Lower Body Blast #8
Leg Day!
Yesssss!
For some reason, I like to work legs on Monday. They're feeling pretty fresh after the weekend, so I figure I may as well work 'em hard at the beginning of the week!
Today's workout emphasizes the quads, however, all the major muscle groups will be working in this routine: glutes, hamstrings, calves, and quads. I like to work all the major muscle groups but emphasize at least one in particular. I take care to rotate which groups get emphasized in order to maintain balance. You don't want to work one area so much that it creates imbalances with other muscle groups. That sets you up for injury. And, trust me, that is not fun.
You'll get the greatest gains from this workout if you can do it at the gym where you have access to specialized equipment. However, you can easily do this routine at home. I give at-home versions/substitutions in the video, so be sure to watch it for the full explanation.
I've set up this workout in 3 sets of 3 exercises. Complete 1-4 rounds of each set (depending upon your ablity level) and then do the 1-Minute Cardio Interval before moving on to the next set.
You'll Need:
Bench or Chair
Dumbbells
Jump Rope
Leg Extension Machine (opt)
Leg Press Machine (opt)
Resistance Band (opt)
Beginners: 1-2 rounds of 8-10 reps
Intermdiate: 2-3 rounds of 10-12 reps
Advanced: 4 rounds of 15
Warm-up: 10-Minute Ab Routine
45 sec Right Leg Teasers/Leg Climb
rest 15 sec
45 sec Left Leg Teasers/Leg Climb
rest 15 sec
45 sec Shoulder Taps and Knee Dips
rest 15 sec and Repeat Sequence 2 more times!
1 minute Punch Abs
The Workout
Set 1: Perform 1-4 times
8-15 Three-Way Squat Jumps (each direction)
8-15 Deadlifts
8-15 Leg Extensions
1 Minute Cardio: Jump Rope
Set 2: Perform 1-4 times
8-15 Full Squats
8-15 King Deadlifts (each leg)
8-15 Three-Way Calf Raises (each way)
1 Minute Cardio: Jump Rope Butt Kicks
Set 3: Perform 1-4 times
8-15 Leg Press (OR 3-sec Squat Holds)
8-15 Sissy Squats
8-15 Pistol Squats (each leg)
1 Minute Cardio: Jump Rope Jacks
Bonus Giant Set:
Perform 8-15 reps of each exercise once, omitting the cardio intervals