9.3 Basic Lower Body Exercises: Free Body

The following section will demonstrate several basic lower-body exercises and discuss related information, including, but not limited to, the purpose of the exercise, proper form, common mistakes, and modifications. When performing any of the following exercises, the following guidelines will help improve efficiency and reduce the risk of injury:

• Always maintain a neutral spine from the crown of your head to the base of your tailbone:
  • The head should never be flexed forward or extended backward
  • Shoulders should never be rounded or retracted up
  • The lumbar region should never be rounded or jut out
• All movement should be conducted in a controlled manner: While some activity specifically uses fast or jerky movement, basic physical activity is most beneficial when completed in a smooth, consistent manner.
• Core or abdominal engagement should always be maintained to protect the spine and trunk muscles from injury.

Each of the discussed exercises has several variations that involve a change in body positioning and/or weight or resistance bands that can be used to increase the difficulty of the exercise when placed in front, behind or on the body using a variety of equipment (e.g., barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, or resistance band).

Squat

Purpose: Challenges the quadricep group, glute group, hamstring group, and core muscles.

Form and movement pattern:

• Movement begins in anatomical position and mimics sitting in a chair, then standing back up by bending at the knees and a slight forward hinge at the hip.
• Knees should not extend far past the toes.
• Motion should exhibit similar speed during both downward and upward phases, with a brief pause in between (during the seated portion).

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them):

• Shifting COM too far forward, resulting in knees extending far past the toes and/or heels lifting off the ground during knee flexion (shift weight backward to correct positioning).
• Knees collapsing inward (engage glute muscles to stabilize the knee).
• Shallow depth, if not being used as a modification, could indicate a lack of flexibility and impaired ROM (engage in hip, knee, and ankle mobility exercises and stretching to increase joint ROM and muscle length).

Modification & equipment:

• Foot placement can be used to emphasize certain muscles over others (e.g., a wider stance will activate the glute muscles more than a narrow stance could).
• Weight or resistance bands can be used to increase difficulty. (e.g., A barbell positioned behind the head, across the shoulders; a kettlebell held in front of the chest or between the legs; or a resistance band looped under the feet and over a hand or shoulder are all examples of ways a weighted squat can vary).

 

Lunge

Purpose: Challenges the quadricep group, glute group, hamstring group, and calf muscles (e.g., gastrocnemius & soleus) unilaterally.

Form and movement pattern:

• Movement begins in anatomical position, stepping one leg forward while keeping the torso upright and the opposing leg extended backward.
• The front knee should bend to approximately 90 degrees, with the back knee moving toward the floor.
• The front thigh should be parallel with the floor, and the knee should not extend past the toes.
• After lowering and a brief pause, alternate legs by stepping the front leg back to anatomical position or stepping the back leg forward to anatomical position.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them):

• Shifting weight too far toward will place additional strain on the front knee (attempt equal weight distribution between front and back legs by engaging the front leg quadricep group and back leg glute group.
• Lacking core engagement can contribute to instability (engage core by imagining the belly button is being pulled towards the spine
• Shallow depth, if not being used as a modification, could indicate a lack of flexibility and impaired ROM (engage in hip, knee, and ankle mobility exercises and stretching to increase joint ROM and muscle length).

Modification & equipment:

• Foot placement can be used to emphasize certain muscles over others and complete movement in various ROM pathways (e.g., the leading leg can be stepped forward, to the side, diagonally, etc.).
• Weight or resistance bands can be used to increase difficulty. (e.g., dumbbells held in either hand, a medicine ball held in front of the chest, or a barbell held behind the head, across the shoulders, are all examples of ways a weighted lunge can vary).

Calf Raise

Purpose: Challenges the gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis posterior, and smaller muscles in the foot and stabilizing muscles around the ankle joint

Form and movement pattern:

• Movement being in anatomical position, with feet hip-width apart and weight evenly distributed between both feet.
• Feet should plantar flex, allowing the heels and body to rise a few inches from the ground while keeping the knees extended but not locked (e.g., extended with a slight bend to engage stabilizing muscles)
• Movement should be vertical, and ankles should remain aligned, without rolling in or out
• The upward and downward phases should be slow and controlled, with a brief pause at the top to engage the calf muscles fully before returning the heels to the ground

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them):

• Shifting weight too far toward or backward can easily move the body’s COM outside of the BOS and cause instability (if attempting for the first time or problems with balance are present, use a wall or bar as a balance aid)
• Bouncing up and down too quickly reduces muscle activation and can increase strain on applicable joints (align the upward and downward phases with slow and controlled breaths in and out)
• Inadequate ROM (e.g., not lifting heels high enough or not lowering them all the way down) can be improved through ankle and calf mobility exercises and stretching to increase ROM and muscle length

Modification & equipment:

• Foot placement or feet used can be used to emphasize specific muscles over others (e.g., staggered foot placement, elevated heel placement, or using one foot at a time)
• Weight or resistance bands can be used to increase difficulty. (e.g., Dumbbells held in either hand, a sandbag over a shoulder, or a medicine ball held in front of the chest are all examples of ways a weighted calf raise can vary)