Leg Exercises at Home

Pace2008

After two years of relative inactivity I've decided to start working out again. I have a bench and weights at home, and my form is solid, so I'm going to lift at home until I hit the gym in February to avoid damaging my ego.

Ive got an upper body routine worked out, but I'm afraid to do low-rep sqauts at home since the amount of weight you can carry with your legs isn't really really safe to lift alone.

I'm considering sticking to high-rep, low-weight squats - would this be worthwhile as 'starting point' as such? I'm wondering if I should increase the frequency of my leg workouts if I'm squatting light, or should I leave it at once a week?

Also, could lifting heavy with deadlifts while maintaining high reps with squats create a potential leg imbalance?

I am considering getting a power rack but I'd still feel quite uncomfortable with that amount of weight sitting on my shoulders .

Help appreciated, thanks.

Khannie

After 2 years of inactivity, I'd say you're gonna find even bodyweight squats fairly challenging. I think they're a great exercise. What are your goals?

BossArky

Bodyweight Lunges & Barbell Lunges.

A bodyweight lunge will put more stress on one leg than the other, so you will develop more than just doing bodyweight squats. Obviously do sets for each leg.

(...at least that is how lunges feel to me when compared with a squat of similar weight).

Pace2008

I just busted out 50 bodyweight squats (in the jacks in work)! without much difficulty, though I wouldn't have a problem incorporating them into my workout if they'd be considered worhwhile.

I'll be bulking for the first six months, I'm not concerned with endurance for the time being (will reassess after this period). I'm currently just over 11st at 15% bodyfat - I'm hoping to have gained orond 6lbs of muscle while having lowered my bodyfat to around 10% after the six months - optimistic, but you've got to aim high.

BossArky

Pace2008 wrote: »

I just busted out 50 bodyweight squats (in the jacks in work)!

Lol - I hope no one gets any strange ideas as to why you went into the jacks for 5 mins and came out all red in the face

FunkZ

Hack squats. Stiff legged deadlifts.

Reyman

Pace2008 wrote: »

I just busted out 50 bodyweight squats (in the jacks in work)! .

Box squats no doubt?

Pace2008

Reyman wrote: »

Box squats no doubt?

No, I'm not claiming to be at the peak of fitness.

Hack squats. Stiff legged deadlifts.

Thanks, I’ve checked out hack squats and they look viable.

FunkZ

Excellent man enjoy them! Strangely enough I've never actually done 'em myself!

brianthebard

Zercher squats could also be useful.

EileenG

Single leg squats. High step ups. Deep lunges/split squat. Front squats. Zercher squat. Dumbbell squats. Over head squats. Prisoner squats. Jump squats. Burpees. Mountain Climbers. Deadlifts. Stiffleg deadlifts. Sumo squats

brianthebard

By Sumo squats do you mean wide stance? If so I'm not sure how that would help the op since you'd still want a rack?

Reyman

EileenG wrote: »

Single leg squats. High step ups. Deep lunges/split squat. Front squats. Zercher squat. Dumbbell squats. Over head squats. Prisoner squats. Jump squats. Burpees. Mountain Climbers. Deadlifts. Stiffleg deadlifts. Sumo squats

Well no one can improve on that list surely!

EileenG

brianthebard wrote: »

By Sumo squats do you mean wide stance? If so I'm not sure how that would help the op since you'd still want a rack?

Yes, very wide stance. I normally do them holding a very heavy dumbbell hanging down between my legs. Or you can do a sumo deadlift, same wide stance, but holding the bar with a narrow grip in the middle rather than with your grip wider than your legs. It hits the leg muscles in a different way from a straight deadlift.

Remmy

What weight do you have up to?I definitely recommend heavy low rep deadlifts if your form is good.Also I wouldn't let the fact your working out alone inhibit you from going heavy on the squats.You can powerclean them to your chest and front squat or push press it over head and lower it down to your back.The amount you will be able to clean will mean you wont really put yourself in much danger of a stall.

Pace2008

Deadlifts don't worry me since you can drop the weight easily if things aren't looking good.

Thanks to all, there's definitely a good variety of fairly safe exercises listed here to keep me going (except for overhead squats, theres'e no way I'd try them without someone instructing me).

rubadub

EileenG wrote: »

Single leg squats. High step ups. Deep lunges/split squat. Front squats. Zercher squat. Dumbbell squats. Over head squats. Prisoner squats. Jump squats. Burpees. Mountain Climbers. Deadlifts. Stiffleg deadlifts. Sumo squats

:eek: only one I would add is goblet squats.

Though you will not get much weight doing them.

I used to clean the bar up and then raise one arm and lift the bar over my head onto my back, then knock out 20reps with 60kg on the bar. I also got a hip/dip belt, I stand on 2 small wooden boxes and can do squats. I have had 80kg on the belt. Also you can do a combination, my smaller 10kg plates mean I do not need the boxes since when squatted they do not hit the ground, this way I can use a combination, 40kg on the belt, 40-50kg on the bar.

AFterward I sit on a bed and lie back slowly letting the bar down.

Argos have cheap squat stands. Mickk was talking of some new design for a squat stand a few months back, dunno what became of it, he also has squat stands, but the argos ones are 2 separate ones, easier to store at home.

EileenG

Pace2008 wrote: »

Thanks to all, there's definitely a good variety of fairly safe exercises listed here to keep me going (except for overhead squats, theres'e no way I'd try them without someone instructing me).

Overhead squats are hard, so you'd normally do them with a very light weight, either dumbbells or an empty bar, at least until you got very good. But they are a great exercise.

Actually, I'd rather do them at home, you can look pretty stupid in a busy gym grunting away as you struggle with what looks like tiny weights.