At home workout routines can yield amazing results, if done correctly! A lot of people tend to do the same routine over and over again and wonder why they never see results. But, image doing the exact same thing at work everyday and wonder why you don’t make more money. Or imagine cleaning a stain with the same cleaner (that didn’t work in the first place) and wondering why the 6th and 7th time it wasn’t working. The same goes for fitness, you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. So, that is why I created an at-home lower body strength workout for you to try!
Again, there is NO EQUIPMENT needed for this workout! Our bodyweight can make a great workout if proper movements and stress on the muscles are performed. It is important to really think about the muscle you are working. Research has shown that there is a big difference between thinking about the muscle that is working and thinking about what you are going to do after your workout! The mind-muscle connection is so important in the building of muscle tissue. The proper recruitment and contraction of the muscle is what will allow us to tear down the muscle fibers in hopes of building them bigger and stronger! Here is a great at-home lower body workout that will give you the proper foundation to build on for maximum strength results!
Table of Contents
(complete all sets and reps of each exercise before moving onto the next)
3×10 Squats
3×10 Bridges
3x10e Seated single leg lift
3×10 Sumo squat on toes
3×10 Lunges
3×10 Quadruped kickback
3×10 Lateral lunges
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FULL video on my YouTube channel
One of the most important exercises that works a number of muscles. It is a core/compound exercise and should be in every training program!
Form: Core tight, back flat! Feet just outside shoulder width apart, knees/toes pointing forward. Weight is in your heels as you sit back (like you’re sitting into a chair) and drive all the way up and squeeze your glutes! NEVER let your knees come over your toes, always think about keeping the weight in your heels. Go down you just about 90 degrees and then back up, no need to drop any lower.
Modification: Don’t go too low into your squat and take breaks when needed. To make it harder you can add weights or you can make them more of a pulse and don’t come fully out of each rep for an extra burn.
Another foundational exercise to teach proper hip hinging. This is an important move in any training program in order to target the glutes and hamstrings
Form: Flat on back with knees bent (feet under knees so shins are vertical), drive through your heels picking your hips up off the floor, engaging the glutes and then returning back down
Modification: There isn’t an easier modification for this one. To make it harder you can elevate your feet on something, use 1 leg or add weights/bands!
This movement is going to target your quads and hip flexors!
Form: Sitting with your legs straight out and weight in your hands behind you, flex your foot (and your quad) and lift leg off of the ground. You want to also keep your core tight and chest up, don’t let your back round and lean too far back!
Modification: To make it easier you can just work on making a muscle in your quad instead of lifting the foot. To make it harder you can leave your leg in the air and do more of a pulse motion!
Sumo squats are meant to work your glutes and inner thighs! It is important to frequently change the angle of the joint to fire different muscle groups and lengthen the fibers!
Form: Feet wide and toes pointing out. Keeping your weight in your toes, squat STRAIGHT down with your knees and toes going in the same direction! Do not allow your knees to go over your toes, ever! Think about pushing your knees backwards and engaging your glutes!
Modification: You can make this movement easier by not going on your toes, just a regular sumo squat. Again, range of motion is also up to you! To make things harder you can add a weight and hold it between your legs and even make it more of a pulse!
Another great movement that is a staple in all programs! You can modify it in so many ways to work different muscles work during the movements!
Form: At no time during a lunge are you actually lunging forward! Take a step forward, drop straight down bending both knees (and not letting that front knee go over your toe) and then push back off of the front foot and then alternate legs. You want to try and get your back knee as close to the ground as possible without touching, and your weight is always in your front heel and back toe!
Modification: Range of motion is going to be the biggest modification. Do not go down as low if it is hard for you, or you can do reverse lunges if that is easier on the knees. To make it harder you can add weights!
This movement is going to help strengthen your core and target your glutes/low back at the same time!
Form: On all fours with core pulled into belly button and back flat, kickback leg until fully extended and engage glute on that side and then pull knee back into chest and repeat. Movement comes from only the hip.
Modification: There is no way to make this movement easier, just take breaks when you need it! To make it harder you can add a band around your upper legs or increase your repetitions.
We spend a lot of time moving in the forward/backward motion during the day. It is important to add movements into your workouts that get you out of those movement patterns and work different muscles.
Form: Separate your feet so you have a pretty wide stance. Knees and toes facing forward, shift your weight into your right leg and bend that knee as if you are going into a squat. Don’t let your knee go over your toe and make sure you keep your chest up! Left knee straightens out as you shift over and all weight/contraction is in right leg. Then shift your weight into the left and repeat.
Modification: Try stepping out to the side for your lunge instead of just shifting your weight. Again, range of motion is up to you but you want to focus on working the standing glute and inner thigh of other leg! To make things harder you can add a weight and make sure you are getting full range of motion.
As you know, warm-up and cool down is incredibly important whenever you are exercising! You can check out the benefits of it in one of my previous blogs here.
Warm-ups do not need to be complicated, you are just working to warm up the muscles to prevent any injury that could occur from exercising cold muscles.
WARM-UP:
→ Jogging in place
→ Toy Soldiers
→ Eagles and Scorpians
→ Push-ups
COOL DOWN:
→ Hamstring stretch
→ Chest Stretch
→ Pigeon Stretch
→ Childs Pose
Leg day is COMPLETE! I hope you feel like you got a great workout in from the comfort of your own home, or anywhere! Creating these workouts fills my cup and makes me so happy when I hear of you guys completing them! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you get updated whenever a new workout is posted!
Whenever you do any kind of exercise, your body is breaking down muscle fibers. These muscle fibers then need proper nutrition to rebuild bigger and stronger so we can continue to exercise. This is where proper protein consumption comes into play. A lot of people have a hard time getting enough protein in their diet, so I wanted to share a supplement that could aid in recovery! Click the image below to get your hands on Primal Fuel, a protein supplement created by Mark Sisson!
