Workouts: taking a seat for a strong lower body

Ah, yes. The wall sit. Perhaps one of the most effective, do-anywhere exercises around. Working your hamstrings, quads, and glutes, this exercise is a spectacular way to sculpt the lower body without any equipment. The steps for implementing the wall sit may be minimal, but the results they bear are great!

To perform the wall sit, slide your back down a wall until your quads are parallel with the floor, creating a 90 degree angle with your legs. You'll want to glance down and make sure that your knees don't go past your ankles and that the weight is in your heels.

If you're new to wall sits, I would recommend setting a goal to hold the position for 30 seconds to a minute. As you build up strength, you can progressively increase your time by tacking on an additional 10-15 seconds (unless, of course, you feel you can hold out for even longer!). When doing this exercise, I like to have a timer with me so that I can accurately log the amount of time before my legs start shaking and I'm not able to stay virtually seated any longer.

Given that the standard wall sit isn't doing it for you, you can always choose to throw in a lightweight medicine ball and squeeze it between your legs, grab a pair of free-weights and simultaneously do some shoulder presses or arm curls, or alternate between your left and right leg with single-legged wall sits. Anyway you choose to do them, those muscles are sure to be worked. If you continue to implement this exercise a few times a week, you'll be able to build up your strength in no time!