The first thing you most likely notice walking into a gym is the shiny machines. Straight away you want to pull on pulleys and push on rector set equipment. Someone from the facility welcomes you to the gym, showing you high tech treadmills, elliptical and stair masters all with built in cable TV. Part of the tour includes the Hammer Strength, Free Motion and Nautilus. What they neglect to tell you is the majority of the equipment preferred by certified personal trainers to get their clients in the best shape of their lives could fit in a duffle bag.
Old school part II explains some of the best lower body exercises that can improve your overall health and strength with no more than your body weight and a few mobile pieces of equipment.
Squats have been listed as the top best and worst exercise. Many great exercises have been put on the no perform list due to poor technique. First object in performing any exercise is to engage your core (flex the muscles supporting the spine). As you squat imagine sitting in a chair (keep your knees behind your toes). Maintain good posture in your upper body; shoulders pulled back, chest lifted, head neutral. When you are in motion, either eccentric (lengthening the muscle) or concentric (shortening the muscle), keep the knees from adducting (inward) or abducting (outward). Maintain your alignment by pushing through your heels up into the hips and into the shoulders. Working in the parameters of good alignment the squat becomes mechanical and one of the best overall exercises. This can be done with a barbell, dumbbells and on a bosu with or without weight.
The Single Leg is a variation that can be done with assistance of a heavy band or rope tied in front of you (the higher you attach the band the more assistance you will have). Be sure to keep tension throughout the movement.
Squat Hops should be done with quiet feet. Squat down almost touching your gluteus to the floor, explode (concentric motion) extending the legs, and swinging using your arms to launch you forward (land soft absorbing the landing).
Prisoner Squats are performed without weights. This exercise is about speed and explosion. Hands are locked behind your head, squat down, and explode upward extending onto your toes. Be sure to maintain form.
Lunges can help strengthen and stretch muscles. Step forward with the right leg first keeping hip distance between your feet, point toes forward. Bend both knees to 90 degrees (the left leg’s knee will be pointing down with the toes tucked). Right leg will be bent at the hip with the knee forward above the right foot and behind the toes. This can be done with barbells, dumbbells and kettle bells. Variations of the lunge include backward lunge and sideway lunge.
For Hamstring Curls, you will need a Yoga ball for this exercise. This exercise is preferred by bodybuilders to work the hamstring and the gluteus. Lay on your back placing your heels on the Yoga ball (engage your core throughout this exercise). Place your hands to your side for stabilization and pull your heels with the Yoga ball towards your body, bending the knees and raising you lower back. Maintain this flex for a two count, and then extend your heels back to the starting point without touching your lower back to the ground. This is one rep.
Calf Raises can be done on any stairs, but be sure to keep the calf flexed at the peak for a two count and release your heel past the stair, getting a full stretch. To increase intensity, perform single leg calf raises.
Always a great lower-body workout is old school stairs and running. In addition running and stairs exercises the cardio and respiratory systems.