Yoga To build Leg Strength

Twelve poses in Yoga to build Leg Strength

To build stronger limbs, try yoga to build leg strength.

We go outside throughout the summer to walk, run, hike, bike, or just stand still to catch a breeze. What features do these pursuits share? They demand that we exert our leg strength. In truth, a lot of our leisure and everyday activities demand powerful lower limbs. And even if our legs are on display in swimsuits and summer shorts, that doesn’t mean we should settle for just having healthy-looking legs. We need strong legs.

Leg-strengthening exercises

Here are several yoga postures that target shins, calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps strength. You should practise these poses in yoga to build leg strength in a way that also protects your leg joints – which include your hips, knees, and ankles. Your leg joints also contribute to the stability of your legs. Strong legs to lessen the risk of accidents and falls.

The fact that so many of these standing poses are weight bearing, requiring your legs to support your body weight, helps you develop strength, especially if you are doing hands-free variations. Standing on one leg stretches the weaker leg while utilising the strength of the stronger leg, balancing the contraction and extension of the legs. Lean, flexible legs that can carry you anywhere you need to go are the end result.

The warm up – Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Warm up by standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and firmly establishing your footing before starting these poses. To strengthen your ankles and confirm your feeling of balance, practise rising to your toes.

You may experience the stabilizing effect of Utkatasana (Chair Pose) by standing tall and pressing your legs together to form a long, powerful column before entering the pose. Then, as you squat down, you’ll feel your thighs contract to support you as you do so. To activate the adductor muscles in your inner thighs, try squeezing a block in between your legs.

• Take a Tadasana position. Inhale deeply and raise your arms until your biceps are just in front of your ears. Keep your arms parallel and your palms facing in, or clasp them together.
• Exhale deeply and flex your knees until your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible. Your front torso will make about a right angle with the tops of your thighs as your knees extend outward over your feet and your trunk leans forward over them.
• Press the tops of your thigh bones down toward your heels while keeping your inner thighs parallel to one another.
• Push firmly with your back and shoulder blades. Keep your lower back long by pointing your tailbone inside, into your pubis, and down toward the floor.
• Stay there for 30 to 60 seconds. To get out of this position, straighten your knees while taking a deep breath and pushing your arms up hard. Release your arms to your sides in Tadasana as you exhale.

Alternate: Half-Chair Pose

In this pose, used in yoga to build leg strength, one quadriceps performs the function of two by supporting your body on one leg.

• Start in Tadasana and squat to achieve Chair posture.
• Place your left foot under weight. Lift your right foot slowly, crossing it over your left knee so that your shin is perpendicular to your thigh and your ankle bone is to the left of your left thigh.
• Your hands might be on your hips, in the Anjali mudra, or extended upward. Maintain a long lower back.
• Stay for at least 30 seconds. Straighten your leg while inhaling to exit this position. Release your arms to your sides and your right leg to the floor to enter Tadasana.
• On the other side, repeat.

Pyramid Pose | Extreme Side Stretch Pose, Parsvottanasana

This position stretches your hamstrings while working your front thighs. It takes consistent strength in your legs to hold yourself in the position, especially if you aren’t supporting your weight with your hands on the mat.

Atop the mat, start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Your hands should be on your hips.
Step back 2 to 4 feet with your right foot. Your back foot and heel should be lined up at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Draw the left hip inward and backwards toward the right heel. Maintain an extended waist on both sides and forward-facing hips.

• Spread your arms out to the sides as you inhale. Internally rotate your arms, flex your elbows, and bring your hands together behind your back while exhaling. Release your hands next to your feet, on blocks, or on your shins if this is not possible.
• Take a deep breath in, stretch your spine, and contract your quads. Exhale, tilt forward at the hips, and start to fold into your front thigh.
• To keep your front body open and your back body long, move your sternum away from your navel and keep your collar bones wide. Your forehead should now relax toward your shin.
• As you continue in the position, pull the heads of your upper arms up and away from the floor.
• Inhale and use the power of your legs to rise up to leave the pose. Return to Mountain Pose by letting go of your arms and stepping your feet together. On the other side, repeat.

Invoking Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose)

From your glutes to the heel of your lower leg, you’ll feel this stretch. Stretching the back of your leg while extending the elevated leg also works the quads.

From Tadasana, stretch the two sides of your body and level your pelvis by pressing onto the big toe mounds.
Without overextending your left knee, firmly plant your left leg. The first two fingers of your right hand should be placed on the big toe of your bent right leg. Step forward with your right foot.
Restore some of the lower back’s curvature by raising the sternum. Determine whether the right hip is higher than the left.
To intensify the hamstring work, find a pelvic anterior tilt.
To restore symmetry to the body, lower and in toward the left foot with the right hip.
Hold for a few breaths to a few minutes, then utilise an exhalation to reaffirm your commitment to the left foot’s rootedness. Repeat on the other side after letting go.

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) 

Your legs, including your ankles and feet, are gradually strengthened in this stance. Your inner thighs and groyne are also stretched.

• Sit in Tadasana. To strengthen your leg muscles, spread your toes and press your feet firmly into the mat. To gently lift your lower tummy, raise your front hip so that it points toward your lower ribs.
• Exhale while pulling your shoulder blades down your back after taking a deep breath in and elevating your chest. Look steadily forward at a point in the distance.
• As you elevate your right foot up onto your left leg or shin, place your hands on your hips. Keep your distance from the knee.
• Your left leg and right foot should be pressed together.
• Make sure your pelvis is square to the front and level.
• When you feel stable, spread your arms aloft like branches reaching for the sun or make the Anjali Mudra with your hands at your heart. After exhaling for a few breaths, return to Mountain Pose and repeat on the opposite side.

Lunge High

Both of your legs must be engaged to maintain this position. While your back hamstring is being stretched, your bent leg’s thigh is actively supporting you. Your legs will be put through extra effort if you bend your back knee toward the floor.

With the ball of your left foot on the floor, walk back from Tadasana (Mountain Pose) toward the back edge of your mat.
Reach your arms up, point your tailbone down toward the floor, and drop your torso until your right knee is bent at a right angle.
Holding the left knee straight, firmly lift the left thigh toward the ceiling. Your left heel is extended toward the ground.
Hold for at least 60 seconds. Exhale and place your right foot back next to your left to leave the position. On the other side, repeat.

Third Virabhadrasana (Warrior III Pose)

Your calves and thighs, as well as your ankles and knees, are strengthened by the one-legged Warrior position. In addition to lifting, holding, and stretching the extended leg, you are using the standing leg to support the weight of your body. Avoid letting that knee lock or hyperextend by pressing down through the foot you are standing on.

Start in Virabhadrasana I, or the first posture of the warrior series. Draw the abdominals in and up as you firmly plant your right heel into the ground.
Set your left leg up straight. After rolling your left outer hip forward with your left inner thigh, pivot onto your back toes to bring your back leg into a neutral posture.
To stretch your spine, inhale. Exhale, lean forward, extend your arms in front of you.
Lift your left leg until it is parallel to the floor, then tilt forward while shifting your weight to your front foot. Your head, torso, pelvis, and raised leg make a straight line, and your upper arms frame your ears.

To keep your standing leg stable, keep your right outer hip engaged.
Extending your arms, crown of your head, and sternum forward, push back with your left heel. To support your lower back, tone your lower tummy and point your tailbone in the direction of your left heel.

Hold for at least 60 seconds before carefully bending your right knee and taking a backward step with your left foot to return to Virabhadrasana I, or in Tadasana, bringing the left foot to meet the right. On the opposite side, repeat.

Asana Urdhva Prasarita Eka (Standing Split Pose)

Another standing stance that makes advantage of a powerful leg is this one. Your thighs and calves, as well as your knee and ankle joints, are strengthened by the Standing Split. Strong stretches are applied to the rear of the raised leg from the hip to the foot. The stretch at the back of your standing leg will increase as you raise your foot higher, and if you support your ankle with your hands, your legs will support your weight.

Practice the warrior II pose in yoga, to build leg strength

Practice the warrior II pose with your right leg extended. Create a nice opening in the left ribcage by inhaling and cartwheeling your left arm up and over your head.
Exhale as you rotate your torso to the right, stepping into the left foot’s ball to lift the heel off the ground. Then, slant your front torso forward, place it on the right thigh, and place your hands on the floor next to the right foot (if your hands don’t fit properly there, prop them up on a block).

Move your weight to the right foot and advance your hands slightly. Then, while lifting your left leg parallel to the floor, inhale and slowly straighten your right leg.

Each leg needs to have the appropriate amount of internal and external rotation, especially the standing leg. Your pelvis should be angled to the right when you raise your hip off the ground. Internally rotating the left thigh will help you maintain the front pelvis parallel to the floor.

Pay special attention…

• Pay special attention to your standing leg’s knee. Make sure to move the knee so the kneecap is facing front and to rotate the thigh outward.
• Try to give both legs the same amount of energy. In a perfect world, your torso should drop as the raised leg rises. You can hold the elevated leg more or less parallel to the floor or try to raise it slightly higher. If you have enough flexibility, you can put your hand on the back of the standing-leg ankle.
• Stay for 30 to 60 seconds. Exhale as you drop the lifted leg, then do the same thing on the opposite side for the same amount of time.
• Your hip flexors will be stretched in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose), giving you more mobility. strengthens your hamstrings and glutes.
• With your knees bent, your legs parallel, and your feet hip-distance apart, lie on your back in the centre of the mat.
• You should bring your feet up to your buttocks. When elevating your hips, lift from the pubic bone rather than the navel by firmly pressing down with both of your feet and inhaling as you do so.
• Place your hands on the floor behind your back. Get on top of your shoulders and enlarge your collarbones.
• Roll your upper thighs inward and tighten your shins on the outside. Keep your thighs parallel and push your buttocks and back of your thighs even higher by pressing down strongly through your heels.
• Exhale, let go of your hands, and lower yourself to the ground to complete. As you take in the roominess within your chest, let your back rest in a neutral position.
• Lifting your right knee into your torso and extending it perpendicular to the floor while maintaining your hips elevated will make this position more difficult. Release your foot to the ground with an exhale after holding for 30 seconds.

Hanumanasana (Monkey Pose | Splits)

This pose in yoga used to build leg strength, bears the name of the Hindu god Hanuman. It allows you to fully extend both legs after all the strengthening poses. It is an exercise that strengthens the lower body when done dynamically.

• start in the Adho Mukha Svanasana pose (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). Your toes should be in line with your fingertips as you advance your right foot forward in between your palms. Point your toes while lowering your left knee to the mat. Your hips should be aligned with the front of the mat.
• Move your hips back so they stack over your left knee while maintaining this position, then move your right foot forward to straighten your leg while keeping your hips over your left knee and facing forward.
• Put your hands on either side of your right knee at this point, press into the mound of your right big toe, and stretch your left big toe straight back.
• Continue to pin your right hip back and in as you begin to slip your right foot forward.
• Release your buttocks from your back waist as your legs extend, then softly tighten your stomach to discover a lift at the front of your pelvis.
• When the front of your left thigh and the rear of your right leg touch the floor, continue to lower your pelvis. Keep elevating your inner thigh if your back thigh has a propensity to externally spin.
• Take your arms to the ceiling with your upper arms enclosing your ears after descending your tailbone and softening your front ribs.
• Retrace your steps back to the entryway and hold Downward-Facing Dog Pose for 30 seconds more. On the opposite side, repeat.

Restorative positive yoga to build leg strength

You might appreciate this restorative position that removes all weight from your legs after a yoga session that focuses on strengthening your legs.

With your left hip up against a wall, sit on the floor. When you are lying on your side, lean away from the wall and drop your body to the ground.

Swing your legs up the wall as you roll over on your back. Move your tailbone toward the wall to correct your posture. It is not required to contact the wall.

Legs relaxed on the wall. Place your feet at hip-distance apart or at a comfortable spacing. Your femurs may feel like they are settling into your hip sockets.

Lie down and find a comfortable posture with your arms by your sides, palms facing upward. Sensibly stretch your spine.

Spend at least 10 minutes in the position and with your breathing.

Kneel down and roll to one side to exit the position. Hold this position for a few breaths before slowly raising yourself back to a seated position with the help of your arms.