6 Exercises To Train Leg Muscles For Relay Race

Strength training exercises are paramount for relay athletes who wish to improve their performance. If your legs are not strong enough, then you cannot complete the race. Here are some exercises that will help improve the strength of your leg muscles.

Best Strength Training Exercises For Relay Runners

Relay athletes need endurance and coordination as the main ingredients to win. Strength training improves endurance while practicing as a team brings coordination.

1. Running Steps

Running steps are a great way to train your lower leg muscles. You can do them as part of either the warm-up or cool-down after a workout.

To perform running steps correctly:

Stand with your feet approximately shoulder width apart and bend at the knees so that you form an L shape with your body. Keep your back straight and chest lifted throughout the routine.
Raise one foot off the floor as high as possible by pushing off with the heel of that foot until it is in line with the opposite knee; then return to starting position and repeat this motion with another leg.
Continue alternating legs until you have completed the desired repetitions or sets, which should be 15-20 times per set for beginners, 25-30 times per set for intermediate athletes and 35-40 times per set for advanced athletes.
If using lightweight dumbbells for added resistance during this exercise, hold the dumbbells under each arm; if using heavy weights such as 45-pound plates on each side of barbells instead, then hold the barbell across your shoulders instead.
Keep abs tight throughout the movement; exhale when raising heels off the ground while inhaling when lowering heels back down again.
After completing desired reps rest 30 seconds between sets.

2. Walking Lunges

To do this exercise, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward on one foot and bend both knees until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Then lift yourself back up and repeat with the other leg.

If you don't have any equipment, use a resistance band instead of weights for this exercise. Hold both ends of the band in each hand and start by standing upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Pull both ends of the band down toward your hips until it reaches about hip level; then return to the starting position by straightening out your arms again as you stand or sit upright with perfect posture.

3. Skipping

Skipping is a powerful exercise that can help you increase your lower leg strength, speed, and endurance. To skip properly:

Bend at the waist and place the ball of your foot on top of the rope.
Keeping your back straight and abs tight, pull both ends of the rope toward you with one hand while pumping your arms for momentum.
As soon as one elbow passes over your head, release both hands from their grip on the rope and quickly pick it back up before repeating this action again. Repeat until you’re tired!

4. High Knees

High knees is a great way to get your heart rate up and strengthen your lower body in a short amount of time. You can exercise for as long as you want, but it’s probably best to start with 5 minutes and work up from there.

If you’re new to high knees, standing on an exercise mat might be helpful so that if you trip or fall over (which will happen), you won’t hurt yourself too badly. If this is not an option for whatever reason, then at least ensure that there are no sharp corners around which could cause injury upon tripping over them! Try going as fast as you can in short bursts of explosiveness so that you get the best out of your short but intense workouts.

5. Box Jumps

Instructions:

Stand a few feet away from a box that is roughly knee-high, and hold your arms out in front of you to brace yourself if needed.
Jump up onto the box with both feet, landing softly as you do so. If needed, step down slowly with one foot at a time until both feet are on the ground again. Then repeat!

Safety tips for box jumps:

Keep good form during each jump and try not to overextend yourself or lean too far forward when jumping off the box; this could cause injury to your ankles or knees if done incorrectly! *
To prevent injuring groin muscles during jumps, keep your chest up and knees slightly bent throughout the exercise (you should feel the tension in these areas).
A common mistake among beginner athletes is aiming for too much height with every attempt; aim for about two-third of what would be considered “normal” jumping ability and then work upwards from there as confidence grows and strength increases over time.
Remember that even though this exercise may look easy at first glance, it's still dangerous—especially when done improperly!
Make sure there's enough space around where you're working out so nobody gets hurt while doing these exercises safely.

6. Pistol Squat

To do this workout correctly, start by standing on one leg. Then squat down until your hip is lower than your knees and your feet are pointing forward. Make sure your knee does not go past the toes of your other foot as you perform this movement. If you have trouble doing a pistol squat, try using an object to help balance yourself and perform safely before moving on to performing them without any assistance at all.

For more advanced lifters who find pistols too easy, try adding weight to increase the challenge of this exercise. You can use dumbbells or kettlebells held at chest level while performing these movements if desired.

Conclusion

If you want to be a good relay runner, you need to make sure that your leg muscles are strong. These exercises will help with that and they can also be done at home without any equipment. They do not require much time either, so try them out today!