Think you need a long list of exercises and fancy machines to strengthen your lower body? Think again. Less can be more. What you really need are smartly chosen exercises and the right amount of intensity. This workout from Sweat App Founder, Kayla Itsines, may feel short and sweet, but it ticks off all your lower body muscles: quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves – job done.
When we say smartly chosen exercises, we specifically mean compound exercises. Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that target multiple muscle groups at once – like a squat – rather than isolation exercises that work one muscle – like a leg extension. As they hit so many muscles at once, they deliver the best bang for your buck, helping you get stronger, quicker, with fewer exercises.
If you’re completely new to strength training, you can do this workout with just your bodyweight (like Kayla in the video above), doing each exercise at a tempo – lowering for two seconds and holding for two seconds. Alternatively, you could use some light free weights, like a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell. If you’re more experienced or in the gym, you can opt for heavier weights or even a barbell. Perform three sets of each exercise below, starting with squats first. Rest for 90-120 seconds between sets and then two minutes before moving on to the next exercise. Here’s what you’ve got:
- Squat – 12 reps
- Reverse lunge – 12 reps each side
- Glute bridge/or hip thrusts – 12 reps
Lower body trained, now don’t forget your upper body. If you want something similar to the workout above, then here’s another three-move workout, but this time for your chest, arms, back and shoulders (because we can’t have an unbalanced body). Add on this 8-minute core workout and you’ve trained your entire body/
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