When Joshua Aji Mathews and Rohan Singh decided to take up calisthenics, they didn’t realise how difficult it would be. Both had spent the previous year working out with equipment at a gym but were looking for something more challenging to help them break out of their training rut. Calisthenics is a discipline that consists of exercises that use your own body weight as the sole resistance, and it’s incredibly effective at training multiple muscle groups. It’s not a new idea, but it has recently been brought to the forefront thanks to the popularity of social fitness app BetterMe.
This calisthenics leg workout has been designed to work all the major muscles of the lower body and improve mobility, stability and strength. It includes a mix of compound and isolation movements, with all the basics (bodyweight squats, lunges, push-ups, hamstring curls) included as well as more advanced calisthenics leg exercises such as skater squats and pistol squats.
A great starting point is the wall sit. The exercise is performed by putting your back against the wall and then lowering into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold this position for as long as possible to train the quads and hamstrings.
The Bulgarian split squat is a variation of the regular squat that targets the legs individually rather than as a whole, and it’s another excellent calisthenics leg exercise to work the quads, hamstrings and glutes. Lastly, the lateral lunge is an essential calisthenics leg exercise that trains all the muscles of the hips and thighs while improving stability and balance. It’s also a good idea to add in isometric holds such as the squat or chair position as these can be very challenging and increase your overall muscular endurance. calisthenics legs exercises