Lesson Lower Body Exercises Upper Leg By Carone Fitness Introduction There are many different exercises you can do to increase the strength of your lower body. In this lesson we will look at a few of the most common and effective exercises you can do to strengthen the front and back of the upper leg, the inside and outside of the leg, the hips, gluts and the calf muscles. This is not an exhaustive list but should give you a good library of exercises to choose from. 1
Upper Leg The upper leg consists of some of the largest skeletal muscles in the body. Because most activities we do require the use of our legs, we want to ensure we have a balanced set of exercises to keep them strong. To develop good knee extension and flexion we will look at a variety of exercises using different modes. Dumbbell Front Squat 1. Stand Tall with weights in your hands, palms toward your face. 2. Feet should be a little wider then shoulder width, toes pointed out slightly. 3. Position the weights as close to your body as possible. 2
Dumbbell Front Squat 1. Squat in a way that simulates sitting in a chair. The first movement is the hips going backward and NOT the knees going forward as they bend. 2. As you squat down keep the weights as close to the body as possible while keeping your abs contracted in a way that keeps your back straight but allows for normal breathing. 3. Squat down no lower then 90 degrees at the knee and make sure the knees never go in front of the toes. 4. Try and push the elbows up as you return to the starting position while keeping the chest and eyes up in order to keep the back straight. One Legged Squat 1. Stand tall, either without weights or with weights in hand, held by the hips. 2. Take a big enough step forward with one foot that the knee is directly above or just slightly in front of the ankle. 3. Roll the shoulders back, keep the eyes up and back straight. 4. Make sure the feet are not in line with each other to prevent balance issues. 3
One Legged Squat 1. While dropping the hips straight down, bend the knees until the back knee almost touches the ground. 2. Keep the back straight and the shoulders back during the entirety of the exercise. 3. Make sure the knee never goes beyond the toe and at the most is equal with the ball of the foot. 4. Exhale when returning to the starting position. 5. Emphasis squeezing the abs and keeping them tight when returning to the starting position. Focusing on the abs will help keep the back straight. 6. Perform all the repetitions on one leg before switching to the other leg. Swiss Ball Squat 1. This exercise can be done with or without weights. 2. Place the ball against the lower back with the top of the butt touching the ball. 3. Lean against the ball, making sure the knees are directly above the ankles. 4. The feet should be a little wider then shoulder width, toes pointed out slightly. 4
Swiss Ball Squat 1. Squat in a way that simulates sitting in a chair, the first movement is the hips going backward and NOT the knees going forward as they bend. 2. Keep your abs contracted in a way that keeps your back straight but allows for normal breathing. 3. Squat down no lower then 90 degrees at the knee and make sure the knees never go in front of the toes. 4. Exhale and squeeze the abs tight when coming from the bottom of the squat back to the starting position. Step-Up 1. Stand tall and place one foot up on an elevated surface. Do not step up on a surface that puts your knee at an angle greater or deeper than 90 degrees. 2. If using weights hold them off to the sides by the hip. 3. Keep the shoulders back, eyes up and back straight. 5
Step-Up 1. While exhaling step up on the elevated surface. 2. Keep the back straight, eyes up, and shoulder back during the stepping up phase of the exercise. 3. While stepping up really focus on bring the hips with the shoulders. Try to keep the hips underneath the shoulders as much as possible. 4. Finish the step up by placing the trail leg up on the bench. 5. Step down under control with the trail leg. 6. All the repetitions can be done on one leg before switching or in an alternating fashion. Presented By Carone Fitness 6