Gym Workout 6: Lower Body

Disclaimer: Always consult with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any new workout routine. Following this workout is always at your own risk. Listen to your body during exercise, and stop immediately if you experience any discomfort or pain.

A home workout version of this workout can be found here.

Equipment for this workout: Mini band, two dumbbells, bench. Could use barbell or kettlebells also. 

Info: Start with a warm-up for the lower body, then follow the exercise routines, start with exercise routine 1 and complete 4 rounds, then go to exercise routine 2 and complete 3 rounds, exercise routine 3 and complete 2 rounds and finally exercise routine 4 and complete 1 round. Add a finisher if you need one today. End with a stretches.

As a reminder, if it says 4/4x, you complete 4x first on the right side (R) and then 4x on the left side (L). If there is an exercise that is for both R and L but it says e.g. 20x then you take the exercise alternating between R and L and complete this total number of repetitions.

Lower body warm-up

1 round:

1. 4x cat cow

2. 2x child pose to stretch

3. 10-20x down ward dog while stepping up and down

4. 15/15x pulse in couch stretch

5. 5/5x spider lunge with rotations

6. 10x glute bridge with pause

7. 10/10x SL glute bridge

8. 10/10x squat + leg lift

9. 20x good morning

10. 20x sumo pulses 

Exercise routine 1:

Benchmark weight: Beginner use 20lbs barbell or dumbbell. More advanced use the hip thrust machine/station and as heavy as you can for 15 reps, e.g. 2x20-45+lbs weight plates on the barbell and then add weights each round. 

4 rounds:

1. 15/15x clam (mini band)

2. 15x hip thrust  (mini band, bench, barbell or dumbbell)

3. 40x plank toe touch (mini band)

Rest as needed after each round - aim for 20-30 second

Exercise routine 2:

Benchmark weight: Beginner use 1x15-20lbs dumbbell or kettlebell. More advanced use anything over 30lbs.

3 rounds:

1. 20/20x standing toe touch (mini band)

2. 15x sumo squat (one dumbbell or kettlebell)

3. 15x leg lifts

Rest as needed after each round - aim for 20-30 second

Exercise routine 3:

Benchmark weight: Beginner use 2x10lbs dumbbell or kettlebell or 20lbs barbell. More advanced use 2x20-45+lbs dumbbells or kettlebell or 45-90+lbs barbell.

 2 rounds:

1. 20/20x standing kick back (mini band)

2. 15x romanian dead lift (barbell, two dumbbells or kettlebell)

3. 10/10x bird dog

Rest as needed after each round - aim for 20-30 second

Exercise routine 4:

Benchmark weight: Beginner use 2x5-10lbs then drop one dumbbell and finish with body weight. More advanced use 2x20-30+lbs, drop one dumbbell then end with body weight. 

1 round:

1. Max bulgarian R (two dumbbells)

2. Max bulgarian L (two dumbbells)

3. Max burpees in 60 sec

Finisher

Repeat exercise routine 4 one more time

Stretches

1. 4/4x inner thigh + spinal stretch or 30 sec stretch for inner thigh

2. 8x windshield wipers

3. 30/30 sec glutes

4. 4/4x lying spinal stretch

5. 2x child pose stretch forward 

6. 20/20 sec quads

7. 20/20 sec hamstrings

 Add any stretches you feel the need to