If there were 10 commandments of working out, "Don't skip leg day," would be near the top of the list. Your legs contain some of the largest muscle groups in your body. Besides, you need them to carry the rest of your strong body around all day.
But here's the thing — traditional leg exercises can be incredibly boring after lots of reps. Who wants to do basic squats all day, right? Fortunately, there's a way to spice up your leg routine and make it even more efficient: by combining two good leg exercises into one great leg exercise.
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Two-in-one exercises don't just save you the time you would have spent on each exercise, they also allow you to engage a wider range of muscles in one continuous move. The result is the most efficient leg workout you've ever done.
Below, Ben Pavlovich, NASM-certified personal trainer at TONEDX online coaching, demonstrates six of the most efficient two-in-one leg exercises that will level up your lower-body strength in no time.
Try These Lower-Body Combination Exercises
1. Glute Bridge Calf Raise
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Thrust your hips up and hold this position while maintaining a flat back.
- Push your heels up and perform a calf raise, balancing on the balls of your feet.
- Continue doing calf raises until your time is up.
- Return to starting position and rest before your next sets.
2. High Knees Lunge
- Step into a forward lunge with your left leg. Keep both knees at 90 degrees and lower the right knee slowly down to the mat.
- Perform 2 pulses by raising up a few inches, then lowering into a full lunge.
- From there, straighten your legs as you bring your right leg forward.
- Bend your right knee and raise it up to hip height as you reach a full standing position.
- Step back down into a lunge and repeat the movement.
- Once finished switch sides, making sure to do 15 reps on each side.
3. Knee Extension Squat
- Sit back into your heels and squat down while keeping a neutral spine.
- At the bottom of the squat, step back one leg at a time, lowering onto your knees and leaning back.
- Bring yourself back up to a kneeling position using your quad muscles.
- From there, step up to a squat one leg at a time.
- Straighten your legs to stand up, then repeat the movement.
4. Reverse Curtsy Lunge
- Step straight back into a reverse lunge with your left while keeping your right foot forward.
- Softly tap your left knee against the mat.
- Step back up to standing.
- Step back on your left leg again, but this time, cross it behind your right leg, keeping your knee aligned with your toe.
- Step back to standing and repeat the movement. That's one rep.
- Do 8 reps on each leg.
5. Sumo Squat Calf Raise
- Start off in a wide sumo stance with feet wider than hip-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward.
- Squat down into your heels while maintaining a neutral spine.
- Straighten your legs to stand back up .
- Perform a calf raise when you reach max height, lifting your heels off the ground and balancing on the balls of your feet.
- Lower your heels and sink back down into another squat to repeat.
6. Wall Sit Toe Raise
- Sit against a wall with knees at 90-degree angles. Keep your back flat against the wall.
- Hold this position as you slowly raise your toes to point toward the ceiling.
- Bring your toes back down and repeat this motion, staying in a wall sit for the full 45 seconds.