Lower limb strengthening activities
Last edited: 18/09/2026
raight leg raise
Sit with your legs straight in front of you.
Keep your knee straight and lift your leg so that your heel is about 10cm off the floor.
Hold for five seconds, then smoothly lower back down.
Aim for 10 to start with.
Aim to increase repetitions each day to a set of 20.
Inner range quads
Sit with a rolled-up towel/cushion underneath your knee.
Lift your heel off the floor to straighten your knee.
Hold for five seconds, then smoothly lower your heel back to the floor.
Aim to increase repetitions to 20.
VMO strengthening
Sit with your leg straight in front of you.
Keep your knee straight and point your toes outwards (turning out from the hip).
Hold for five seconds, then smoothly lower back down.
Aim for 10 to start with.
Aim to increase repetitions each day to a set of 20.
Scissors
Lie on your side with your bottom knee bent for stability. Now, keeping
your top leg straight but your foot turned outwards towards the sky, slowly lift it up until it is about 20cm off the floor and then slowly lower it back down.
Try to prevent your hips from rocking back when doing this.
Start with five repetitions, aiming to increase by one repetition each day as they become easier and you become stronger.
Clam exercise
Lie on your side on the floor. Bend your knees up towards your chest until
your shoulders, hips and ankles are in line.
Now, keeping your leg/foot in contact with the mat, lift your top knee up towards the ceiling while keeping your feet together.
Try to maintain this for three seconds. Make sure you do not rock your hip back.
Start with 10 repetitions.
Active hip extensions
Lie on your tummy on the floor.
Keep your pelvis flat on the floor so your spine is straight.
Raise one leg up off the floor and lower down smoothly.
Aim to increase repetitions each day by one until you can do 20.
Knee flexion
Lie on your back/sit on a mat on the floor.
Bend your knee and then straighten it as much as you can.
Repeat 20 times.
Heel raises
Stand with your hands flat against a wall for balance, with your feet hip-
width apart and your toes pointing forwards (12 o’clock).
Now push up onto your toes as far as you can with both feet and then slowly lower down.
Make sure you are not pulling yourself up using your hands.
Start with 10 repetitions and gradually increase this to 20.
Sit to stand
Start by sitting on a chair or bench
where your feet comfortably touch the floor, with your feet flat.
Next, without using your arms, stand up. You can place your hands down by your sides or cross them over your chest.
Make sure that when you stand up, you keep your feet still and stand up tall.
Next, slowly sit down again, making sure you do not use your arms.
Repeat this 10 times, building up the repetitions each day as it gets easier.
Squatting (supported)
Lean against a wall and slowly squat down towards the floor, bending your
knees fully, and then push back up into standing.
Gradually build up the repetitions.
Single leg wall squats
Progress the wall squat by performing it on one leg.
Ensure that you keep your hip/knee/foot aligned throughout the movement.
Aim to increase repetitions each day to 20.
Balancing
Stand in front of a mirror or with your hands on a wall.
Keep both feet touching the floor and slowly start putting some weight on the left side.
Hold the position for 10 seconds.
Repeat 10 times.
Increase the weight you put on the left leg.
Single leg balance
Practise balancing on one leg.
To improve your balance, progress this by standing on an uneven surface, for example a wobble board, cushions, a pillow or with your eyes closed.
Bridge
Lying on your back, nice and
straight as shown, with your knees bent, slowly lift your bottom as in the picture. Your body should be in a diagonal line as shown.
Hold for five to 10 seconds and slowly relax.
Repeat 10 times.
Bridge progression
Progression of the bridge: lift one leg straight as shown and hold for 10 to 20 seconds. 
Repeat 10 times.
Try to increase the length of time you hold the bridge and slowly build up to 20 repetitions.
Step ups
Step on and off a box/bottom stair.
Aim for a set of 20, then repeat leading with your other leg.
Lunge
Start with your feet together. 
Take a large stride, bringing your front knee over your toes.
Drop your back knee down about 5cm off the floor.
Side stepping
Stand up tall. You can rest your hands on the wall/work surface for balance
if required.
Keep your back straight and toes facing forwards, avoiding your feet turning out.
Step sideways and then together and repeat.
Can be made harder by using Theraband around your ankles.
Toe tapping
Sit in a chair with your feet flat, positioned under your knees. Now try to lift and hold your toes up off the floor while keeping your heels down. 
Hold this for three to five seconds (gradually increase this) and then relax back down to tap the floor.
Start with 10 repetitions.
If this is too hard to begin with, then try tapping your toes up and down to music.
Hip abduction with resistance
Stand straight. You can rest your hands on the wall/work surface.
Have the Theraband looped around your ankles.
Lift your leg sideways approximately 45° then return to the midline.
Aim to increase repetitions each day to 20.
Further progress by increasing the resistance from the band.
Penguin walking
Walk like a penguin, lifting your toes up off the floor.
Try not to let your bottom stick out.
Ballerina walking
Try to walk right up on your tiptoes while maintaining your balance.
Animal walks
The activities in this programme are designed to give the child a full-body workout.
Completing the animal walks will develop muscle strength and increase body awareness.
The aim is to make physical activity and physiotherapy fun.
You can create activity cards which can be scattered for a child to collect and complete the walk on the card, or just choose a different set of walks to do every day. For example, pretend to be a bear, penguin, snake or rabbit on a Monday and a tortoise, seal, frog or alligator on a Tuesday.
Frog hops
Squat down, with your hands on the floor in between your knees.
Jump up and move forward, landing back in a squatting position.
See how many frog hops you can do.
Seal slides
Lie on your tummy on the floor.
Use your arms to push up, lifting your chest off the floor.
Now try to move forwards using just your arms to pull yourself along the floor (do not use your legs).
Kangaroo jumps
Stand up tall, then jump forward keeping your feet together.
Keep jumping and see how many kangaroo jumps you can do.
Rabbit hops
Squat down, then put your hands on the floor a little way in front of you and jump your feet forward to meet your hands.
Move your hands forward again and keep going. See how many rabbit hops you can do.
Tortoise crawl
Put your hands and knees on the floor.
Next, slowly crawl around the room, staying on your hands and knees.
Snake slides
Lie on the floor on your tummy.
Without using your arms or legs, see if you can wriggle to move across the floor (you can try stretching your arms out in front over your head).
Caterpillar crawl
Start by sitting with your legs out straight.
Next, bend your knees to bring your feet towards your bottom.
Without using your hands, keep your feet still and push your bottom backwards, straightening your
Inch worm loops
Place your hands and feet on the floor.
Keep your feet still whilst you ‘walk’ out your hands as far as possible (you end up in a press-up position).
Next, keep your hands still whilst you walk your feet towards your hands as much as you can. Repeat.
Crab walk
Lie on your back on the floor.
Next, use your arms and legs to lift your bottom up off the floor and walk around (moving table top).
Crocodile stomp
Lie on your tummy on the floor.
Resting on your forearms and toes, hold your tummy off the floor and walk along (moving plank).
Bear walk
Stand tall, then bend forward and place your hands and feet on the floor.
Keep your knees as straight as you can and your bottom up in the air.
Walk your feet and hands forward trying to
Duck waddle
Standing up tall, turn both your feet out to the side and walk forward.
Make sure your feet stay turned out as you waddle.
Penguin waddle
Stand up tall with your feet together and hands by your side.
Lift your toes up from the floor and balance on your heels.
Walk forward on your heels, with your toes up off the floor and your hands by your sides.
You can try walking backwards as well.
Flamingo balance
Stand up tall with your feet together.
Lift one leg up from the floor and balance. You can stretch your arms out to the side if it helps.
Stand up tall and as still as you can.
Count to 10 and then change legs.
Repeat three times on each leg.
As it becomes easier to balance, try to build up the amount of time you stand on each leg. You can also try standing on a wobbly cushion.
Lower limb stretching activities
Adductor stretch (long)
Stand with your legs apart and rotated out. Now reach down to the floor
with your hands until you feel the stretch on the inside of your thighs.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times.
Adductor stretch (short)
Sit on a mat on the floor. Bend your knees, bringing your feet together,
and pull them in towards your groin using your hands.
Now push down with your elbows on the inside of your knees until you feel the stretch on the inside of your groin.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times.
Gluteal stretch
Start by sitting on the floor with your legs out straight in front of you.
Bend your left knee and place your foot over your straight leg. Try to get your foot as close to your bottom as possible.
Wrap your right arm around your left flexed knee, hugging it to your chest.
Turn your upper body to the left. Remember to hug your knee to your chest.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times. Repeat on the left leg.
Quadriceps stretch (lying)
Lie on your tummy on a flat surface. Bend one knee, hold onto your ankle
and draw your heel towards your bottom until you feel the stretch at the front of your thigh.
Make sure your knees stay parallel with each other and that your hips do not start to lift up.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times, and repeat on the other leg.
Piriformis stretch
Lie on your back on a mat. Bend your knees up, keeping your feet flat on
the floor.
Lift one leg and rest it on top of your other knee. Now hold onto the back of your thigh and pull it towards your chest so that your other foot comes up off the floor, until you feel the stretch around your hip.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times. Repeat on the left leg.
Hip flexor stretch (prone)
Lie on your tummy on a mat on the floor.
Now push your upper body up off the mat as far as you can until you feel the stretch at the front of your hips.
Hold this for 30 seconds.
ITB stretch
Stand with one foot crossed
over the other.
Keep your knees straight, but not locked out.
Bend forwards, aiming to touch your toes.
Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
Hamstring stretch (sitting)
Sit on the edge of a chair with your right leg out straight, your heel
touching the ground and your toes pointing up.
Sit up straight and then lean towards your right knee, keeping it straight by applying pressure with your hands, until you feel the stretch at the back of your knee.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times, and repeat on your left leg.
Hamstring stretch (standing)
Place one heel on a medium-height surface with your toes pointing up.
Now, bending your other leg, reach down your raised leg while keeping it straight, until you feel the stretch at the back of your knee.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times, and repeat on your other leg.
Hip flexor stretch (lunge)
Start with your feet together.
Take a large stride, bringing your front knee over your toes.
Drop your back knee down about 5cm off the floor.
Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
Stair calf stretch
Stand on the bottom step with the balls of your feet on the step, with your heels hanging free and your knees straight.
Breathe out, letting your heels sink down.
Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
Repeat 10 times.
To increase the stretch, do one leg at a time.
Gastrocnemius stretch
Stand with your hands against a wall and your feet hip-width apart.
Take a step back with one foot, making sure your toes are pointing straight ahead (12 o’clock).
Keeping your back leg as straight as possible and your heel flat on the ground, bend your front knee and lunge towards the wall until you feel the stretch at the back of your back knee.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times, and repeat on your left leg.
Soleus stretch
Stand with your hands against a wall and your feet hip-width apart.
Take a small step back with your back foot, making sure your toes are pointing straight ahead (12 o’clock).
Keeping both heels in contact with the ground, bend both knees so that your bottom sinks closer to the ground until you feel a stretch at the back of your right heel.
Hold this for 30 seconds, three times, and repeat on your left leg.
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