It is important to have strong legs, regardless of whether you plan on using them for running a marathon, or for getting the mail. One of the best exercises for strengthening your legs is the leg press, which falls under the category of resistance training. This exercise involves using a leg press machine where you push your legs against weights.
Similar to other strength training exercises, you can build muscles with the leg press, counter-act muscle loss due to age and reduce the risk of injury. This is vital for daily activities, such as shopping for groceries and getting out of bed. But, the good news is that you do not need to buy an expensive machine, or obtain a gym membership for working out your legs.
Listed below are some of the alternatives to the leg press that do not require a machine and allow you to strengthen your legs at home.
Leg press using resistance bands
You can replace the weight of a leg press machine with a resistance band. When you use a resistance band to do a leg press, it would use the same muscles as the ones used when you do on a machine. Resistance bands are compact and portable, which makes them easy to use in a number of settings. You just need a resistance band and a chair, or mat. It will work your glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads.
Squats
The movement of a leg press are mimicked by squats and since you do these in a vertical position, your lower back will absorb less pressure. If you have any back injuries, or pain, squats can be an excellent ideal leg presses. You do not need any equipment to do squats and they work on your hamstrings, glutes and quads.
Lunges
Similar to squats, lunges engage your leg muscles, but do not add any pressure on your back. When you step forward in a lunge, it works your glutes and quads. Bear in mind, the lunge is not the same as the split squat. This is because it engages both legs simultaneously, while the split squat uses one leg at a time. No equipment is needed and your hamstrings, glutes and quads are worked in this exercise.
Broad jumps
Also called leap frog jumps, broad jumps help in building leg strength via explosive movements. This exercise is a combination of the full extension of your lower body and squat, which makes it an excellent alternative to a leg press. In case you have joint pain, you should do broad jumps carefully because they have a high-impact force. You do not need any equipment for this exercise and it works on your calves, glutes, hamstrings and quads.
Bridge exercise
You can strengthen and stabilize your core with this exercise. It also works your thighs and butts, which offers you the same benefits that you get when you do leg presses on the machine. You only need a mat for this exercise and it works on your hips, hamstrings, glutes and quads.
