Building leg muscle at home?

katerinabowler
katerinabowler Posts: 32 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I can't get to a gym to lift weights, although I'd like to. I'm looking for workouts I could do at home. My arm muscles are bigger than I'd like already, but I have very little muscle tone in my thighs or abdomen. Are resistance bands a good idea? Or body weight exercises? Squats and stuff? I've never done any workouts really, just cardio. I'd appreciate any help. Thank you

Replies

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    Everything you mentioned works great! As a matter of fact, you probably want to alternate between body weight exercises, resistance bands, and squats and lunges. Do you have any dumbbells? If not, start out with no weights. Build up to holding cans or water bottles or whatever. I also have ankle weights and do floor leg exercises. You have lots of options!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    edited June 2015
    Everything you mentioned works great! As a matter of fact, you probably want to alternate between body weight exercises, resistance bands, and squats and lunges. Do you have any dumbbells? If not, start out with no weights. Build up to holding cans or water bottles or whatever. I also have ankle weights and do floor leg exercises. You have lots of options!

    Double post - sorry!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Yoga! Although as a certified yoga teacher I am not comfortable with the idea of people learning yoga just from videos, I do like Rodney Yee as an instructor and know he has some Power Yoga DVDs and youtube videos. Listen to your body and don't force the postures.

    http://www.mindfulmuscle.com/yoga-mindful-strength-training/

  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    I build nice ones at home - Started with Charlene Xtreme, then did P90X and just finished Body Beast....CX was good for teaching me basic techniques, P90X was lots of fun and have one of the best Leg workouts I have ever done - and most of it is without weights, and Body Beast is the best if you can put music on and ignore Sagi's testosterone/chest bumping caveman talk..... You can do CX and P90X with resistance bands - Body Beast needs more weights, but if you don't like your arm muscles I would go with P90X...
    Butt Bible has lighter weights, but endless reps, and it is rounding it off nicely.....
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    I do squats three days a week with dumbells. Its great at building your leg muscles. I've been doing the Stronglifts program with just dumbells. I've only been doing it for 6 weeks now and already notice a differnce.
  • katerinabowler
    katerinabowler Posts: 32 Member
    Fantastic! Thank you all. I don't have any excuses now... I shall get me some gorgeous legs. Is it best to eat at maintenance? Slight deficit? I'm pretty much at goal, 3lbs away.
  • lwebsmfp
    lwebsmfp Posts: 297 Member
    I do a lot of cardio and like to add squats and lunges into my routine. There are a lot of various leg exercises that you can do at home that also include the use of dvd's. I recently started a Pilates workout video with a lot of good leg workouts. Hope you find something you enjoy.
  • comeongethealthyro
    comeongethealthyro Posts: 50 Member
    you can for sure build your legs at home! run up & down the stairs (outside or in your home) mixed w/ some plyo exercises. get a pair of dumbbells (weight that is challenging, but do-able) & you can do so many squat and lunge variations... squats - Bulgarian split, jump, sumo, goblet... lunges - walking lunges, reverse, reverse w/ a kick, etc etc
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited June 2015
    katerinabowler wrote: »
    Fantastic! Thank you all. I don't have any excuses now... I shall get me some gorgeous legs. Is it best to eat at maintenance? Slight deficit? I'm pretty much at goal, 3lbs away.

    To really build muscle you'll need to be eating over maintenance. You will, of course, build muscle plus add some fat. Do that for a few months and then eat at a deficit to cut fat. Rinse and repeat. There should be a plethora of advice on how to do all of this here in the forums or on the web in general.

    Get creative with weights once body weight isn't enough. A couple of plastic milk jugs full of water or sand make decent "dumbbells."
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