Leg Day at Home: How to Modify 3 Popular Lower Body Gym Moves
Do you love leg day but have a hard time getting to the gym or simply prefer at-home workouts? We get it. The good news is, while it can sometimes seem like you need a gym membership to get in an awesome lower body workout, that’s not the case!
As long as you’re following the principles of progressive overload — placing additional resistance on your muscles to see progress — there's no reason to skip out. Plus, working out your lower body engages major muscle groups, makes you stronger, and can help you avoid lower back pain.
Ready to modify your favorite weighted leg moves? Here are three at-home lifting alternatives for you to try when your next leg day rolls around, developed by our in-house Physical Therapist Amy Schultz.
1. Replace Romanian Deadlifts With Good Mornings and Lunges
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, abs, back and lower back muscles
How to do Good Mornings and Lunges:
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart and raise your hands until they face the back of your head, with your elbows wide.
- Inhale and slowly hinge your hips down, keeping your core braced and back flat.
- Exhale and return to standing, keeping your arms raised.
- Now, step forward and ensure your feet are staggered.
- Inhale and bend both knees to a 90-degree angle. Ensure your knees don’t go forward beyond your ankles.
- Exhale and press through both feet, back to a standing position.
- Repeat the good morning and perform the lunge with the other leg.
Our Physical Therapist’s take on what makes this a good swap:
Dr. Schultz explains that “good mornings are a great double leg hamstring, glute exercise. Combine this with a single leg lunge (to) help you target both posterior chain (back of the body muscles) while working single leg anterior muscles.”
2. Replace Bulgarian Split Squats With a Lunge Blast Off
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, core
How to do Lunge Blast Offs:
- Get into the start position of a lunge, with both knees at a 90-degree angle.
- Explode up high enough for your front foot to come up a few inches off the floor, while keeping a soft bend in your knees, and immediately go back down into the start position of a lunge.
Our Physical Therapist’s take on what makes this a good swap:
“Lunge blast off brings in the intensity required to perform a Bulgarian Split Squat,” Dr. Schultz says.
3. Replace Hip Thrusts With Barbell With Hip Thrust With Resistance Bands
Muscles worked: Glutes, hamstrings, core
How to do Hip Thrust With Resistance Bands:
- Grab your resistance bands and sit on a workout bench or other stable surface.
- Loop the resistance bands around your legs, pulling them up just 1-2 inches above your knees.
- Lay your upper back flat on the bench, bend your knees at a 90-degree angle and keep your back flat.
- Inhale and slowly lower your glutes down toward the ground.
- Exhale and drive your glutes back up, squeezing them at the top of the move.
Our Physical Therapist’s take on what makes this a good swap:
Dr. Schultz says that “bands are a great alternative if you do not have access to weights, like when traveling!”
If you’re looking for more at-home alternatives and modifications, you’re in luck. The Fit Body App includes alternative moves and modifications whether you’re doing at-home or gym workouts. Train with us and get your first 7 days free!
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