Leg Exercise Band Exercises

Leg exercise band exercises are more challenging than you may think - and you'll get results faster than you might think!

Lower body workouts typically feature a variety of leg exercises like the ones below. Most leg workouts will focus on exercises for the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Squats are a great exercise for the glutes and quads. One of the best hamstring exercises is the hamstring curl, which works perfectly with exercise bands.

Squats: Secure an exercise band under your feet. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and grab the ends of the band with your palms facing forward. Bend your knees and slowly squat down, keeping your back straight and sticking your butt out behind you. Be sure your knees do not go out beyond your toes. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, push up through your heels and raise your body back up to the start position. Tip: Picture a chair behind you when performing this exercise, and envision yourself lowering into that chair and then standing up.

Staggered Squats: Perform the squat as above, but only go down half way, then raise up to start position. Repeat for a total of 7 reps. Now perform the squat as above, lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Raise up only halfway, then lower yourself down to parallel. Repeat for a total of 7 reps. Now perform the squat as above, lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor and raising up to the start position. Repeat for a total of 7 reps.

Note: The following leg exercise band exercises require either an exercise band with a handle that you can put your foot through, or a loop exercise band (basically a very large rubber band - these can usually be found near the exercise bands at a sporting goods store, or can be ordered over the internet). For the sake of simplicity, I'll use the term "loop exercise band" in the exercise description, but realize that you can also perform the exercise band exercises using a band with a handle and placing one end of the band under the stationary foot.

Back Leg Raise: Stand sideways next to a wall, and place both feet inside the loop exercise band and secure it around your ankles. Lightly touch the wall with your hand if you need additional support. Stand on your right leg with a slight bend in the right knee, and lift your left leg slightly off the floor. Raise your left leg behind you as far as you can, moving only from your hip and glute. Return to start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then repeat for the other side of the body.

Front Leg Raise: Stand sideways next to a wall, and place both feet inside the loop exercise band and secure it around your ankles. Lightly touch the wall with your hand if you need additional support. Stand on your right leg with a slight bend in the right knee, and lift your left leg slightly off the floor. Raise your left leg in front of you as far as you can, moving only from your hip and glute. Return to start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then repeat for the other side of the body.

Outer Leg Raise: Stand sideways next to a wall with your right shoulder facing the wall, and place both feet inside the loop exercise band and secure it around your ankles. Lightly touch the wall with your hand if you need additional support. Stand on your right leg with a slight bend in the right knee, and lift your left leg slightly off the floor. Raise your left leg out to the left side as far as you can, moving only from your hip and glute. Return to start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then turn so that your left shoulder is facing the wall and repeat for the other side of the body.

Inner Leg Raise: Stand sideways next to a wall with your right shoulder facing the wall, and place both feet inside the loop exercise band and secure it around your ankles. Lightly touch the wall with your hand if you need additional support. Stand on your left leg with a slight bend in the left knee, and lift your right leg slightly off the floor and move it slightly forward. Raise your right leg out to the left side as far as you can, crossing your right leg in front of your body, moving only from your hip and glute. Return to start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then turn so that your left shoulder is facing the wall and repeat for the other side of the body.

Hamstring Curl: Stand behind a chair and lightly touch the back of it with both hands for support. Place both feet inside the loop exercise band and secure it around your ankles. Stand on your left leg with a slight bend in the left knee, and lift your right leg slightly off the floor. Bend your lower right leg at the knee and raise your heel toward your butt while contracting your hamstring muscle. Return to start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then turn so that your left shoulder is facing the wall and repeat for the other side of the body.

Check back often as I'll be adding additional leg exercise band exercises to this section.

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