Are you looking for a way to strengthen your lower body without having to access heavy-duty gym equipment? Many people struggle to train their lower body properly because they do not have squat racks, leg presses, or the heavy dumbbells necessary to challenge their lower body. Fortunately, this doesn’t need to stop you from seeing progress.There is one lower body exercise fantastic for building strength, power, and muscular development. An exercise you can do anywhere. That exercise? The wall squat.Let’s look at the wall squat further so you can see why you should include it in your workout routine… What Is The Wall Squat? The wall squat is, as the name sounds, a squat against a wall. You position yourself so your feet are about two feet from the wall with your back resting flat against the wall. You should be in a relatively comfortable position with your arms down by your sides.Then once you have found your balance, you now bend your knees as you lower yourself down into the squat position.Go as low as you can – preferably going down until your knees are at least at a 90-degree angle.Now hold. Holding at a 90-degree angle will be very challenging, but do keep the position for as long as you possibly can. The longer you hold it, the more rewards you reap.If this variation starts to get too easy, you can do the same exercise but place an exercise ball behind your back between you and the wall. You will now have an element of instability added, which will put more stress on your lower body muscles.How The Wall Squat Benefits You. So how does this help you? First, it works your muscular endurance. You will have to maintain this position for an extended duration of time, contracting your muscles to continue to hold.Second, because you are placed against a wall, this helps ensure you use good form and reduce the chance your back muscles come into play to assist your lower body muscles. You will now have greater overall lower body strengthening. You will be aware of the interaction of your quads and hamstrings, as well as your glutes as you do this movement.Finally, it will also help work your core muscles. Regardless of whether you place the exercise ball behind your back or not, your core region will need to keep contracting hard to help you sustain balance.Do not overlook what the wall squat has to offer in your workout program. Including the wall squat three times per week, performing 2 to 3 reps of 30 to 60-second holds (or longer if you can!), is an excellent way to build up your lower body.
Do keep in mind the further you stand from the wall, the more you will emphasize your hamstrings, while the closer you stand to the wall, the most quad activation you will receive.