Having a Fantastic Leg Day on Women's Day (A Bench Is All You Need!)

International Women's Day just went by, but it doesn't matter. Girls, we should celebrate for ourselves every day. We work hard, and sometimes we work harder to be treated as equally as our male counterparts in the workplace. We should reward ourselves the way we deserve, which is why I've dedicated this post to the best training practices you can leverage to strengthen your lower body.

Nothing is better to cheer you up than a fantastic LEG DAY!!!

Having a fantastic leg on women's day, which is, every day! The best part is that you don't even need equipment. As little as one adjustable gym bench can be enough for you to do all of the movements below.

As a bonus, we've also put some of the movements together into two effective bench leg workouts that will leave you sore for days.

Let's dive in.

Six Of The Best Leg Exercises You Can Do At Home

1. Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian split squats are one of the simplest and most effective exercises you can perform to develop your buttocks and quadriceps––the large thigh muscle.

The objective is to face away from a bench, elevate one foot, and step forward. With your torso upright and body supported on one leg, brace your midsection, take a breath, and bend your front knee to descend into a squat. Go down as much as you can, hold the bottom position for a moment, and press yourself back to the top as you exhale. Once finished, extend your opposite leg and perform the same number of reps.

Leg Day Workout 1: Bulgarian Split Squat

2. Step-Ups

Step-ups are a simple and effective bodyweight exercise that strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, and buttocks. Similar to Bulgarian split squats, step-ups develop one leg at a time, leading to balanced development. As such, the movement is fantastic to include in any bench leg workout.

To perform the movement, stand in front of a flat gym bench, engage your midsection, and place one foot on the bench. Use your legs and buttocks to lift yourself, return to the starting position, and repeat.

Leg Day Workout 2: Step-Up

3. Squat Jumps

Squat jumps are a fantastic plyometric exercise that develops lower body strength and power, improving your performance on activities like jumping, running, and sprinting. Doing squat jumps is also beneficial for developing type 2 muscle fibers, leading to growth in the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

You can perform squat jumps by standing in front of a flat gym bench, bracing your core, and descending halfway down into a squat. From there, move up and transition into a vertical jump, landing over the bench softly.

Leg Day Workout 3: Squat Jumps

4. Single-Leg Squat

The single-leg squat is a more advanced leg exercise that fixes muscle imbalances, develops stability, and builds your entire lower body.

The objective here is to face away from a bench, support yourself on one leg and descend until your buttock taps the bench. From there, squat up to the top position, exhaling as you do.

Leg Day Workout 4: Single-Leg Squat

5. Step Downs

Step downs are another advanced exercise you can include in your bench leg workouts. The movement trains one leg at a time, develops core stability, and strengthens your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

To perform steps downs, you have to step over a flat gym bench, support yourself on one leg, and have your other leg hover right next to the bench. From there, descend by bending the knee of your supporting leg. Move down until your other foot taps the floor. Then, extend your supporting knee to bring yourself back to the top and repeat.

Leg Day Workout 5: Step Downs

6. Reverse Hyperextension

Reverse hyperextensions are slightly unorthodox, but they work great, even if you have nothing but a gym bench. Similar to the previous two movements on our list, this one is slightly more challenging to pull off, and you need to pay special attention to your technique.

The objective with reverse hyperextensions is to lie face down over the bench's length, have your hips over the edge and wrap your hands around it. Once in position, use your glutes and hamstrings to raise your legs back, bringing your knees and hips in vertical alignment. Hold the top position for a moment and lower your knees to the floor as you exhale.

Leg Day Workout 6: Reverse Hyperextension

A Simple And Effective Bench Leg Workout That Will Kick Your Butt

You can do many leg workouts at home. There are countless exercises to pick from, and you can combine and sequence them in hundreds of ways. To that end, we've put together two simple bench leg workouts you can do, even if you have nothing more than a bench at home.