Workout of the week: Functional dumbbell lower body workout

21st June 2021

Unterkörper workout - lower body workout - EVO Fitness

HANNAH BRAUN

Personal trainer at EVO Fitness Mariahilfer Straße

Hannah is a health, fitness and personal trainer. With her creative workouts and individually adapted training plans, she ensures that her clients’ goals are efficiently achieved. At the same time, her top priority is to bring the fun and enjoyment of exercise and sport closer to her clients and to guide and support them on their way to become the best version of themselves.

Follow her on Instagram: @hannahxbraun

Book a PT session: office@hannahbraun.org

DUMBBELL LOWER BODY WORKOUT

ALL LEVELS / dumbbell lower body workout

Equipment: Dumbbells, small weight plates & exercise mat

Functional strength allows you to perform everyday tasks, such as carrying groceries, vacuuming your house or simply moving objects, effortlessly and with a significantly lower risk of injuring yourself.

Today, with the help of our friend Hannah Braun, a personal trainer based in Vienna, we will focus on your lower body strength. This is already Hannah’s fourth EVO workout. In case you missed the others, here they are: full-body dumbbell workout, 30-minute upper body workout and 20-min abs and core workout.

This dumbbell lower body workout consists of 5 functional exercises to be performed for 3 rounds. The repetitions vary between the exercises and go from 8 to 15. It’s, as usual, a minimal session: you’ll need a pair of dumbbells and some small weight plates for a particular quad focused exercise.

Dumbbell slow squats with pulse
Goblet squats with plates
Reverse lunge into front lunge
Side squat with dumbbell switch
Dumbbell deadlift into squat

Let’s smash this session!

WORKOUT SETUP

5 exercises
Reps vary: from 8 to 15, depending on the exercise
3 rounds
Equipment: Dumbbells, small weight plates & exercise mat

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

If you don’t have the equipment originally needed for this workout, you can substitute it with these everyday items or use these alternative exercises.

Alternative equipment

Dumbbells = water bottles filled with water and / or sand

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 rounds

As a warm-up, Hannah recommends a cardio boost to get your heart rate up: slow running, walking or skipping. If you feel you need an extra activation focused on your lower legs, grab a resistance band a perform exercises such as fire hydrants, air squats, leg kick backs or donkey kicks.

1 – DUMBBELL SLOW SQUATS WITH PULSE

12-15 reps

Start by standing tall, feet hip-width apart with a dumbbell in front of you.
Grab the dumbbell by the top of the weight after locking your core.
Perform a squat slowly and hold it at the bottom.
Pulse it a few inches up and down and get back to the starting position.
That’s one rep.

2 – GOBLET SQUATS WITH PLATES

12-15 reps

Place two lightweight disks under each of your heels — this variation of the goblet squat will focus on your quads.
Stand tall and hold a dumbbell vertically, putting your hands below the top of the weight.
Place the dumbbell against your chest and keep it there throughout the whole movement.
Squat, keeping your core tight and back upright.
Get back up, pushing from the sole of your feet to help you.

3 – REVERSE LUNGE INTO FRONT LONGE

8-10 reps on each side

Stand tall, holding two dumbbells.
Firmly plant your left foot on the ground and take a step back with your right.
Now, push explosively with your front foot to perform a forward lunge.
Make sure you’re always looking straight ahead and that your core is engaged.

4 – SIDE SQUAT WITH DUMBBELL SWITCH

10 reps on each side

Hold a dumbbell in your hands, feet shoulder-width apart.
Hold the dumbbell with your right hand, and, keeping your left foot on the floor, take a big step to your right.
As you plant your right foot on the floor, bend the knee, keeping the left straight and lowering the dumbbell in the same movement.
Extend the right knee, transferring the weight and returning to the starting position.
Change the dumbbell to the opposite hand and repeat the lunge with the opposite leg.

5 – DUMBBELL DEADLIFT INTO SQUAT

10 reps

Begin in standing, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
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 perform the rest of this compound movement.
Bring the dumbbells over your shoulder and perform a squat.
That’s one rep.