Leg Press Alternative To Try At Home Without Machine Equipments
A leg press machine is an excellent equipment for building muscle and also strengthening your legs. A leg presses machine involve pushing your feet against a certain amount of resistance weight on a leg press machine. The more the weight you are lifting, the more challenging the movement would be. This heavy-duty piece of fitness equipment is nor at all cheap, so unless you are having a high-end home gym set-up, you can also find this equipment at a fitness centre near you place.
The good news is that you don’t need to pay any amount to reap the benefits of a leg press at home, and you don’t even have to head to the gym either. You can do the following leg press alternatives exercises easily from the comfort of your home, at the park or in your backyard too. They will help you to get similar or even better results at home.
Here are the leg press alternatives you can practice anywhere:
Squats
Squats are one of everyone’s favourite all-around exercise for a reason. They’re not only fantastic for working the entire leg which includes smaller muscles like the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, lateral hamstring, and gastrocnemius. They also work on your core, which is never a bad thing for anyone.
Broad jumps
The name explains this exercise only. Sometimes which is known as standing long jumps, this exercise develops an explosive strength and also improves your fast-twitch muscle reactions. It is a perfect exercise for activities that require an intense burst of energy like sprinting. Broad jumps especially exercise your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, lower back, calves and abductors.
Lunges
You can’t go wrong with your lunges, and just like squats, you can do them anywhere you have enough space. An effective leg press alternative, there are numerous types of lunges you can perform, including classic forward lunges, curtsy lunges or walking lunges to name just a few.
You can perform most lunge variations at home, working your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Feeling fighting fit? Then wear a weighty backpack or hold a kettlebell/dumbells when lunging and feel the burn!
Glute bridge
Our glutes (aka our butts) are not only one of the largest group of muscles, but often the weakest as a result of prolonged sitting. You can activate and train your glutes with this leg press alternative — the glute bridge. This exercise primarily works your entire backside including your glutes, lower back, and hamstrings. Glute bridges are ideal in injury prevention and pack a serious punch.
This one is exceptionally well suited for people who don’t have a lot of room to exercise – you only need enough space to lay on your back.
Conclusion
The best leg workouts consist of compound exercises that emphasize the glutes, hamstrings, and quads while at the same time working other smaller muscle groups, as with a traditional squat.
If you are looking to improve your range of motion, core strength, and balance, then the exercises above will get you well and truly on your way to strong, healthy legs.
I recommend incorporating each exercise into your routine regularly, as variation builds overall strength and helps eliminate weak muscle groups.
