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Strength at home

Restless legs exercises: a daytime walk and leg strength

Iron and medicines come first for restless legs syndrome (RLS): ask your GP to check your iron and the medicines you take. Alongside that, this session follows the shape of the one trial of exercise in RLS, in which 23 people finished 12 weeks of treadmill walking and lower-body strength work, 3 days a week, and symptoms eased within 6 weeks. The home moves standing in for the trial's gym machines, and the stretches, are our editorial choices. Do it in the morning or afternoon rather than late in the evening, at an effort you can talk through.

45 minBeginner10 movesCardio machine · A bench or box · Something with weight · A wall · Other / check instructionsQuads · Calves · Glutes · Hamstrings · Adductors · Hip abductors
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Walk (30 minutes)

  1. Treadmill walking30 min
    Beginner · Quads, Calves, Glutes · 3D demoIncluding 5 easy minutes at the start and end. Outdoors or on a treadmill, at a pace you can talk throughHarder: Treadmill jogging

Leg strength: 2 rounds, just 1 for the first 2 weeks (about 10 minutes)

2 rounds · Rest 60 s between rounds

  1. Sit to stand from a chair8 to 12
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoStand up steadily, sit down slowlyHarder: Bodyweight squat
  2. Seated knee extension (chair)8 to 12 each leg
    Beginner · Quads · 3D demoStraighten the knee, pause, lower slowlyEasier: Quad set (static quads)Harder: Leg extension
  3. Standing hamstring curl8 to 12 each leg
    Beginner · Hamstrings, Calves · 3D demoStanding hamstring curl, a hand on the wallHarder: Slider hamstring curl
  4. Lying adductor ball squeeze8 to 12, 5 s each
    Beginner · Adductors, Abs · 3D demoA cushion or soft ball between your kneesHarder: Copenhagen plank
  5. Wall side leg lift (standing side kick at the wall)8 to 12 each side
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoA hand on the wall, body uprightHarder: Lateral band walk, band at the feet
  6. Slow calf raise8 to 12
    Beginner · Calves · 3D demoHolding the counterEasier: Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)Harder: Standing dumbbell calf raise

Stretch (about 3 minutes)

  1. Wall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)30 s each leg
    Beginner · Calves · 3D demoEasier: Seated calf stretch with a towelHarder: Toes-tucked kneeling (toe squat)
  2. Supine hamstring stretch with a strap30 s each leg
    Beginner · Hamstrings, Calves · 3D demoEasier: Leg-up hamstring stretchHarder: Contract-relax hamstring stretch (PNF)
  3. Standing quad stretch30 s each leg
    Beginner · Quads, Hip flexors · 3D demoA hand on the wallHarder: Couch stretch

Tips

  • Our editorial adaptation of the one trial's programme, which used gym machines (leg press, leg extension, leg curl, hip adduction and abduction, and a seated calf machine) at about half the most you could lift once.
  • When 2 rounds of 12 feel comfortable on 2 sessions in a row, make it a little harder with an ankle weight or a slower lowering: the trial added weight at that point.
  • In the evening, keep to gentle stretches. If your legs start to feel restless, get up and walk, stretch or massage them.
  • Give it 6 weeks: in the trial, symptoms had eased by then. The evidence is small, and US sleep-medicine guidance makes no recommendation on exercise, so if restless legs still stop you sleeping, see your GP.
  • Iron and medicines come first: ask your GP about a blood test for iron (ferritin), and don't take iron supplements without advice.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

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Questions people ask

How long does the restless legs exercises: a daytime walk and leg strength take?

About 45 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: Cardio machine, A bench or box, Something with weight, A wall, Other / check instructions. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 4 of its 10 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.