7 Lower-Body Exercises for Building Strength

Lower-body exercises are designed to build strength in the lower back, hips, glutes, and legs. Lower-body exercises include lunges, squats, deadlifts, and more. Exercising your lower body builds foundational strength for everyday movements. Leg exercises also help balance out your workout routine, helping you build muscle, stability, and speed in your lower body. They tend to target the hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. While everyone can benefit from lower-body workouts, they're especially beneficial to runners, weightlifters, and swimmers.

Level up your lower-body workout routine by incorporating these lower-body exercises.

1. 1. Calf raise: The calf raise, also known as the standing calf raise, is a bodyweight exercise that targets the muscle groups in your lower legs. Perform calf raises by starting in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your body by pushing into the fronts of your feet, activating your calf muscles as you stand on your tiptoes. Return to a regular stance and repeat the movement pattern. Although calf raise exercises require no equipment, you can add an additional challenge by holding a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells during the exercise.
2. 2. Bulgarian split squat: The Bulgarian split squat, also known as the rear-foot elevated split squat, is a single-leg squat variation that uses your bodyweight to activate muscle groups throughout your entire body. Perform Bulgarian split squats by placing your back foot onto an elevated surface. Keep your torso upright with a slight forward lean. Hinge your front knee and ankle, activating your front leg as you lower your body. Pause once your back leg is a couple of inches off the floor. Stand again and repeat this movement for your desired number of repetitions.
3. 3. Single-leg glute bridge: A single-leg glute bridge is a unilateral glute bridge variation that targets muscle groups throughout your body like the hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back muscles, and gluteal muscles—including your gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Perform single-leg glute bridges by lying on your back with your palms facedown by your side. Extend one leg, squeeze your glutes, and push into your other leg. While keeping your upper back in contact with the floor, lift your hips until your extended leg forms a straight line with your back.
4. 4. Step-ups: The step-up is a lower-body exercise that targets muscles in your legs. Perform step-ups by standing in front of an elevated, knee-height surface like a plyometric box or bench. Place your right foot on top of the elevated surface and push through your right leg to lift your body up onto it. Step down slowly with your left leg and perform the next repetition leading with your left foot. You can use your bodyweight for this exercise or hold dumbbells throughout the movement for an added challenge.
5. 5. Single-leg deadlift: The single-leg deadlift (SLDL) is an exercise characterized by a forward hip-hinge movement while lifting one leg off the ground and extending it backward. Single-leg deadlifts work muscle groups in your posterior chain, including your calf muscles, lower back muscles, hamstrings, and glutes.
6. 6. Goblet squat: A goblet squat is a full-body exercise characterized by performing a squat while holding a single free weight—like a dumbbell or kettlebell—in front of your chest. A goblet squat works muscles in your lower body like the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, and it also works the core muscles in your upper body.
7. 7. Reverse lunge: The reverse lunge is a bodyweight and leg exercise that works multiple muscle groups throughout your lower body. Perform reverse lunges by taking a step backward, keeping your upper body aligned and your back straight. Lower yourself enough for your front leg to be at a 90-degree angle. With proper form, reverse lunges are one of the most accessible lunge variations you can use in your strength-training program.

There are several notable reasons to add a leg day to your weekly workout routine.

1. 1. Lower-body exercises can add cardio to your workout. When practiced in rapid succession, or as a superset workout, lower-body exercises elevate your heart rate to deliver an effective cardio workout.
2. 2. You can easily add lower-body exercises to home workouts. Many lower-body workouts revolve around bodyweight exercises that require no equipment. You can adapt many weighted exercises to use whatever equipment you have access to at home—such as a jug of water or resistance band.
3. 3. Lower-body exercises can improve your athletic performance. Lower-body strength is essential to reaching many fitness goals and improving overall athletic performance. By exercising your lower-body regularly, you will improve your coordination, stability, strength, and speed.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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