Strong legs are essential for performing daily activities like walking, climbing stairs and lifting objects. Plus, this increased strength can also lead to better overall body , reducing the risk of falls and injuries. Adding weight with a set of is one of the best ways to level up bodyweight exercises that work the lower body.
Leg exercises such as and elevate your heart rate, improving your endurance while also . And adding weight is an effective way to make them an even better , improving your cardiovascular health. Add a dumbell to your lower-body workout with these 10 exercises.
Stand with your feet wider than the hips with your toes facing slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and bring them together at your chest with palms facing your body. Squeeze your abs and look forward as you push your hips backward and bend your knees.
Remember to keep your back straight as you continue to lower your butt until your hips are below your knees. Position your elbows so that they are inside your knees before pushing down through the heels to stand back up. Repeat 10 times.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang down at your sides. Step the right foot back into a position.
Brace your core and lower down until your knee almost touches the floor. Both knees should be at about a 90-degree angle. Step forward and return to standing.
Repeat 10 times before switching sides. Stand up straight, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. While bending your knees slightly, bring your shoulders back so that your chest is open.
Push your hips back so that your torso bends forward and your arms slide down in front of your shins. Thrust forward, to return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
For this move, we’ll begin by performing a traditional with a dumbbell in each hand and arms down at your side. Keeping your core engaged, squeeze your calves as you raise your heels off the ground. Once you reach the top of the motion, pause.
Hold here for a deep inhale, followed by a count of 3, and then lower back to the starting position on your exhale. Repeat 10 times. Begin with a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms hanging down toward the ground in front of your body, palms facing toward you.
With your feet wider than your shoulders and your toes turned out, squeeze your core and shift your weight onto your heels. Bend the knees out to the sides and keep the spine straight as you lower down into a squat with your back and butt in a straight line. Don’t lean forward.
Then, push your weight into your heels and squeeze your glutes as you return to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions. Stand with your feet as wide as your shoulders and a dumbbell in each hand.
Step your right foot back behind and to the left of your left foot. Bend both knees as you lower down into a . Then press down through your left heel to bring your right leg back to center.
Perform 10 reps and then switch sides. Stand with your feet as wide as your hips with a dumbbell in each hand. Put your weight into your left leg and begin to hinge at your waist, keeping your left knee soft.
Allow your arms to reach toward the floor with the weights as you hinge. Continue to hinge forward and lift your right leg up and back until your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Ensure that your hips stay square to the ground.
Pause, and then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides. Begin in a standing position with your feet as wide as your hips.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand down at your sides with palms facing toward your body. Next, step the right foot forward and bend the right knee into a 90 degree angle over your right ankle, coming into a lunge. Press down through the front heel and step forward with the back leg for another lunge.
Walk forward for 10 lunges. Start standign with feet hips-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms down at your sides and palms facing your body.
Balance on your toes. Squeeze your abs and look forward as you push your hips backward and bend your knees, lowering into a squat or a half squat. Slowly stand back up to the starting position, and repeat 10 times.
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Your knees should be hip-distance apart. Hold the dumbbells on your upper thigh area.
Raise your hips by squeezing your glutes to create a straight line from your neck to your knees, being careful not to hyperextend your hips. Hold at the top for 5 seconds. Don’t let your knees splay out to the side or collapse inward.
Slowly lower down. Repeat 10 times. Stephanie Mansour is a contributing health and fitness writer for TODAY.
She is a certified personal trainer, yoga and Pilates instructor and for women. She hosts “Step It Up with Steph” on PBS. Join her complimentary health and weight-loss and follow her for daily inspiration on and in her .
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