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Start of my journey + leg training question
I've just started an intentional schedule for working out regularly. I don't need to lose any weight- in fact I want to gain weight because although I'm generally healthy I don't meet requirements to donate blood. So last week I set out to build some muscle, increase my strength, and hopefully gain some weight in the process.
I know I don't want to start out overdoing it with any form of exercise. I'm working out at home with no fancy equipment. Besides squats and lunges (and variations), and walks in a somewhat hilly neighborhood, what can I do at home to strengthen my legs? Fifty each of squats and lunges goes by so fast and I want to add variety to the workout, not just perform endless reps. Thanks!




Congratulations on starting out!
I know you mentioned variations already, but I will say that you might want to try single-leg (pistol) squats if regular bodyweight squats aren't challenging enough. (An intermediate-level variation would be squatting with your arms held straight out in front of you or straight overhead, if they're not already.)
Another way to introduce variety is to change the speed or add holds---try squatting very slowly and smoothly, or pausing at the bottom of each squat for a few seconds. That should ramp up the challenge quicker than just adding more reps.
Step-ups or box jumps could be good options as long as you have something stable to step on.
Nerd Fitness has some routines that might be interesting:
Hope that helps!
Thanks!