5 Best No-Squat Leg Exercises for Women

The squat is one of the most popular leg exercise. Everyone knows how to do squats and do so regularly. Squats are a great exercise to tone the entire leg, not just the thighs, like many people believe.

However, in case you’re not a fan of squats, we’ve got you covered. There're plenty of exercises that aren't squats, which you can do to tone various muscles in the legs. So maybe it’s time to switch up your routine with some of these exercises.

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Best Non-Squat Leg Exercises

Here are the five best exercises for the legs women can do to train the same muscles and more leg that squats:

#1 Hip Thruster

Here's how it's done:

• Sit on the floor in front of the bench or the box.
• Lock your upper back onto the edge of the bench, and place your feet hip distance apart, with legs bent and knees pointing the ceiling.
• Push your hips up to bring them in line with your shoulders and knees. Squeeze your glutes in this position.
• Bring your hips back down to the starting position.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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#2 Reverse Lunge

It's done as follows:

• Stand straight with your feet together.
• Take a step back with your right leg, and drop your hips down, driving your left knee forward and right knee towards the ground.
• Push yourself back up to stand on your left leg, and bring your right leg back next to it.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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#3 Lateral Lunge

Here's how it's done:

• Stand straight with your feet wider than shoulder-width distance. Keep your feet flat on the ground and toes pointing forward.
• Drive your right knee forward to lower your hips toward the ground, letting your left leg stay straight.
• Straighten your right leg out again, and return to the starting position.
• Repeat this move for 12 to 15 reps on each leg.

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#4 Sumo Deadlift

It's done as follows:

• Stand straight with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Drive your knees out to get your knees over your ankles, lowering your hips to the floor till your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Straighten out your legs again to return to the starting position.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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#5 Romanian Deadlift

It's done as follows:

• Hold a dumbbell in either hand. Stand straight, with your feet hip distance apart.
• Hinge forward at your hips, lowering the dumbbells till they are at the level of your shins. Try to maintain a very slight bend in your knees.
• Perfom 12 to 15 reps.

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Takeaway

Swap out your squats for a while for the aforementioned exercises, and watch how they strengthen and shape your legs. Don’t forget to give yourself plenty of rest so that your muscles recover well, and you can give your best the next day.