Tone and strengthen your legs at home or outdoors, without having to spend money on joining the gym or on sports equipment, has never been easier. Follow our recommendation of bodyweight quadriceps exercises that you can and should do if your goal is to achieve strong legs with well defined muscles. Take note.
Quadriceps exercises with body weight
We cannot say that the quadriceps is a single muscle. The quadriceps femoris refers to the union of 4 muscles: rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius. Together they form a single muscle, the largest in the human body. The quadriceps femoris is responsible for supporting body weight. In addition, it is an important extensor of the knee joints; hence its main function is to allow us to perform various fundamental tasks such as walking, sitting or running. It is called the quadriceps precisely because it has 4 muscle heads and you can find it on the anterior aspect of the femur.
Squats
Among the most common and easy to do quadriceps exercises with body weight , we find squats in their multiple variants. Squats are ideal to strengthen, not only the legs, but also the glutes and many other muscles. In addition, squats help you improve body mobility and keep your muscles in optimal condition. Have you ever stopped to think about the long-term benefit of squatting? It is a good time to start this easy exercise and it will also help you tone your legs using nothing more than your own weight.
Single leg squats
One of the variants of squats that will be great allies to work the quadriceps and, therefore, the legs, are squats with nothing more than a point of support. In addition, with these squats you will improve other activities such as walking or running, since they are about mere balance; thus, you will be able to optimize the stability of your body. We recommend doing them as deep as you can because that way you will work your quadriceps more.
How to do them? We must start by telling you that they are for people with an advanced level, if you are not at that point yet, practice with some support such as a chair or bars and do not force your body. To perform them, stand up straight, arms forward and raise one leg back, slightly bent. Squat in such a way that the knee of the leg that is in the air is directed towards the ground, but without touching it. Lower everything you can.
We recommend that you always keep your back straight, avoid leaning your supporting knee inward, so as not to injure yourself; Also try not to lift your heel.
Squat against the wall
One of the bodyweight quad exercises that will most empower this muscle is wall squats. They are easy to do with the naked eye, but, as with all squats, it is advisable to maintain the posture in order to see optimal results. It is a variant of the traditional squat, but is performed against a wall.
Stand with your back to a wall, with your legs slightly apart (at shoulder height) and slightly forward than the rest of your body. Stick your back well to the wall and begin the descent. Holding this position and preventing your knees from passing the balls of your feet will activate your quadriceps to their full power. Once down, as deep as you can, hold the posture for a few seconds and return to the starting position.
Strides
Within the strides we recommend those that are done by alternating the legs and, also, if you have a good sports level, we recommend that you give them speed . The lunges, like the one-legged squats, will help you work, in addition to the quadriceps, the balance.
The starting position is that of the two legs together and straight. Bring one leg forward so that both the front knee and the leg that remains on the base flex slightly. You must keep your feet, knees, hips and shoulders well aligned to avoid injury, and don’t forget that the knee you are leading must be kept at a 90 degree angle.
Return to the starting position and alternate with the other leg. The real work begins when you do this exercise with speed. But remember: it is better to go slower than you would like to go very fast but neglecting your posture, which you must maintain to do the exercise well and, above all, not to injure yourself.
Jump to box
To practice this exercise it is essential that you have a certain physical condition, as it is somewhat advanced. It is important that you have flexibility in your legs and strong muscles, otherwise, it will not only represent a challenge, but you can injure yourself. The box jump requires precision, coordination and a lot of explosion. You can do it with a box or on a bench that are very stable or, on high steps (for example, those on the bleachers).
Stand in front of the box and at a short distance, which allows you to jump but without crashing and falling squarely on the bench. Pick up momentum with your arms and jump forward. It is very important to have your knees well bent not only to be able to climb but to reduce the impact. How to get down? With a jump back, always bending the knees. You will put your quadriceps to work at all times.
