Workout of the week: 35-min lower-body strength workout

ALL LEVELS / lower-body strength workout / 35 minutes

Equipment: Leg extension machine, hack squat machine, dumbbells & gym bench

Everyone loves to hate on leg day. We understand: it’s a gruelling and challenging day in a workout split, with the ability to make you walk funny. Yet, it’s also super rewarding when you pass soreness and tiredness. Most importantly, it has a lot of benefits: it strengthens your lower body and core, burns calories and helps losing weight; it reduces joint pain and bolsters your bones.

With all these benefits, it’s hard to dismiss this lower-body strength workout: a 35-minute session with just 4 exercises (one unilateral). Perform each exercise 10 times, resting for 1 minute before moving on to the next one. Complete 4 rounds and reap the benefits of the infamous leg day.

Leg extensions
Hack squat
Dumbbell Deadlift
Bulgarian split squats

Leg day, here you go!

WORKOUT SETUP

4 exercises
10 reps each
4 rounds
1-minute rest between rounds
Equipment: Leg extension machine, hack squat machine, dumbbells & gym bench

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

4 rounds

1 – LEG EXTENSIONS

10 reps

Sit up straight on the leg extension machine.
Adjust the pad so it sits on your lower leg and just above your feet.
Extend your legs straight out in front of you, making sure you’re using your quads to power the movement.
Then slowly lower them back to the starting position.
Repeat.

2 – HACK SQUAT

10 reps

Stand on the machine with the cushions over your shoulders.
Adopt a foot stance similar to the one you use for regular squats.
Engage your core so that you feel the cushion pushing against your body.
This machine is perfect for helping you squat to great depth.
Slowly descend until you feel like losing either core stability or the contact of your pelvis with the cushion.
Repeat.

3 – DUMBBELL DEADLIFT

10 reps

Begin by standing, holding a dumbbell in each hand. As the video shows, the dumbbells can be positioned in front of the body; however, if this puts too much stress on your low back, hold the dumbbells by your side.
Engage the core and begin the movement by bending the knees slightly and hinging the hips. Then continue the bending by pushing the hips backwards, lowering the dumbbells as far as comfortable.
At the bottom of the movement, actively engage the glutes, push the feet into the floor and drive the hips upwards and forwards to return to the start position.
Repeat.

4 – BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS

10 reps on each leg

Find yourself a step, bench or any other contraption that you can rest a foot on. It needs to be about knee height.
Get into a forward lunge position with your torso upright, core braced and hips square to your body, with your back foot elevated on the bench. Your leading leg should be half a meter or so in front of the bench.
Lower until your front thigh is almost horizontal, keeping your knee in line with your foot. Don’t let your front knee pass beyond your toes.
Drive up through your front foot back to the starting position, again keeping your movements controlled.
Repeat 10 times then switch to the other leg.