Alternative Leg Exercises

If you train regularly you may find yourself doing the same exercises over and over again. Especially with leg exercises. So here are 3 leg exercises that are equally effective as squats, lunges, deadlift, but give you some variety. Variety good to avoid your workouts becoming monotonous and boring and also good for your body to be challenged in different ways. Try these alternative leg exercises.

Cossack Squat

This is a hybrid of the regular back squat and the side lunge. So you start with the barbell on your back standing feet shoulder width apart. You could also do it with dumbbells if that’s what you have. Just lift them up and rest them on your shoulders.
You then step out to the side with 1 leg and bend that knee so you go into a squat position. Get as low as you can. Be sure to keep your back perfectly straight and ensure you knee doesn’t go out further than the end of your toes.
Start with half the weight you would use for the back squat.

Bulgarian Split Squat

This is the same as the regular split squat but with your back foot elevated on a bench/chair.
Start just with bodyweight and add dumbbells once you have mastered the balance and if you want to decrease the rep range.
So have one foot on the bench behind you. Jump forward with the front leg slightly so when you bend the front foot doesn’t go out further than end of your toes. Then bend both knees as low as you can. It will be harder to get the back knee to just off the floor as you would with a regular split squat so don’t worry if you can’t get that low.

Nordic Hamstring Curl

You either need someone to hold your ankles for this one. Or have something you can hook your heels under, e.g. chair/radiator or something. It’s a good alternative exercise for really targeting the hamstrings.
Start kneeling down, back upright, hand across chest and someone holding your ankles. Lower chest down towards the floor nice and slowly engaging hamstrings and glutes as you go. When you get to just off the floor put your hands down and push yourself back up to the starting position.

Conclusion – Alternative Leg Exercises

It’s easy to get stuck in the same routine with the same exercises. They are loads of different exercises that are equally effective as the most well-known ones. So don’t neglect them. Give these 3 a go and it will really freshen up your leg workout.

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