5 Leg Exercises That Require No Gym Equipment--Seriously!

Your legs are your most important asset. Not only does it help you move from place to place, your legs can help you move heavy objects, jump and even defend yourself in dangerous situations. While it's not necessary to get legs as defined as pro bodybuilders, leg strength is important from a practical standpoint -- after all, if your legs are strong, you're going to have trouble lifting heavy objects or walking for long distances.

If you can't afford gym equipment, don't worry -- the following leg exercises will get you in shape without dumbbells, barbells or any gym equipment.

Leg Exercise 1: Bodyweight Squats
Many people know what the squat is, but don't know how to do it correctly. If you have ever performed a squat where your hips have not been parallel to your knees, you have not done a proper squat.

To do it correctly, you should descend into a squatting stance by bending your hips and knees until it is parallel or below parallel. Believe it or not, going higher than parallel can be harder on your knees, so it pays to squat deep. You can use the weight of your own body, called a bodyweight squat, or hold a heavy object in front on you while initiating the squat. Heavy canisters or water jugs are cheap but convenient ways to add weight to the squat.

Leg Exercise 2: Bodyweight Lunges
The lunge may be easier to do than the squat, but that doesn't mean it's less effective. While standing, move one leg forward and land on the heel of the foot, lowering the body by bending down with the knee of the moving leg. Continue this until the knee of the opposite leg is nearly in contact with the ground. Lunge back into the starting position and repeat for the opposite leg. For a bigger challenge, try the split lunge jump, where you switch legs by jumping in the air.

Leg Exercise 3: Jumping Jacks With Sumo Squats
This exercise is more challenging than the average squat; in turn, it will help you burn more calories and build strength and speed. To start, do a regular jumping jack so that your legs are separated. Now in this position, push your hips back and bend down with your knees until you are parallel. Come back up and jump back into the starting position. For an additional challenge, consider making the sumo squat a jump squat instead.

Leg Exercise 4: Side Lunges
With this exercise you extend one leg out to the side while keeping the other leg in place. When you extend the leg, the opposite leg should bend until it is parallel. Switch legs and repeat.
Side lunges may be easier to perform than a regular squat, but you can risk injuring yourself if you're not careful to practice good form, so be careful. To make it harder, switch legs by jumping--this is called a jumping side lunge.

Leg Exercise 5: Pistol Squats
This is not for the weak of heart, so if you're new to exercise in general, don't do this exercise. The pistol squat, also known as the one legged squat, requires you to have a good amount of core and leg strength.

This leg exercise doesn't differ much from a regular squat, except that one leg should stick outward and parallel to the ground. The other leg squats down to near-ground level while the other leg continues to stays straight and parallel to the ground. This leg must never touch the ground. You can stretch your arms out to add some stability to this leg exercise.

For a better demonstration on how to do this with proper form, BeastSkills.com has an excellent tutorial on mastering the move.

Reference:
BeastSkills.com