Joy Onuorah

Working out your legs is one of the most important exercise practices you can do for your overall health.

Here are six bilateral leg exercises that could help improve the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, hips, lower and upper back and the core.

These exercises are also designed to help create balance for the legs.

Pile squat

Hold one dumbbell in front of you by holding each end in one hand. Step your feet out wider than hip distance apart. Rotate your feet so your toes are pointing at a 45 degree angle. Sit your hips back and down, making sure your knees are tracking over your toes. Squeeze your butt to stand then repeat.

Zercher squat

Get your longer resistance band and step your feet on the inside of the loop. Make sure that your feet are slightly wider than hip distance apart before you begin. Then grab one end of the band with both hands. Hook the band right in the pits of your elbows. Flex your biceps to about 90 degrees to keep that band from flying off. Stand tall. Sit your hips down and back to get into as low of a squat as you can without losing tension in the band. Squeeze your butt to stand back up and repeat until time’s up.

Frog squat

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Point your toes slightly outward — about 45 degrees. Reach for your toes, the tops of your feet, or the bottom of your shins. Bend at the knees to sit into a deep of a squat as you can without losing your grip. Straighten your legs to return to the forward fold. Repeat until your timer is up.

Cossack squat

Stand with your feet half a foot wider than shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight to your left foot and straighten your right leg as you sit low into a lateral lunge. Allow your right toes to lift off the floor if you need to in order to keep your knees tracking over the toes and your chest up high. This is one rep. From here, you can either stand and switch over to the other side or stay low and shift your weight into a lateral lunge on the left side. Standing up in between reps will give you a little breather; staying low will be more of a burner. It’s your choice as to how you want to spend your 45 seconds!

Squat hold

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart. Sit low as if you’re sitting back into a chair and keep your chest up. Make sure to squeeze your glutes to keep your knees from caving in towards each other. If it feels good, you can hold your arms straight in front of you for balance and some extra shoulder work. Hold it here until you feel your form collapsing or until you reach that 45 second mark.

Split squat hold

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and right beneath your hips. Step your right foot forward into a lunge, making sure your right heel is glued to the ground and your knee is tracking over your toes. Keep your chest high. Hold this position for 45 seconds or until you find your form gets shaky. Next: switch to the other leg and do it all over again.