We’re living in a crazy time right now, amidst a COVID-19 pandemic, that is leaving us stuck at home more than a lot of us are used to. Many gyms, workout facilities, and our access to equipment can be pretty limited. However, this doesn't mean you can’t get some quality bodyweight lower body strengthening exercise while at home.

While this might be a change of pace for some, it can be used as a time to work on some areas of weakness that have gotten pushed aside with previous routines. These strengthening exercises are not meant to be (although they certainly can be) used to just get you sweating and out of breath. There’s plenty of workouts and Google searches that can help you do that without much structure. You won’t see tuck jumps on here, and you won’t even see squats on this list. This isn’t because these movements aren’t important or valuable, they’re just commonly performed incorrectly and for many there are better alternatives.

These bodyweight strengthening exercises are designed to get you strong in the right areas. The areas that we see so limited time and time again for people coming to see us for back pain, for knee pain, for hip pain, and for ankle/foot problems.

1. Bridge and Single Leg Bridge

 The key with these is good neutral alignment from the lower back and working up to longer holds. Aim for 60 seconds on a double leg bridge hold, and then work up to 60 seconds on each single leg hold.

2. Clamshells “On Steroids”

 Don’t laugh these off before you’ve tried them. The goal is 60 seconds of each of the 3 variations, all done in a row.

3. Single Leg Deadlift

 These will test your strength, your hamstring mobility, and your balance! Grab onto something if you need to, but the goal here is to stay as controlled as possible. Pay attention to make sure your knee isn’t rolling in during this movement.

4. Step Up

 Another great one that can be done on any step (or chair if your careful)! Make sure you are primarily pushing off the front foot and not using the back leg to help push.

5. Lunge to High Knee

 Another great single leg strengthener! Similar to other movements above, try not to let your knee roll inward as your coming up or down.

Give these a try to build your bodyweight lower body strength from home. If this is your first time doing these, start going slowly through them to get the hang of it. If you’re looking for more of a challenge and want to turn these into a ‘workout’, increase the reps and decrease the rest time between movements.

If you’re not getting the progress you want at home, or you have pain or injury that you’re trying to work around, we can help (even remotely)! We help busy individuals looking to get back to the activities they love every single day, and if pain or injury is holding you back we can help you do the same. We do this through in-person sessions at our clinic, but we also offer telehealth and virtual evaluations and treatment, remote exercise programming and mobility programming, and nutrition coaching that is made custom to you and done at home.

If you’re not sure if or how we can help, click here to fill out our contact form to speak with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy. We’ll get on the phone with you, at no charge, to see if we’re a good fit. And if we’re not, we’ll do our best to point you in the direction to get the help you need today.

Don’t wait to live your best life, we’d love to help you reach your goals - even from home!

Most people don’t know how to stay healthy and fit without getting hurt. At Inside Out Strength and Performance we provide a clear plan to get you in the best shape of your life, without getting injured, so that you can be active and confident that you’ll feel your best for years to come.

We help North County San Diego’s active adults and runners dealing with pain or injury get back to living a pain-free, strong, and confident life.

We are the Strength Docs who help active adults and runners live a strong, confident, and pain-free life. Fill out our contact form here to get a clear plan and get started.