Have you already completed your first workout of the new year? If not, now is the time! When my clients are first starting out, I recommend committing to twice weekly workouts. This gives your body time to adjust, and time you need to adjust your schedule. When you get going and your body improves, we will up the frequency then. So for now, here is a fun Leg Day for you so you only have to think of an upper body workout this week!
Perform three rounds of each superset.
Exercises:
Kneeling Wood Choppers: Kneeling, take your kettlebell overhead. As you bring it down on the inside of your leg, crunch with your abs to really target your obliques. Repeat all reps on on side before switching to the other.
Landmine Romanian Deadlifts: Start by putting the bar in the landmine mechanism and loading with weight. Grab the bar with both hands and bend forward in proper Romanian deadlift form: legs should be slightly bent, back should be flat, chest should be up, hips should hinge upwards with each movement. You will feel this all over your back, and the back of your legs (hamstrings).
1/1/3 Leg Curls: Lay down on the curl machine and set the weight to light. Use only your right leg to curl the weight up, then the left leg, then perform three reps with both legs. When using both legs, it should feel very easy. Be sure to keep the hamstrings tight to keep the bar from “jumping” off your leg with each rep.
Around the World Lunges: For this move, we are doing three different lunge motions. Start in a forward lunge by stepping your leg in front of your body and bending it. Come back to starting position. Then hit a side lunge by stepping your same leg wide directly to your side and bending it. Keep the stationary leg straight to get a stretch down your inner thigh. Return to starting position. Finally, reach your same leg back and bend it to get a backwards lunge. Whenever you perform lunges, be conscious to keep your knees directly over foot and not past your toes, so your knees won’t be bothered. After getting all 10 reps on one side, then switch legs to get 10 reps on the other side.
Overhead Curtsy Lunges: Use a kettlebell or other weight overhead. Step one leg back behind the other in a curtsy motion and bend the knee to lunge. Then switch sides. Especially with the weight overhead, be sure to keep abs tight and focus on your balance. It might help to stare at a spot on the wall.
Walking Squat Jump Switches: You can use a weight with this one, or do not if it gets to be too much. Perform a squat jump by sitting into good squat form and exploding upwards. Then flip your body around so you are facing the opposite way and do another squat jump. Flip your body again and again, performing a squat jump each time until you hit 10 reps for this workout. Working explosiveness at the end of a leg workout really helps to build power in those thighs! You will feel tired, especially once you get to the last set of these because they are designed to finish you off!
To see all the movements performed with proper form, check out my video:
Amber Launstein 