscles. All you have to do is sit on the machine leg extension, hold the padded bars on both sides and lift your legs up until your knees are at 90 degrees. You then return back to the starting position and keep repeating the process for 12-15 times. While you lift your legs up you have to inhale and when you return your legs back down you have to exhale. This has to be repeated for 12-15 times for 3 sets. You can also do variations of this exercise with ankle weights or a standing leg extension with a resistance band. It is important to pay attention to the speed of the leg extension and make sure you do not extend your legs at a fast speed or lock your knees when you are at full extension.

 

45-degree INCLINE LEG PRESS:

 

The 45-degree leg press is an excellent machine to work the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. In this exercise, the torso remains stabilised and only the legs remain isolated and exposed to a higher volume than with free weight. An outstanding compound push exercise that targets the quadriceps and glutes, this plate-loaded machine is not that easy to do! You have to select the most appropriate weight to lift and sit comfortably on the machine. You have to ensure the angle of the padded back support is appropriate and is roughly perpendicular to the glute support. You then have to raise your legs upwards with your feet flat on the lever apparatus or sledge support. You have to fully extend the hips and knees. You also have to make sure that you release the safety pin apparatus and hold the handles on both sides of the machine. You have to lower the lever, flexing your hips and bending your knees. You have to descend until you have hit the desired depth and then again raise your legs upwards again. This has to be repeated for 12-15 times for 3 sets.    

 

LYING/PRONE LEG CURL: 

Also known as leg curls, this machine is an isolation exercise that targets the back of the leg – the hamstring and calf muscles. It can be performed in many different positions i.e. seated leg curl and the lying leg curl. However, in standing leg curls and lying leg curls your hips are at an extension whereas in seated leg curls your hips are flexed. In the lying/prone leg curl, you have to lie down on the lying leg curls machine, stretching your legs out behind you fully. You then have to grasp the support handles on either side. You then have to exhale and flex your knees, pulling your ankles close to your buttocks. Then pause for a moment and inhale as you slowly return your feet to the starting position in a very slow and controlled manner. This needs to be repeated 12-15 times for 3 sets. There are other variations of this machine such as standing leg curl, standing leg curl with resistance band, seated leg curl, etc. Some often overlooked errors are when the leg pad is too high or you do not use the right weight.             

 

DUMBBELL CALF RAISE:

Training your calves is very important to build endurance, strength and explosiveness. Moreover, this exercise helps to improve ankle stability and overall balance. Calf raises works the plantar muscles of the feet. Most often weights (dumbbells) are added for this exercise.  It is very easy to do this exercise. All a person needs to do is stand straight with both dumbbells in their hands, arms resting on the thighs. A person then needs to raise their heels off the ground, contracting their calves. They then slowly return to the starting position and repeat this process 15-20 times for 2-3 sets. It is important to pay attention to the direction of the toes. Toes pointing inwards hit the outer head harder while toes pointing outwards work the inner head.  

 

CRAB WALKS: 

This exercise is an excellent full-body workout that promotes joint strength, core stability, strength and power. It is an intense upper-body workout and core exercise where your own body weight is used for resistance. It can help to burn fat and tone your back, arms, shoulders, core, legs and hamstrings. It is quite an awkward movement. You have to first sit on the ground with your legs in front of you. You then have to lift your thighs above the ground and tighten your abs. You then have to place one foot in front of the other and move in a forward direction. Your palms have to be flat on the ground, behind your butt. This is an extremely beneficial exercise to perform as it helps to improve your posture, agility and coordination.  This exercise should be repeated for 1 minute for 2-3 sets. 

 

DEADLIFTS:

 

This exercise is known as the king of compound exercises. It is excellent for strength-building and gaining muscle. A lot of muscles are involved in this exercise: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, back, hip, calves, forearms and core. It involves lifting a barbell or any other training tool off the floor. In this exercise, you use the largest muscles in your lower body. 

 

A person has to lift the barbell off the ground to their thigh level – using mainly your leg and hip muscles. This exercise is performed using a bar with plates/ fixed barbells or even dumbbells. In this exercise, all a person has to do is stand shoulder-width apart. The feet should point straight ahead or they can angle out slightly. The abdominal muscles have to be stabilised. 

 

The barbell has to be lifted by pushing upwards. This bar should not graze the shins and rest around thigh level, once you reach full height. You have to then squat down, bending the knees. This movement is similar to the squat but is not exactly the same. The back has to be straight or even slightly arched and not rounded at the shoulders or spine. The shoulders should be pulled back as much as possible when lifting upwards. In short, it is a small movement lifting the barbell off the ground and back. This exercise not only builds muscle mass but also helps to increase metabolism and build up your functional fitness.

 

GLUTE BRIDGE: 

 This exercise is an excellent way to activate your glutes and increase your core stability. It is a very simple exercise that fights under activity in your glutes, back pain, and tightness in your back. All you have to do is lie on your back, with your knees about shoulder-width apart, your feet flat on the ground and knees bent. You then have to raise your hips, engage your glutes and squeeze your abs. You then slowly move back to the floor. You then repeat the process. There are many different variations of this exercise: bodyweight glute bridge, weighted glute bridge, weighted frog glute bridge, elevated glute bridge and marching glute bridge. If you want to make this exercise a bit more challenging then cross your arms over your chest or extend them straight into the air in front of you. Glute bridges help to strengthen the mind-muscle connection for many women.